Heartbreaking Pats Losses

[Froob]

TERRIBLE thread idea.

I've submitted my report and recommended charges.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

1. Super Bowl 42. Worst sports loss of my life. Topped Aaron Boone. **** New York.

2. Super Bowl 46. Seriously, them again??? So glad Coughlin's gone. You did my heart good by beating Notre Dame as HC of BC, but you're dead to me now, ya red faced prick. **** him and the Giants.

3. 2015 season AFCCG. The most angry I've ever been about a non-SB defeat. The only Pats playoff game that I ever stopped watching with plenty of time left in the 4th quarter. It was a frustrating game, culminating a frustrating stretch that started with Dion Lewis' injury and continued with being robbed of the regular season win at Denver, having a potential undefeated season ruined by the damn Broncos, and then being deprived of Brady playing in his backyard in the landmark 50th SB. Didn't help that that CG could've been played in Foxboro had the Pats not mailed it in the final month of the season. Just an extremely blood-boiling experience. **** the Broncos.

4. 2006 season AFC CG. I wasn't angry at the end of it, just defeated. Just staring at my TV in disbelief of what had happened. It's a cruel bit of irony that all these defeats happen at the hands of teams I despise and not teams like the Texans or Chiefs. **** the Colts.

5. 2010 season Divisional vs NYJ. Felt like that had the making of a special season and that defeat, to those jerks, betrayed my instincts. The bad guys won, and it sucked. **** the Jets.

6. Super Bowl 31. Sure, in a way we were happy to be there. Green Bay was the heavy favorite. That having been said, it was a fun season. We were even leading after the first quarter! It was my first taste of a SB with having a dog in the fight, and first really big defeat. **** Brett Favre.

7. 2012 season AFC CG. **** the Ravens.

8. 2005 season Divisional vs Denver. God Bless Ben Watson. That was a touchback. **** Jeff Triplette, and **** the Broncos again for good measure.

9. 2015 Week 12 defeat to Broncos. As mentioned earlier. Recency bias, but can't remember a regular season loss that pissed me off more. Seriously, **** that team!

10. 2009 season Wild Card vs Baltimore. Terrible season by Pats standards, and embarrassing home defeat to a hated conference rival. **** the Ratbirds again.

Your Post Title: Flying Elvis' Legacy

"We damaged the league"
"No Bill, no Stop & Shop for you"
"Drew Bledsoe is the G.O.A.T."
"I apologize, we damaged the league - again"
"I hope Patriots fans will forgive me"
"I'm putting my faith in the league"
"Julius who?"

 

[Gronkowski123]

the first giants superbowl

2006 afc title game. didn't expect us to win but after that asante pick 6 i thought we were SB bound!!

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Zero chance. Third-quarter score deceiving.

Green Bay had by far the better team. In every respect. Except maybe Martin.

 

[Plunkett2Vataha]

Always wondered what would have happened if the Pats had NOT kicked off to Desmond Howard. They were down only six points, and just scored on a drive that mixed runs and passes. After the KO return TD and the 2 point conversion, the Packers knew the Patriots would be throwing the ball, and you saw the ugly results. By the way, I remember seeing the SI cover of the return the week after the game. Just after I was accepting the loss, I saw a Packer was blatantly grabbing a Pats facemask and had it pushed halfway up his face. And remember, that KO return was the only time the Packers scored in the second half.

 

[Plunkett2Vataha]

As for the original poster, yes, SB 42 was the worst because of the chance to finish undefeated. As another poster pointed out, there were so many painful memories of that game, so many times they could have ended things on the penultimate drive for the Giants.
1) n the 4th and one inside Giants territory, Wilfork slid from right to left to potentially plug the hole before Jacobs could hit it. But his momentum seemingly kept him moving too far over and he left the hole open for Jacobs to make it through. There is no way a 350 lb Vince doesn't stuff Jacobs shy of the first down if he didn't lose his feet while moving laterally.
2) Samuel did have to leave his feet in his attempt at the INT. He still should have caught the ball.
3) The refs didn't have the integrity to call any one of three blatant holds or hands to the face when Eli escaped the sack and threw the Helmet Catch pass.
4). Meriweather also dropped an interception several plays before the Plaxico TD. It was in the left flat. He botched it bad enough that the Giant who was on the ground (Tyree?) almost caught it on the muffed play. Meriweather always had hands of stone. Remember the Ravens Monday Night Game when he dropped an easy game ending INT inside of 30 seconds? He was like a centerfielder camped under a routine fly ball, and he flat out dropped it. A couple of plays later, the Ravens almost pulled it out on a Hail Mary to the end zone. I forget if the final pass was incomplete or if the Raven caught it inside the 5 and immediately tackled. This was the infamous game when D-coordinator Rob Ryan called a TO a split second before the Ravens stopped the Patriots on 4th down, which would have probably resulted in a Ravens win.
5) There was a 3rd down play, a play or two before the winning TD, that they should have tackled WR Smith on the right side of the field. Someone took a bad angle and he gained an extra 5-6 yards for the third down conversion.
6) How many people remember how CLOSE Moss came to catching the 3rd down desperation bomb from Brady up the left sideline against a failing double team? He was maybe an inch or two shy of catching it in FULL STRIDE. Would have been the greatest offensive play of all time in the Super Bowl.
Why do I torture myself replaying this game in my mind??? UGGGGHHHHHH....

 

[Plunkett2Vataha]

For the older members of the board who were old enough to watch this playoff game, the Ben Dreith bag job against the Raiders during the 1976 season. There were so many uncalled holding penalties against the Raiders offensive line, especially in the 4th period. The ref staring right at Russ Francis as LB Villipiano blatantly pins both of his arms to his side well before the pass from Grogan reaches him. Take your pick, P.I. or defensive holding. Both would have created a first down and a chance to run out the clock and/or kick a FG to boost the lead to 7 points. Then, of course, the infamous "roughing the passer" phantom call against Sugar Bear. Even Stabler said after the game it wasn't even close to roughing the passer. The Patriots would have crushed the Vikings in the Super Bowl. I know there is an esteemed member of this board who have raged about this game, just can't remember who he is.

 

[Pats Fanatic]

To me it is the 1976 Oakland game. The anger really did go away until the 2001 Snow bowl game. It was pure robbery with not just the roughing the passer call but the pass interference on Russ Francis which was far worse non-call. With that win the Pats would have won the Super Bowl that year and who knows after that. I guess that the Raiders had to win because if they didn't there would not have been any titles for the so called great Raiders teams of the 70's. I still hate everything about that team.
I remember going to church that day for Christmas service and I have not stepped into a church except for weddings and funerals since.
.

 

[Plunkett2Vataha]

For the posters talking about the 2006 Colts playoff game, my lasting memory was Reche Caldwell dropping the pass to the right side from Brady. He could have walked into the end zone. Then on 3rd down, Caldwell was held and interfered with in the end zone, but the gutless refs refused to call either penalty. Would have been first and goal at the one. The Pats kicked a FG, and the four points lost was huge. That would have meant the final Colts TD would have tied the game, not put them ahead. The second thing that sticks out is the "face guard" penalty against the Pats in the end zone that no longer was considered a penalty. Fricking refs didn't even know the rule didn't exist anymore. The third thing was the OPI against Troy Brown. It was definitely "ticky-tack" and shouldn't have been called. Like another poster said, it cost them at least a FG, if not more. I firmly believe too that the game would have been over at halftime.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I've always thought that the fans of "winners" don't focus on the games they think they "shoulda/coulda/woulda" won. That's what the fans of "losers" do.

That doesn't mean I haven't felt some losses very deeply at the time, but they're really not worth dwelling on. That's what Jets and Bills fans do because it's all they have.

As Pats fans, we can balance "roughing the passer" with "the tuck call" 25 years later; we can balance Tyree's catch with Butler's pick and be happy that we didn't have to wait 25 years for those scales to even out.

Outcomes in Sports in general and the NFL in particular are such a mix of "making plays" and "luck" and officials calls that freeze-framing one moment and visiting it over and over again is crazy for fans of a Franchise that has learned to succeed.

Sometimes our team lost because of bad luck (Tyree), sometimes our won because of good luck (the call reversal in the Tuck Game). Sometimes our team lost because the other guys made a play (Manning to Manningham). Sometimes our team lost because our guys didn't make a play (Welker, same game).

NFL Football is a brutal game of power and strength and speed that is often resolved by inches and microseconds and what an official sees or doesn't see. Numerous, if not countless, games could have gone either way but for one call, one play, one bounce, one good read, one bad read...

For players, I think, it's different. I understand Rodney Harrison's reliving Tyree's magic helmet catch and wondering what he might have done to knock the ball loose just as I understand Russell Wilson's wondering why he didn't recognize that Browner had busted Kearse's pick and throw the ball into the first row of seats instead of Butler's hands. They were on the field. We weren't.

 

[Plunkett2Vataha]

Now for the Broncos 2005 playoff loss. Ben Watson made one of the best hustle plays of all time and the refs didn't have the guts to make the right call. Patriots ball at the 20 on the touchback. I'm firmly convinced Brady would have marched the Patriots right back down the field like he had the previous two possessions. And they would have handled the Seahawks in the SB.

 

[sb1]

Desmond Howard

Really annoying too knowing what we know now about Tuna's commitment to the team at that point.

 

[qbno12]

Last year vs Denver in the snow.

Almost killed myself with how crazy I drove home. I was furious.

**** those refs, **** the Broncos, **** the schedule for always making us play in Mile High whenever we play Denver in an important game.

Past 3 years we have played there 3 times, and now we've got them a 4th time in 4 years. I swear to god if we have to play a 5th time in Colorado this year, I'm gonna go ballistic.

I'm seriously tired of having to have my guys and their knees go up against T.J. Ward, and even more tired of watching guys struggle to play the game in that stadium because of the altitude. That is a seriously unfair advantage that Denver is afforded, and it always seems like they get their toughest games scheduled at home.

Pats playing 4 straight yrs in Denver is due to schedule rotation. Denver played here for 4 yrs before that and starting next year, if Denver and Pats play it'll be in Foxboro for 4 yrs.

 

[mosi]

SB 42 of course was the worst ever. One of the only games I have never worried about. I was 100% confident the Pats would win in a blow out. I have never been able to watch a Pats game with confidence ever since.

The 2010 division loss to the Jets. I was worried about the rookies but thought they could win.

The 1986 loss in Denver. That was a magical year and thought they had that "special" thing. Just a gut punch.

The 1976 Raiders game. Having crushed the Raiders that year and beaten the Stiglers in Pittsburgh, I thought this was the Pats time.

The 2006 AFCGC. Again, I thought they had that in the bag.

In reality, now every loss is painful. I remember as a kid, thinking 10 wins was HUGE! 11-5 was fantastic and 12 wins would be unbelievable. 14 wins was un-thinkable. Now, every loss seems like the end of the world.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Always wondered what would have happened if the Pats had NOT kicked off to Desmond Howard. They were down only six points, and just scored on a drive that mixed runs and passes. After the KO return TD and the 2 point conversion, the Packers knew the Patriots would be throwing the ball, and you saw the ugly results. By the way, I remember seeing the SI cover of the return the week after the game. Just after I was accepting the loss, I saw a Packer was blatantly grabbing a Pats facemask and had it pushed halfway up his face. And remember, that KO return was the only time the Packers scored in the second half.

Howard was doing that to everybody that year. Yes, if Pats coaches had properly scouted/paid attention, they'd have kept the ball away from him. But that's only one of a few things we would have had to do differently, to win that game. Even Parcells putting aside his escape plan at least until after the game, and activating Troy would still not have been enough. Pack had the better team. And yes, refs weren't about to do us any favors, either.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

SB 42 of course was the worst ever. One of the only games I have never worried about. I was 100% confident the Pats would win in a blow out. I have never been able to watch a Pats game with confidence ever since.

The 2010 division loss to the Jets. I was worried about the rookies but thought they could win.

The 1986 loss in Denver. That was a magical year and thought they had that "special" thing. Just a gut punch.

The 1976 Raiders game. Having crushed the Raiders that year and beaten the Stiglers in Pittsburgh, I thought this was the Pats time.

The 2006 AFCGC. Again, I thought they had that in the bag.

In reality, now every loss is painful. I remember as a kid, thinking 10 wins was HUGE! 11-5 was fantastic and 12 wins would be unbelievable. 14 wins was un-thinkable. Now, every loss seems like the end of the world.

1976 was our time. It can never be overstated.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Desmond Howard

Really annoying too knowing what we know now about Tuna's commitment to the team at that point.

To achieve a major upset like that, you need all the intangibles in your favor. Can't afford distractions, or major boo-boos.

 

[mosi]

1976 was our time. It can never be overstated.

I often wonder how the franchise would differ if they had won the SB that year. Would the team still be owned by the Sullivan? Would the Pats still be playing in old Schaefer stadium?

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

I often wonder how the franchise would differ if they had won the SB that year. Would the team still be owned by the Sullivan? Would the Pats still be playing in old Schaefer stadium?

Things playing out properly on the field, would not have changed much off it. Billy had huge financial problems, which doubtless contributed to his failing to pay Hannah & Gray in time to save the season in '77.

The chip-on-the-shoulder, bad karma thing is too hard to measure or predict. Losing Darryl like we did remains among the most traumatic experiences of my too long life. Grogan breaking down was the main thing that kept us out of more playoffs; then later, Berry's insistence on starting Eason when he clearly shouldn't have.

Really, the key to the present day existence of the team is Kraft. By shrewdly purchasing the land and the lease; stubbornly hanging onto it; paying a record sum to buy the team and then financing the stadium personally, you can make a good argument that he's perfectly entitled to dress up the players however he wants, and let the league walk all over us unimpeded.

The way, in the team's media guide, he takes credit for all the winning that accompanied Tom's insertion as the starting QB, and lumps it into the nondescript Bledsoe era that preceded it, is just annoying and inaccurate.

Lots of posters here have given up on him. While I'm obviously personally furious, I still believe a relatively simple, friendly civilized conversation with him could really enlighten him. He's still a nice man.

 

[pheenix11]

I was walking out of the Supermarket down here and some guy saw my Pats shirt and asked me how I thought we'd do without Brady for the first four games. We chatted for a minute and then he mentioned that he's a Giants fan and hoped maybe we'd meet in the Super Bowl again.

I told him flat out, I don't want any part of the Giants in the Super Bowl, I don't care if they're 8-8 and barely squeak in somehow. I'm still in therapy from the last two times we faced them.