Most Shocking / Inexplicable Patriots Losses in the Brady / Belichick Era

[The Price Is Wrong]

This notion has come up in a few threads over the course of the last few months: the Eagles loss was one of the strangest, most unexpected losses in the Belichick era! So was that 2004 Miami game! So was... a lot of games.

With my agitation and anticipation for Sunday approaching 6-year-old-on-Christmas-Eve levels, I figured it's time to put up a poll. I went through game logs and picked out my top 10 candidates, regular and post-season, listed chronologically. Pick and vote for your top 3. Pick the games where, for example:

- You were shaking your head afterwards and saying "how in god's name did that just happen?"
- The biggest chain of freak events happened, be they player-created, ref-created, or the cruel whims of fate
- The mismatch was the biggest going in, where you most expected a Pats blowout

I think we all know what the #1 vote-getter will be, although some trends from that year may have predicted that its likelihood was far greater than the Pats' record would suggest. But let's see where the others stack up.

Spoilered are those I didn't put in the top 10.

Spoiler: Also considered...

Didn't quite make the cut:

• 2005 wk 4, 17-41 v SD: Martyball comes to town vs 2-time defending champs; 24-pt win is among largest ever vs Brady
• 2009 wk 13, 21-22 @MIA: Leading by 11 in the 3rd, Pats fail to score in last 27 mins, weird OPI & fumble rolls, MIA kicks GW FG with 1:02 remaining
• 2011 SB, 17-21 v NYG: Bizarre 1Q safety, two Tuck sacks, would-be clinching TD to Gronk turns into an INT, followed by Manningham & mayhem.
• 2012 CONF, 13-28 v BAL: After 6-pt halftime lead, give up 21 in the 2nd half and score 0 (via 3 turnovers) to hand AFC title to Harbaugh & Ray Lewis
• 2014 wk 1, 20-33 @MIA: Pats have 20-10 lead at halftime; 2nd half, Pats go: fumble, 4 punts, fumble, downs. Eventual 8-8 Dolphins run rampant.
• 2014 wk 4, 14-41 @KC: Brady's 2 INTs see him benched for Jimmy G as Chiefs crush, taunt Pats on MNF
• 2015 wk 16, 20-26 @NYJ: Pats offense sputters all game, stages dramatic game-tying TD with 2:00 left, pisses it all away by handing Fitz a fast TD drive to open OT

Also receiving strong consideration:

• 2003 wk 4, 17-20 @WAS: Led by the immortal Patrick Ramsey, the 5-11 Hogs beat a team that would then win 21 straight.
• 2005 DIV, 13-27 @DEN: With Brady 10-0 in the playoffs, confidence was high; a series of gut-punch plays necessitated, then prevented, a late comeback
• 2009 wk 10, 34-35 @IND: Pats lead by 17 in the 4th, but the eventually 14-0 Colts stage furious comeback, get Flacco DPI on Darius Butler, and then 4th-and-2...
• 2009 WC, 14-33 v BAL: The result less surprising than the way it happened: 83yd kickoff return to open game, 24-0 in 1st Q, Pats' morale crashes
• 2012 wk 2, 18-20 v ARI: Pats' offense sputters all game, despite winning yards & turnovers; down 9-20 in 4Q, furious rally falls short on a failed 2PC to Gronk, missed GW FGA by Ghost
• 2013 wk 11, 20-24 @CAR: Only 7 possessions per team, Ridley fumbles on CAR 13yl, Gronk held while going for GW TD as times expires, no call

Also receiving some consideration:

• 2006 wk 10, 14-17 v NYJ: Against former asst Eric Mangini, the 4-4 Jets springboarded a 6-2 run to the playoffs (where they lost the rematch @NE)
• 2009 wk 17, 27-34 @HOU: Welker lost for playoffs after Bernard Pollard tackle in 1Q; Pats lead by 14 in 4th, give up 21, lose
• 2011 wk 3, 31-34 @BUF: Pats cough up 11-pt halftime lead, tie game with 3:25 left, give up 3 quick plays to Fitz for 79 yards, but a Wilfork PF lets them milk clock and kick GW FG as time expires
• 2011 wk 9, 20-24 v NYG: After massively out-gaining NYG despite 4 TOs, and taking the lead with 1:36 left, Eli gets a 20-yd Flacco and the GW TD with 0:19 left
• 2012 wk 3, 30-31 @BAL: In mirror of 2011 AFCCG, Pats lead by 6 at half, by 9 in 4Q, give up GW FG as time expires
• 2012 wk 15, 34-41 v SFO: Not the loss but the 'how': down 31-3 in 3rd Q, stage furious rally to tie at 31, but then give up 62y kickoff return, 38y bomb, 2 sacks, to lose by 7
• 2013 wk 15, 20-24 @MIA: 8-8 Dolphins have crazy back-and-forth 4Q with 3 lead changes; Brady drive ended with 0:07 left by INT in Miami's end zone
• 2015 wk 11, 24-30 @DEN: Phantom calls, a muffed punt, a 14-point comeback by Brock Osweiler, dramatic tying FG as time expired, but 48-yd rush in OT loses game
• 2015 wk 17, 10-20 @MIA: Vs a woeful, mentally-checked-out 5-10 Dolphins team, Pats tie at 10 in 3Q, then punt 5 times and lose

Lotta ways we've found to lose over this time, but with so many wins to go along with them, a few loom very large in our memory.

 

[Marciano490]

This is a bad idea for now. Let's revisit it in the offseason, when it'll make a cool thread.

 

[The Price Is Wrong]

Not a fan of the reverse jinx?

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

The post-season losses, like the one to the Jets or that Super Bowl that never happened, were heartbreaking but at the same time, those teams were good enough to make the playoffs therefore good enough to beat the Pats on a good day. The 2004 loss to the Dolphins, the 2010 loss to the Browns, and the loss this year to the Eagles were all shocking in that they came down to uncharacteristic errors or poor play by the Pats. Late INTs from Brady, poor special teams, or just getting punched in the mouth and seeming wholely unprepared are the kinds of things that hurt worse than a good team having a good gameplan and executing.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

By point spread, the answer is the Game-That-Shall-Not-Be-Discussed. But I think there were a lot of warning signs going into that game, from how the Patriots were playing to Brady's foot to the way the Giants were playing and how the last meeting between the teams went. It was obviously a huge upset but that spread was in some ways just reflecting public opinion, which hadn't fully adjusted to the reality of how both teams were playing in January (rather than September/October).

For me, the most shocking was the 2010 loss to the Jets in the playoffs, just because of the way the previous matchup had gone and the degree to which the Patriots had been killing everybody. Green Bay was the only team that had played within 20 points of us since Thanksgiving. We were coming off a bye and we were at home. I was very, very confident going into that game and it all went wrong so quickly.

 

[johnmd20]

That 2006 loss to the Colts hurts pretty badly. It was especially bad b/c it gave Peyton his only SB win. Tough to swallow.

 

[Marciano490]

That 2006 loss to the Colts hurts pretty badly. It was especially bad b/c it gave Peyton his only SB win. Tough to swallow.

Plus, it was one of those years you just knew the AFC was going to win whether we or the Colts represented. The Bears won the early game and there was just no way Rex Grossman was going to win a SB, which made the AFC Championship the de facto Super Bowl. I remember as soon as time ran out on us knowing for a fact that Peyton was going to get one.

 

[The Price Is Wrong]

By point spread, the answer is the Game-That-Shall-Not-Be-Discussed. But I think there were a lot of warning signs going into that game, from how the Patriots were playing to Brady's foot to the way the Giants were playing and how the last meeting between the teams went. It was obviously a huge upset but that spread was in some ways just reflecting public opinion, which hadn't fully adjusted to the reality of how both teams were playing in January (rather than September/October).

In retrospect, yeah, there were warning signs. But at that time, there was still an aura of invincibility there: we had Brady, they had Eli. We had Belichick, they had Coughlin who had never accomplished much. Even by defense, we had the #4 scoring defense at 274 PA; Giants were 17th with 351. By every measure, the game had the look of a coronation, not a contest. I sat down for that game, surrounded by a few dozen other NE fans, with a smug "this is gonna be great!" attitude. My journey home that night was just as much a shell-shocked daze as after 2003 ALCS game 7. Maybe playoff losses should surprise us less than, say, losing by 20 to the Browns. But that loss just felt different than the others, even leaving aside the size of the stage.

 

[dbn]

I only voted for one, and it is the only one on the list I didn't watch - I think I was at a wedding or traveling abroad or something, and it was only a game against Cleveland so it didn't seem important. I remembering later seeing the highlights and thinking "who the hell is Peyton Hillis?"

 

[m0ckduck]

I would nominate the 2005 Divisional loss @ DEN. Not that it was objectively so surprising to lose— DEN was favored by 3. Just that we had no conception of what it was like to lose a playoff game with Brady. He was 9-0 heading into that game; after he annihilated PIT in the 2004 ACFCG while reportedly running a high fever, I felt like he might never lose an elimination game. Cut to: blizzard of turnovers, 99-yard TAINT, Jake Freaking Plummer putting the game out of reach, season over. I felt absolutely numbed and dead after that game. In retrospect, we were obviously going to lose at some point, but that game felt like watching an unrecognizably different movie than the last three postseasons we'd been in.

EDIT: sorry, I just noticed the Spoiler section, where this game appears under 'receiving strong consideration'

 

[MarcSullivaFan]

That 2006 loss to the Colts hurts pretty badly. It was especially bad b/c it gave Peyton his only SB win. Tough to swallow.

It hurt bad, but I can't say it was a huge shock. The Pats had some major holes, and had just barely survived SD the week before.

 

[DJnVa]

Jesus, I hate this thread 2 days before an AFC title game.

 

[MillarTime]

Aside from "Game-That-Shall-Not-Be-Discussed," the 2010 Jets game was easily the most shocking to me. That team steamrolled through everyone over the 2nd half of that season and had just annihilated the Jets a few week earlier. IIRC, they came out smoking and went right down the field early and then Brady threw a bad pick on a screen in red zone.....yuck.

 

[The Price Is Wrong]

It hurt bad, but I can't say it was a huge shock. The Pats had some major holes, and had just barely survived SD the week before.

Yeah, SD really deserved the title that year. I still can't believe we beat them. That 2006 Divisional playoff might be a candidate for "most unexpected wins of the Brady/Belichick era". Regardless, we really were no better than the 3rd best team in the AFC that year, and while losing the AFCCG in that manner was a slap in the face, it didn't shock me the way the 2007 SB shocked me.

 

[jablo1312]

The 2010 Browns loss was out of left field, but that team hand't morphed into anything particularly special up to then, and coming off of the uneven 2009 season, it was bizarre but not shocking.

The Jets loss in the playoffs later that season was absolutely shocking. At home, against a team they had dominated, coming off of a string of blowouts against good teams (they won by double digits against all 4 teams that made the conference championship games that season, although GB was starting Matt Flynn instead of Rodgers), w/ Brady playing at a dominant, MVP level...Jesus, they completely blew that game.

 

[mt8thsw9th]

I didn't vote for it, but that was a shitty day for Boston sports, in 2009. Papelbon coughed up a save in pretty epic fashion right before kickoff time of that Broncos game.

 

[m0ckduck]

Yeah, SD really deserved the title that year.

One of the great forgotten regular-season campaigns. 2006 Chargers lost two games by a combined six points, both in the first half of the season.

 

[Koufax]

I voted the 2010 Jets game only because I was there. In reality that game was like having thumbscrews slowly tightened on you until you realized that they were simply not going to win. I suppose the "game that shall not be mentioned" was actually more shocking. The Pats were undefeated and they were great. How could they possibly lose? And the shock was that crazy catch. Like the ball going through Buckner's legs, there were chances later to salvage a win but that shocking event told you that the gods were against you that day and it just wasn't going to happen.

 

[Toe Nash]

This thread sucks.

That said, I think the 2009 Ravens loss was pretty shocking at the time, especially because it was never close. We know in retrospect that there were issues with that team but they were pretty good -- 10-6 with a meaningless loss in week 17 and 4 other losses by a TD or less. Three turnovers by Brady in the first quarter was a major shocker. All of the other losses were close games, except for a couple weird regular season ones where they didn't show up.

I can't really be too shocked by a close loss to another good team, especially when there are turnovers involved. But I never expect the Pats to get blown out.

 

[johnmd20]

It hurt bad, but I can't say it was a huge shock. The Pats had some major holes, and had just barely survived SD the week before.

I don't disagree. But that lead. . . .

 

[Sir Lancelotti]

Week 3 vs. Buffalo in 2011 was a memorable WTF loss, Pats up 21-0 in the 1st half against Fitzpatrick and a crappy Bills team coming off a 4-12 season, I remember not being so much as angry but just confused by what the hell had happened by the time that one was over.

http://www.buffalobills.com/video/videos/Bills-Rewind-2011-Bills-Patriots-Highlights/0cc6f306-61cf-4b12-9450-bc4b83c91aa5

For poll purposes I have to go with Jets Divisional game 2010. Faded from memory is how dominant that 2010 team was over the second half of that season, they were absolutely demolishing everyone 2007 style going into those playoffs. Brady hadn't thrown a pick in forever and they had just destroyed the Jets 45-3 a few weeks prior. Throw in home field advantage, a healthy roster, and Mark Sanchez and that loss is still unfathomable to me.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

In retrospect, yeah, there were warning signs. But at that time, there was still an aura of invincibility there: we had Brady, they had Eli. We had Belichick, they had Coughlin who had never accomplished much. Even by defense, we had the #4 scoring defense at 274 PA; Giants were 17th with 351. By every measure, the game had the look of a coronation, not a contest. I sat down for that game, surrounded by a few dozen other NE fans, with a smug "this is gonna be great!" attitude. My journey home that night was just as much a shell-shocked daze as after 2003 ALCS game 7. Maybe playoff losses should surprise us less than, say, losing by 20 to the Browns. But that loss just felt different than the others, even leaving aside the size of the stage.

Ehhh, I was a lot more confident in the 2010 team beating the Jets at home than I was in the 2007 team beating the Giants on a neutral field in a Super Bowl environment. The Giants had just beaten two 13-3 teams on the road, including really outplaying the Packers at Lambeau, and had played us extremely tough the last week of the season. They had been up 12 in the second half of that game. We had just struggled to beat the Chargers at home despite Philip Rivers playing with a torn ACL and had also really slowed down in general in the last part of the season. Brady had just thrown three picks and was strolling around SoHo in a walking boot. I don't think the warning signs were there only in retrospect. I expected us to win but definitely did not go into that game assuming it was going to be a coronation.

 

[The Price Is Wrong]

Then you are wiser and more grounded than I was, back in those more-innocent times, and my hat's off to you. Remind me not to play poker against you

 

[tims4wins]

Shit like the Eagles game happens. Some fluky plays. But the 2004 loss @ Miami was #1 for me in terms of being totally inexplicable. That Pats team was probably their best all around team of the last 15 years, like the poll says 11 point lead with < 4 to play, simply put they never ever ever gave away leads like that, especially to a crappy team.

The 2009 loss at Denver sucked, mainly cuz Ghost missed a very makeable FG that would have given the Pats a 10 point lead, but in retrospect that team had issues.

The 2010 loss at Cleveland featured multiple lost fumbles, IIRC. Just another "shit happens" type of loss.

The 2010 playoff loss also makes the cut for me - Brady kind of choked on that opening drive pick, and then Alge Crumpler dropped a pretty easy TD. My gut tells me that if the Pats got up multiple scores in that game they would have blown out the Jets.

My final choice didn't make the cut. In 2006, the 9-3 Pats traveled to Miami to face the 5-7 Dolphins. They laid a total, complete, egg, and lost 21-0. To this day I have no idea what happened there.

 

[Gunfighter 09]

I voted for this game:

At the time, I never thought a BB/Brady team could blow a huge lead like that and certainly never thought Peyton Manning could lead a team back in the playoffs. Of course, someone captured it above, the last Martyball Chargers team was the best team in the NFL that year and it wasn't close. The Chargers had to fuck up about ten different things in the second half to lose the divisional round game in San Diego the week before:

the lowlights:
-SD gets the ball to the NE 21, then goes holding penalty, false start, sack and punts from the Pats 38
- Rivers threw an interception at the NE 35 on the next drive
- Marlon McCree fumbled on an interception return - Pats later score a TD on the drive
- The Chargers muffed a punt and had a 3rd and 10 sack negated by a roughness penalty - Pats kick a field goal on the drive
- On third down, inside of the 2 minute warning, the Chargers lose track of the immortal Reche Caldwell (pictured above) for a 50 yard gain to set up the game winning field goal.
-Having wasted two timeouts earlier in the half, the Chargers lose when Nate Kaeding misses a 54 FG with 0:08 left.

 

[mwonow]

On behalf of the Internet, I award no points to this thread. Like Marciano said in the first response, this will be cool once the games are over!

 

[RG33]

seriously, this thread can go shit in a hat

 

[semsox]

Whelp

 

[RG33]

yeah, fuck off for fucks sake you fucking fuck

 

[BigSoxFan]

Yay, we get to add one to the list!

 

[thebradybunch12]

Yay, we get to add one to the list!

Eh, definitely lousy but not inexplicable. The fact there was a chance on the last play showed how close this game was. Pats OL was trashed and let Denver's rush have a field day.

Also, IMO, not shocking. I know vegas had them winning but home field advantage and a shoddy oline was too much to overcome. A lot of people on here were convinced it would be the Pats game but I don't think it was ever more then a 51/49 game (to NE).

For all the injuries they had Im proud of the way they played all season and can only hope Denver gets smashed in two weeks.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

Was so much fun reading this thread and thinking about shitty losses. Really gets you jizzed up after a tough loss. This thread can go fuck my mother.

 

[Bergs]

For me it will always be the 2005 Denver game. Fumbles, horrible officiating (the TAINT should have been Patriots ball at the NE 20, phantom PI call that gave Denver points)....that game still pisses me off.

 

[njnesportsfan]

Not a fan of the reverse jinx?

So much of the reverse jinx