Rank Your In-Laws: Which BB Era SB Failure Hurts the Most After '07

Ale Xander

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Obviously The Scottish Game loss hurts the most, not counting that one, which year that the Patriots did not win the SB hurts the most?

A) 2002 - Lost 4 in a row early on and missed playoffs. Missed out on 4 straight titles.
B) 2005 - Lost Tedy to a stroke, committed 5 turnovers in a playoff game at Mile High, probably the 2nd worst playoff game under BB.
C) 2006 - The Anti-28-3. Had 21-3 2nd quarter and 21-6 halftime lead blown to the Indianapolis Banner Raisers. NFC team was one of the worst teams in modern SB memory.
D) 2008 - F Bernie Pollard. Still wound up 11-5. First 11+ win team in expansion era to fail to make the playoffs.
E) 2009 - Went 8-0 at home but lost the 1st playoff game. Lost to the Ravens whom they beat last 5 times. First home payoff loss in 30 years. Worst BB playoff game. Worst TB playoff game (3 TO's in first quarter). Started out in a 24-0 hole, too much to overcome (pre-ATL)
F) 2010 - Beat Jets 45-3 in regular season, but lost divisional. Patrick Chung dropped snap on fake punt attempt.
G) 2011 - 2nd SB loss to the Gints. Welker failure to catch. Manningham catch on 88 yard drive.
H) 2012 - Shut out in 2nd half of AFC CG by Ravens. 1st TB playoff home loss after leading at halftime.
I) 2013 - Peyton threw for 400 and was never sacked, and Broncos did not turn over. Pats couldn't get into endzone until the 4th quarter.
J) 2015 - Gost missed a kick. Pats had a great comeback but 2PCA was intercepted. Penalty on last chance onside kick (IIRC). Matchup of #1O vs. #1D.
K) 2017 - 3rd SB loss. Clement, refs. Brady strip-sacked, Patricia out-coached.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Indy in ‘06. Fuck that game, and fuck the stupid RCA dome and the fake crowd noise.

Denver in ‘15 yards was frustrating as well; the Pats win that game if it goes to OT.

The loss to the Jets in ‘10 was probably the most shocking, as that team seemed poised to cruise to the Bowl. That’s the best Pats team that never was.
 

BigSoxFan

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I’m going with 2006. Beating Indy in their place after 2003/2004 would have ripped their hearts out and it was a likely SB win given Rex Grossman was awaiting. Would have been 4 in 6 years for Brady. However, I’ll always wonder what the 2007 offseason looks like if they win that AFCCG.

Does BB go nuts with Welker and Moss? We’ll never know.
 

MuppetAsteriskTalk

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2006

And I swear had they not made that BS penalty call against Troy Brown just before the half the Pats tack on a few more and never lose that game. Still salty about that.
 

snowmanny

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2006. They outplayed Indy in that game and that loss extended the Manning as GOAT talk eight years.

That's worse than 2007 to me.
 

Needlenose's Pole

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I’m going to be in a very small minority here, I think. 2017.

I was certain they were going to beat PHI by 2 scores. They were going to coast—not necessarily a beat down, but the first of their SBs where it should never have been in question. Had ‘em all the way, until...

I was crushingly disappointed to go 18-1 but I wasn’t anywhere near as angry as XLII.
 

The Needler

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As someone whose only Super Bowl attendance was XLVI, I’m gonna have to go with that one. And I loved Wes otherwise, too.

Also: OP’s years are not consistent. You should go with SB numbers.
 

SumnerH

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2006. They outplayed Indy in that game and that loss extended the Manning as GOAT talk eight years.

That's worse than 2007 to me.
Absolutely this, and 2007 isn't even close, IMO; the latter was a fluky win but nobody really argues for Eli or the Giants as better than the Patriots after it happened.

2006 was more frustrating at the time and also led to more post-facto angst, for years.
 

grsharky7

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1. 2011 Giants: I really thought they would avenge the SB42 loss and beat Eli easily. Then they got down, battled back and Welker dropped the easy TD pass that would have ended it. Manningham with the great catch and it was deja vu all over again. I remember just sitting there for hours after the game stewing and in disbelief. By that point I wondered if we would ever see a fourth ring.

2. 2010 Jets: Just stunning for them to lose at home to a team they had destroyed only weeks earlier. The fact that it was the Jets just made it worse. That team got on a roll after they shit the bed in Cleveland and looked like world beaters for two months. They rolled teams and made huge plays. They averaged 37 points a game over the last half of the season

3. 2006 Colts: I know most people have this as their number one and I understand why. However, I have it a little lower for a few reasons. I didn't get to see the game, I was working that afternoon and never saw a snap live. I was following the play by play on my phone. Something about just reading words and not seeing it made it a little easier to take. It was still awful, but for some reason that blunted the pain. They had just won three Super Bowls recently too.

4. 2017 Eagles: Hard to lose a Super Bowl at any time. They had the amazing comeback the year before and Brady and BB were secure in history with five already. But man I agree with the poster above, I thought they would beat Philly by a score or two and coast to number six. If they could just get one stop they win that game.

5. 2005 Broncos: Missed a shot at three in a row. The Brady interception at the goal line was killer.

6. 2015 Broncos: Faced an all time great defense and a crippled Manning. Missed opportunities doomed them and they still had a shot at the end. Not as hard to take since that Broncos defense was so good. It just sucked losing to Manning, especially when he was a shell of his former self.

7. 2012 Ravens: Second loss to the Ravens in the post season, Pollard killed another Patriot when he knocked out Ridley. It hurt to lose at home and they were now closing in on a decade without another Super Bowl win.

8. 2009 Ravens: Just an ass kicking from the start. In hindsight that team was too flawed to win a title. It was over so fast that it actually didn't really hurt.

9. 2013 Broncos: Team was beat up and facing a good Broncos team. I didn't think they would go into Denver and win with as injured as most of the guys were
 

m0ckduck

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Absolutely this, and 2007 isn't even close, IMO; the latter was a fluky win but nobody really argues for Eli or the Giants as better than the Patriots after it happened.

2006 was more frustrating at the time and also led to more post-facto angst, for years.
Agreed. It's a bit of a paradox: if you could pick one game to win, it would have to be 2007 for the perfect season. Yet, 2006 was the more painful loss on a visceral gut-punch level. It's the one that hurts me most to re-watch.

2015 almost belongs to a different category. I wasn't so much frustrated by the game itself as by the sequence of events that led up to it being played in Denver. A list of Most Painful Multi-Game Sequences or Most Frustrating Half-Seasons would start with 2015. One trade I would consider making is this year's team health for that year's team health, as that was one of the best-constructed of BB teams and would have carved-up postseason competition (I believe) with a healthy complement of receivers plus Dion Lewis. (Well... in the end, I don't think I'd trade in the ring, but I'd have to think hard about it).

2005 is an underrated one. I feel that people make peace with that loss by noting the team's flaws (middling record, low DVOA, tattered defensive backfield). Yet, that team had come on late in the season, and I think Jake Plummer eventually hands us that game if we don't go down in a hail of turnovers in Denver. Next up would have been Steelers, who we absolutely owned, and then Seahawks in the SB. I see a comparably easy road to SB that year as others see in 2010, when the team was better but the playoff field was also stronger.

2011 is hard for me to place. Like watching a crappy sequel of a movie you didn't like the first time around. More nauseating than painful, if that makes sense.

I'd go: 2006, 2011, 2010, 2015, 2005, 2017, 2012, 2009, 2013, 2008, 2002
 

Eddie Jurak

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I’m going to be in a very small minority here, I think. 2017.

I was certain they were going to beat PHI by 2 scores. They were going to coast—not necessarily a beat down, but the first of their SBs where it should never have been in question. Had ‘em all the way, until...

I was crushingly disappointed to go 18-1 but I wasn’t anywhere near as angry as XLII.
I'm with you on this one, because it ultimately came down to the failure of the defense to manage one fucking stop. One stop. That's every bot as as bad as this year's stellar defensive performance was good.

And in hindsight, it would have meant 3-peat and 4-of-5 SB wins, something the Pats have never done and likely won't ever do.
 

Jungleland

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The real answer is none, and has been none since 28-3. With that this team accomplished enough to even take away the pain from 18-1 for me.

With that said the 2010 team that lost to the Jets was an absolute horse. That run of games after the Browns loss was the most enjoyable regular season stretch they’ve ever had outside the first half of 2007 and the 2004 streak - they traded the most beloved player on the team and got better! I’d rate that team better than more than one of the championship teams. And it cost us Brady vs. Rodgers with both in their absolute prime, which I don’t think about often but is one of the bigger shames in recent NFL history.
 

loshjott

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This thread is more interesting than Rank Your Children - proving Tolstoy's adage that playoff victories are all alike and every playoff loss is unhappy in its own way.

My answer is 2006. As others have mentioned, the anti-comeback leading to Peyton's first SB victory puts this at the top (or bottom).

Followed by 2010. Rexy's rep was defined by that one game.

Followed by 2015, not so much the game itself but the circumstances that put it in Denver. That game "should have" been at home, and it would have been the difference.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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The loss to the Colts had basically every possible soul crushing thing that would individually haunt you for years if it were the single reason for the loss:
  • Hated rival? Check.
  • Blow a large lead? Check.
  • Wide open dropped pass to maintain a TD lead? Check.
  • A backbreaking penalty leading directly to points, called on an infraction that literally didn't exist? Check.
  • General defensive meltdown? Check.
  • Another back-breaking and even more mind-boggling procedural penalty? Check. And leading to...
  • Failure to convert a 3rd and 4 against a terrible defense, a play that would have sealed the game? Check.
The only consolation, I guess, is that it would have been the worst Patriots team to win a Super Bowl. It's amazing that this easily feels worse than 3 soul-crushing Super Bowl losses, but it's by far the loss I've replayed the most in my mind over the years, whereas I've mostly blocked the SB losses out of my memory.
 

redsoxcentury

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Obviously The Scottish Game loss hurts the most, not counting that one, which year that the Patriots did not win the SB hurts the most?

A) 2002 - Lost 4 in a row early on and missed playoffs. Missed out on 4 straight titles.
B) 2005 - Lost Tedy to a stroke, committed 5 turnovers in a playoff game at Mile High, probably the 2nd worst playoff game under BB.
C) 2006 - The Anti-28-3. Had 21-3 2nd quarter and 21-6 halftime lead blown to the Indianapolis Banner Raisers. NFC team was one of the worst teams in modern SB memory.
D) 2008 - F Bernie Pollard. Still wound up 11-5. First 11+ win team in expansion era to fail to make the playoffs.
E) 2009 - Went 8-0 at home but lost the 1st playoff game. Lost to the Ravens whom they beat last 5 times. First home payoff loss in 30 years. Worst BB playoff game. Worst TB playoff game (3 TO's in first quarter). Started out in a 24-0 hole, too much to overcome (pre-ATL)
F) 2010 - Beat Jets 45-3 in regular season, but lost divisional. Patrick Chung dropped snap on fake punt attempt.
G) 2011 - 2nd SB loss to the Gints. Welker failure to catch. Manningham catch on 88 yard drive.
H) 2012 - Shut out in 2nd half of AFC CG by Ravens. 1st TB playoff home loss after leading at halftime.
I) 2013 - Peyton threw for 400 and was never sacked, and Broncos did not turn over. Pats couldn't get into endzone until the 4th quarter.
J) 2015 - Gost missed a kick. Pats had a great comeback but 2PCA was intercepted. Penalty on last chance onside kick (IIRC). Matchup of #1O vs. #1D.
K) 2017 - 3rd SB loss. Clement, refs. Brady strip-sacked, Patricia out-coached.
going by how i felt after game, 2011 stings the most out of all the games. 2007 was such a stunner and a great upset that it didn't bother me as much. 2011 was seeing the same shit happen again, against the same team, and really upset me.

2006 I didn't feel bad after game, but it hurts MUCH more in retrospect.

2015 was most frustrating loss. They almost beat that great D, in an environment (Denver) they never won in the playoffs. And when Brady connected with Gronk on 4th down, I thought they were going to tie the game. too bad brady didn't see him in end zone on 2 point conversion.
 
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Leather

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2007 for obvious reasons.

2006 for reasons stated above. It didn't help that it seemed like it was the result everyone else wanted. It was the dawn of the "We're sick of the Patriots" era, before the "Can't beat em, accuse em of cheating" era that came shortly thereafter. I had a really hard time sleeping after that game; I think it's what my wife (gf at the time, whom I had recently moved-in with) always thinks of when she mentally prepares herself for what I'm like if my team loses. Since then I always hope for early playoff games.

2010 just...Ugh. The Jets. The inexplicable mistakes and inability to get. anything. going. It also stung because, as stated above, the team looked bullet-proof for the previous 6 weeks or so and seemed like the clear favorite to win the AFC. Coming off of 2007 and, to a lesser extent, 2009, it felt like the 2010 team was *back*. Brady with a killer season. New talent in the TEs but with a still-nails Welker. Fun players like Woodhead running plays. Deion Branch was back. It just felt like things were aligning.

And that Jets team. Rex. That piece of shit Sanchez. Fucking Tomlinson was on that team! Just a half-assed collection of talent that nobody expected to make it to the Superbowl. Nobody. Not in a fun "don't count us out!" sort of way, but a bunch of players that nobody really liked outside of NY, either. Bunch of has-beens, never-weres, and never-will-bes.

0-2 on 4th down conversions. 1 TO to the Jets 0 (plus the messed-up fake which was essentially a turnover). 5-14 on 3rd down. Won TOP 35-24.

Just a frustrating mess of a game that needed a single break or bounce to go our way and it never came. Kind of like this year's Superbowl until the 4th quarter, actually.
 

Seels

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I'm still mad about 06. The Pats lost Harrison against the Titans a couple weeks earlier because Jeff Fisher is human trash, so they play the Colts and there's no one that can match up with DClark. Meanwhile, the defense catches the flu, Polian pumps in noise, and to this day some of the shittier officiating ever (the Ellis Hobbs and Troy Brown calls are so awful it's incredible -- hard to even blink at this Saints nonsense given those calls).

After that, 2010. They were healthy and had one of the better offenses ever, and lost to a bad Jets team. Robbed us of a Pats/Packers superbowl.

The Eagles Superbowl would be a lot more attention worthy if not sandwiched by two other wins. But between the defense being a train wreck and some interesting officiating, it was annoying to say the least.

I never thought they'd win in 2011. Wasn't a good matchup. Their defense was a disaster and Gronk was hurt. That said, I'll be annoyed at the safety / grounding call til the day I die.
 

m0ckduck

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I'm still mad about 06. The Pats lost Harrison against the Titans a couple weeks earlier because Jeff Fisher is human trash, so they play the Colts and there's no one that can match up with DClark. Meanwhile, the defense catches the flu, Polian pumps in noise, and to this day some of the shittier officiating ever (the Ellis Hobbs and Troy Brown calls are so awful it's incredible -- hard to even blink at this Saints nonsense given those calls.
Good reminder about Harrison. I’m getting angry about 06 all over again. 12 years and 3 titles later.
 

BigSoxFan

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The Pats have obviously been a resounding success but that 2005-2013 stretch was the ultimate tease (if a team that just won 3 out of 4 can be teased).

2005: Terrible game but still have chance to win only to be denied because of a pretty obvious touchback that wasn't called. Still no guarantee they win even if correct call is made.

2006: 21-3 lead on hated rivals in their place. Garbage calls (Troy Brown OPI when about to make it 28-3...GTFO) and flu even the score and Caldwell's drops kill us. Almost certain SB championship was awaiting this team had they won. I mean, Rex Grossman...

2007: Perfect season. Helmet catch. Enough said. Worst loss in sports history.

2008: GOAT tears ACL in like first 5 minutes of season. Brady to Moss connection never the same. Ugh.

2009: GOAT returns but team is probably least likable of BB tenure and get blasted out of playoffs at home by Ravens.

2010: 14-2 and steam rolling teams at end of season. Giant clusterf*ck of game and lose to Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan. Gross. Would have smoked Pit at home in AFCCG.

2011: The MHK season. Very good offense but poor defense. Gronk gets hurt and start out sloppy in SB but still are a blown catch away from likely winning. Losing to Giants again stung.

2012: Good team that fell apart in 2nd half of AFCCG because of injuries. Just a disaster of a game.

2013: Flawed team without Gronk that really had no chance of beating Denver. This one has never really bothered me that much.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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2007 in a walk.

2006 is next.

2015 - losing on a missed extra point hurts, especially when BB was the one who pushed for the rule change.

The Ravens and Jets game were just shocking, but you tip your hat.

Personally I didn't expect them to win in 2011 so I wasn't that torn up and I didn't think Welker's drop was all that egregious.
 

SMU_Sox

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As much as I’ve enjoyed the wins lately more so than in the past for personal reasons my losses are more in line with most of yours.

I remember my son was about two and a half months old for that 06 one. He started out in a great mood but I had to watch in the dark and silently as I tried to put him down for a nap all while the Colts were coming back. I couldn’t react or move or he would stir. That one was torture and felt even worse in real time.
10 pissed me off because they were the better team. I think those are the two other teams that could have won it all aside from 07. It’s hard for me to get upset about injuries in the past because all teams have to deal with it. You will have some lost years due to injury. 2015 is third because of it weren’t for asshole freelancing on that first TD drive (seriously can’t just cover a TE?) I think we win. Same for the missed PAT. Aside from that though the rest of the years don’t particularly sting.
 

patinorange

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I’m going to be in a very small minority here, I think. 2017.

I was certain they were going to beat PHI by 2 scores. They were going to coast—not necessarily a beat down, but the first of their SBs where it should never have been in question. Had ‘em all the way, until...

I was crushingly disappointed to go 18-1 but I wasn’t anywhere near as angry as XLII.
I'm with you. If Butler plays the second half..aw hell. I'm over it. Almost.
 

Leather

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I'm with you. If Butler plays the second half..aw hell. I'm over it. Almost.
Butler sucked this year. He was the worst cb in the league for much of the season. He also wasn’t very good at the end of last year. There’s really no reason to think he would have made a difference. Maybe he would have but the decision not to play him really isn’t that strange in retrospect.
 

ShaneTrot

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I’m going to be in a very small minority here, I think. 2017.

I was certain they were going to beat PHI by 2 scores. They were going to coast—not necessarily a beat down, but the first of their SBs where it should never have been in question. Had ‘em all the way, until...

I was crushingly disappointed to go 18-1 but I wasn’t anywhere near as angry as XLII.
I agree with you, I have been treated well by Giants fans for the most part and I have inlaws in NJ and NY. Eagles fans were fucking nitwits. They said bad shit about Brady, even though he was fabulous. It's not a coincidence that in the Pats last three SB wins, Hightower has made great plays and in two SBs game-saving plays. They beat Philly if he was healthy last year.
 

jaytftwofive

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2006

And I swear had they not made that BS penalty call against Troy Brown just before the half the Pats tack on a few more and never lose that game. Still salty about that.
Wan't it Ellis Hobbs? The call the refs later admitted didn't exist anymore. Colts scored a TD right after that. I don't remember the one on Troy or have forgotten it. What happened? And Rodney Harrison didn't play that game either right? That could have made a big difference. I guess that's why Troy was in on D?
 
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jaytftwofive

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I agree with you, I have been treated well by Giants fans for the most part and I have inlaws in NJ and NY. Eagles fans were fucking nitwits. They said bad shit about Brady, even though he was fabulous. It's not a coincidence that in the Pats last three SB wins, Hightower has made great plays and in two SBs game-saving plays. They beat Philly if he was healthy last year.
And Edelman if he didn't get hurt that year. And of course if Butler played. To this day I don't understand it. It was wrong of BB.
 

jaytftwofive

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2010 and 2012 far and away above the others. Both teams were so much better than the 2011 version.
Agree that 2010 team was awesome. The D started out not so great but by the end of the year they moved up to the 8th ranked D in the league. 3 losses that year including playoffs. 2 of them to the Jets. Ughhhhh! The other was a blowout by the lowly Browns.
 

jaytftwofive

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2006. They outplayed Indy in that game and that loss extended the Manning as GOAT talk eight years.

That's worse than 2007 to me.
It did hurt but the Colts beat us in Foxboro that year. I rooted for the Colts in the Super Bowl because that made us and the AFC look so much better. The Chargers were the best team in the NFL that year. They kind of gave us the game in San Diego. And no way the Colts go to San Diego and beat the Chargers. They owned the Colts then. The SB 42 loss ranks up there with Bucky Dent and game 6 86 WS. Crushing. Hon. mention: Too many men on the ice May 1979.
 
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RIrooter09

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Wan't it Ellis Hobbs? The call the refs later admitted didn't exist anymore. Colts scored a TD right after that. I don't remember the one on Troy or have forgotten it. What happened?
There were multiple terrible calls in that game.

1. Non existent face guarding against Hobbs.
2. Never called OPI against Brown.
3. Soft roughing the passer against Wilfork.
 

Bellhorn

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Wan't it Ellis Hobbs? The call the refs later admitted didn't exist anymore. Colts scored a TD right after that. I don't remember the one on Troy or have forgotten it. What happened?
The Patriots were driving up 21-3, and had an apparent first-down conversion to Ben Watson around the Indy 20. But it was called back for a bogus OPI call on Troy Brown, they went backward from there and ended up punting from around midfield. The offense then did jack shit for the rest of the game, and the defense ran out of gas.
 

jaytftwofive

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Obviously The Scottish Game loss hurts the most, not counting that one, which year that the Patriots did not win the SB hurts the most?

A) 2002 - Lost 4 in a row early on and missed playoffs. Missed out on 4 straight titles.
B) 2005 - Lost Tedy to a stroke, committed 5 turnovers in a playoff game at Mile High, probably the 2nd worst playoff game under BB.
C) 2006 - The Anti-28-3. Had 21-3 2nd quarter and 21-6 halftime lead blown to the Indianapolis Banner Raisers. NFC team was one of the worst teams in modern SB memory.
D) 2008 - F Bernie Pollard. Still wound up 11-5. First 11+ win team in expansion era to fail to make the playoffs.
E) 2009 - Went 8-0 at home but lost the 1st playoff game. Lost to the Ravens whom they beat last 5 times. First home payoff loss in 30 years. Worst BB playoff game. Worst TB playoff game (3 TO's in first quarter). Started out in a 24-0 hole, too much to overcome (pre-ATL)
F) 2010 - Beat Jets 45-3 in regular season, but lost divisional. Patrick Chung dropped snap on fake punt attempt.
G) 2011 - 2nd SB loss to the Gints. Welker failure to catch. Manningham catch on 88 yard drive.
H) 2012 - Shut out in 2nd half of AFC CG by Ravens. 1st TB playoff home loss after leading at halftime.
I) 2013 - Peyton threw for 400 and was never sacked, and Broncos did not turn over. Pats couldn't get into endzone until the 4th quarter.
J) 2015 - Gost missed a kick. Pats had a great comeback but 2PCA was intercepted. Penalty on last chance onside kick (IIRC). Matchup of #1O vs. #1D.
K) 2017 - 3rd SB loss. Clement, refs. Brady strip-sacked, Patricia out-coached.
That 2015 Broncos D was awesome. One of the best of the past 10-15 years. They had to go for 2 after the TD with less then 30 seconds left because of missed PAT right? And they missed the 2 pt conversion that would have tied it. Outplayed as they were they still had a chance at going to ot.
 
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jaytftwofive

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The Patriots were driving up 21-3, and had an apparent first-down conversion to Ben Watson around the Indy 20. But it was called back for a bogus OPI call on Troy Brown, they went backward from there and ended up punting from around midfield. The offense then did jack shit for the rest of the game, and the defense ran out of gas.
Ok now it's coming back. He was on offense then but had been playing some CB that year also.
 

jaytftwofive

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I’m going to be in a very small minority here, I think. 2017.

I was certain they were going to beat PHI by 2 scores. They were going to coast—not necessarily a beat down, but the first of their SBs where it should never have been in question. Had ‘em all the way, until...

I was crushingly disappointed to go 18-1 but I wasn’t anywhere near as angry as XLII.
Didn't the Eagles lead the whole game until a little bit in the 4th quarter? And many believe that had Carson Wentz not got hurt and started the Eagles might have been a slight favorite. Pats were only a few points favorite if I'm not mistaken.
 

Bellhorn

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OK, I'll play. Including the non-playoff seasons, in chronological order:

2002: It was obvious by mid-season that the team had too many problems (e.g. Steve Martin running his mouth while playing like crap) to be Super Bowl caliber, and at that point we had no real reason to expect them to be a contender every year. On the pus side, this season was pretty strong evidence that that Brady guy was not just a one-season wonder. Suckage factor: 1/10

2005: It's weird - if they had played that Denver game 10 times, the Patriots would probably have won at least six of them. But the actual game was such a multifaceted train wreck that it doesn't really feel like a missed opportunity. The only thing that still bothers me about that game is that Ben Watson was not given justice on the Champ Bailey play. Suckage factor: 3/10

2006: Just awful in so many ways, most of which have been hashed out thoroughly already. I will just add that this was an early example of what would prove to be a recurring weakness at times over the next few years: the complete inability to run the ball effectively when trying to protect a lead. Once Corey Dillon essentially retired mid-game, virtually every single running play (with the exception of some Kevin Faulk draws) went for negative yards - and this against what had been a notoriously porous run defense for most of the season (yes, they had improved with the return of Bob Sanders, but still). Even a D- running game in the second half might have been good enough, but they were a solid F. Suckage factor: 9/10

2007: Next. Suckage factor: 10/10

2008: This one is interesting. Most people will say that they had no real shot at a title run with Matt Cassel at QB, so who cares. Objectively, they may be correct...but man, that team was starting to hum in December, even if against mostly inferior opposition. Lamont Jordan was an underrated pickup that season, and while they were clearly on their last legs, it would have been very interesting to see what the defensive core from the (first) championship years could have done with one last shot at the postseason. Suckage factor: 5/10

2009: I think we all knew for most of the season that this team was not destined for greatness, and Welker going down in Week 17 was obviously a killer. I still expected them to beat the Ravens, but once they fell into the big early hole, I realized that it should have been obvious all along that this was coming. The bright spot from this game was an early glimpse of the ferocious playoff beast that Edelman would become: late in the game, with the outcome already beyond doubt, he fought through what looked like a routine tackle in order to pick up a first down. Suckage factor: 2/10

2010: While 2006 probably hurts more, this game is the one other than the Scottish Game that I find it hardest to even think about, let alone rewatch. As such, I have nothing to say about it. Call it the Irish Game - it can be mentioned, but only when three sheets to the wind. Suckage factor: 9/10

2011: This one doesn't bother me nearly as many posters here. The defense was awful that year, and when it was clear that Gronk was hobbled, the offense was just a borderline gimmicky outfit involving Welker, Hernandez and whatever was left of Deion Branch. They had no business even being competitive in that game, and while of course it was tantalizing that they came so close, it would not have avenged 2007 even if they had managed to pull it off. Suckage factor: 4/10

2012: Looking back on it, I'm surprised that this one did not hurt more at the time. Strange as it sounds now, I think we had grown somewhat accustomed to playoff futility at that point. But objectively, this one was pretty bad - an awful drop by Welker (much worse than the previous SB) and a couple of stupid punts in Ravens' territory led to a bunch of missed opportunities in the first half. Then Talib went down, and we were treated to the Marquise Cole Headless Chicken experience, and then Bernard Karmell Pollard did his thing to Ridley....ugh. To add insult to injury, this game was a chance to end Ray Lewis's career. Silver lining: the Ravens' improbable Super Bowl run led to them giving Flacco that ridiculous contract, so there's that. Suckage factor: 8/10

2013: This team just did not have the weapons to compete with Denver on the road. It was an amazing competitive effort that they ended up a missed two-point conversion away from making it a one-score game at the end, especially with Talib knocked out once again. From my point of view, the worst thing about this game was that having been de facto president of the Alfonzo Dennard fan club, the manner in which he was beaten up and down the field by Demaryius Thomas pretty much confirmed that he was a marginal starting CB at best. Suckage factor: 4/10

2015: As others have mentioned, it was not the game itself as much as the circumstances that caused it to be played on the road in the first place (the Chris Harper punt, Osweiler temporarily playing like a competent NFL QB at just the wrong time, the weird OT decision against the Jets) that are annoying here. But the self-inflicted wounds continued during the game, and were not limited to Stork's head-bobbing. Someone earlier mentioned Collins freelancing on the TD pass to Daniels, but the whole defensive scheme on that opening drive was bizarrely passive, playing right into the few remaining strengths that Noodle-arm Manning had left. Still, given the success that happened on either side of this season, I find it easy enough to remember this game for those two beastly fourth-down conversions to Gronk at the end, rather than the fact that it ended badly overall. Suckage factor: 6/10

2017: This game left a really weird aftertaste due to the whole Malcolm Butler fiasco, and the fact that the defense was simply garbage from beginning to end. Even in the wilderness years of 2009 through pre-Talib 2012, BB had almost always found a way to MacGyver the defense into some kind of passable shape by the end of the season. Even as it was happening, it somehow didn't feel possible that they could just simply...suck. Suckage factor: 7/10
 

Ralphwiggum

Member
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Jun 27, 2012
9,825
Needham, MA
OK, I'll play. Including the non-playoff seasons, in chronological order:

2002: It was obvious by mid-season that the team had too many problems (e.g. Steve Martin running his mouth while playing like crap) to be Super Bowl caliber, and at that point we had no real reason to expect them to be a contender every year. On the pus side, this season was pretty strong evidence that that Brady guy was not just a one-season wonder. Suckage factor: 1/10

2005: It's weird - if they had played that Denver game 10 times, the Patriots would probably have won at least six of them. But the actual game was such a multifaceted train wreck that it doesn't really feel like a missed opportunity. The only thing that still bothers me about that game is that Ben Watson was not given justice on the Champ Bailey play. Suckage factor: 3/10

2006: Just awful in so many ways, most of which have been hashed out thoroughly already. I will just add that this was an early example of what would prove to be a recurring weakness at times over the next few years: the complete inability to run the ball effectively when trying to protect a lead. Once Corey Dillon essentially retired mid-game, virtually every single running play (with the exception of some Kevin Faulk draws) went for negative yards - and this against what had been a notoriously porous run defense for most of the season (yes, they had improved with the return of Bob Sanders, but still). Even a D- running game in the second half might have been good enough, but they were a solid F. Suckage factor: 9/10

2007: Next. Suckage factor: 10/10

2008: This one is interesting. Most people will say that they had no real shot at a title run with Matt Cassel at QB, so who cares. Objectively, they may be correct...but man, that team was starting to hum in December, even if against mostly inferior opposition. Lamont Jordan was an underrated pickup that season, and while they were clearly on their last legs, it would have been very interesting to see what the defensive core from the (first) championship years could have done with one last shot at the postseason. Suckage factor: 5/10

2009: I think we all knew for most of the season that this team was not destined for greatness, and Welker going down in Week 17 was obviously a killer. I still expected them to beat the Ravens, but once they fell into the big early hole, I realized that it should have been obvious all along that this was coming. The bright spot from this game was an early glimpse of the ferocious playoff beast that Edelman would become: late in the game, with the outcome already beyond doubt, he fought through what looked like a routine tackle in order to pick up a first down. Suckage factor: 2/10

2010: While 2006 probably hurts more, this game is the one other than the Scottish Game that I find it hardest to even think about, let alone rewatch. As such, I have nothing to say about it. Call it the Irish Game - it can be mentioned, but only when three sheets to the wind. Suckage factor: 9/10

2011: This one doesn't bother me nearly as many posters here. The defense was awful that year, and when it was clear that Gronk was hobbled, the offense was just a borderline gimmicky outfit involving Welker, Hernandez and whatever was left of Deion Branch. They had no business even being competitive in that game, and while of course it was tantalizing that they came so close, it would not have avenged 2007 even if they had managed to pull it off. Suckage factor: 4/10

2012: Looking back on it, I'm surprised that this one did not hurt more at the time. Strange as it sounds now, I think we had grown somewhat accustomed to playoff futility at that point. But objectively, this one was pretty bad - an awful drop by Welker (much worse than the previous SB) and a couple of stupid punts in Ravens' territory led to a bunch of missed opportunities in the first half. Then Talib went down, and we were treated to the Marquise Cole Headless Chicken experience, and then Bernard Karmell Pollard did his thing to Ridley....ugh. To add insult to injury, this game was a chance to end Ray Lewis's career. Silver lining: the Ravens' improbable Super Bowl run led to them giving Flacco that ridiculous contract, so there's that. Suckage factor: 8/10

2013: This team just did not have the weapons to compete with Denver on the road. It was an amazing competitive effort that they ended up a missed two-point conversion away from making it a one-score game at the end, especially with Talib knocked out once again. From my point of view, the worst thing about this game was that having been de facto president of the Alfonzo Dennard fan club, the manner in which he was beaten up and down the field by Demaryius Thomas pretty much confirmed that he was a marginal starting CB at best. Suckage factor: 4/10

2015: As others have mentioned, it was not the game itself as much as the circumstances that caused it to be played on the road in the first place (the Chris Harper punt, Osweiler temporarily playing like a competent NFL QB at just the wrong time, the weird OT decision against the Jets) that are annoying here. But the self-inflicted wounds continued during the game, and were not limited to Stork's head-bobbing. Someone earlier mentioned Collins freelancing on the TD pass to Daniels, but the whole defensive scheme on that opening drive was bizarrely passive, playing right into the few remaining strengths that Noodle-arm Manning had left. Still, given the success that happened on either side of this season, I find it easy enough to remember this game for those two beastly fourth-down conversions to Gronk at the end, rather than the fact that it ended badly overall. Suckage factor: 6/10

2017: This game left a really weird aftertaste due to the whole Malcolm Butler fiasco, and the fact that the defense was simply garbage from beginning to end. Even in the wilderness years of 2009 through pre-Talib 2012, BB had almost always found a way to MacGyver the defense into some kind of passable shape by the end of the season. Even as it was happening, it somehow didn't feel possible that they could just simply...suck. Suckage factor: 7/10
Great post. I agree with your suckage factor ratings almost exactly. I am also in awe of your recall of details from these games. I cannot bring myself to rewatch any of this.

Edit: The only place I really disagree with you is 2011. The Giants were not that good and any time you come that close to winning it hurts. It hurts a lot less in retrospect but at the time we didn’t know if they were ever going to win #4 so I was crushed by this loss at the time.
 

loshjott

Member
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Dec 30, 2004
14,943
Silver Spring, MD
OK, I'll play. Including the non-playoff seasons, in chronological order:

2002: It was obvious by mid-season that the team had too many problems (e.g. Steve Martin running his mouth while playing like crap) to be Super Bowl caliber, and at that point we had no real reason to expect them to be a contender every year. On the pus side, this season was pretty strong evidence that that Brady guy was not just a one-season wonder. Suckage factor: 1/10
As an aside, my wife's college roommate got married on this Super Bowl Sunday - during the SB. I was absolutely incredulous and of course told my wife that had it been the previous year I would have skipped it. Little did I know that I would have skipped it the next 2 years also, and several more in the future. I still spent most of the reception in the bar watching Bucs-Raiders, as did most of the men (and some women).
 

Caspir

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Jul 16, 2005
6,886
For me, it's 06 then last year. My enduring memories of 2006 are 1. the Colts scoring right before the half, and me feeling some odd sense of doom that I hadn't previously associated with the Patriots, and 2. Boomer saying that if they lost this game, Manning was the new Arod back when being Arod meant, "Generational talent, born loser."

Last year retrospectively hurts because we could have been the first 3 time consecutive champions, and because the Eagles are trash.
 

jablo1312

New Member
Sep 20, 2005
970
I will always be curious what happened in 2015.

They blew the Chris Harper game in 2015 due to a variety of mistakes and some shitty (imo) officiating.

Everyone loves to harp on the mortar kick costing them against the Eagles, but I think they got a pretty unlucky bounce on that and it really only cost them like 16 yards of field position. I'd argue the 28 point swing of a punt return TD, blocked punt TD, and 99 yard INT TD (lol) were the reasons they blew that game. Uncharacteristically sloppy special teams and pretty much the biggest expected point swing possible on one play.

They lost in OT on the road to the NJY in a game where they were just favored by 3, which I think from a macro perspective is excusable.

I never understood the game plan and apparent lack of urgency the team had in Miami. Maybe they thought they could win in Denver and didn't need HFA.

Cost them in Denver big time.
 

BlackJack

Member
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Oct 11, 2007
3,456
I never understood the game plan and apparent lack of urgency the team had in Miami. Maybe they thought they could win in Denver and didn't need HFA.

Cost them in Denver big time.
I heard someone talk about this game last week (Felger maybe?) and referenced the Pats trying to protect Brady because they were worried about Suh headhunting and ruining their postseason chances. It was said in a kind of offhand, matter of fact manner and nobody else addressed it at all. It makes a certain amount of sense, but I don't think I'd ever heard that offered as a reason for the game plan in that game before.
 

Seels

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Jul 20, 2005
4,948
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I will always be curious what happened in 2015.

They blew the Chris Harper game in 2015 due to a variety of mistakes and some shitty (imo) officiating.

Everyone loves to harp on the mortar kick costing them against the Eagles, but I think they got a pretty unlucky bounce on that and it really only cost them like 16 yards of field position. I'd argue the 28 point swing of a punt return TD, blocked punt TD, and 99 yard INT TD (lol) were the reasons they blew that game. Uncharacteristically sloppy special teams and pretty much the biggest expected point swing possible on one play.

They lost in OT on the road to the NJY in a game where they were just favored by 3, which I think from a macro perspective is excusable.

I never understood the game plan and apparent lack of urgency the team had in Miami. Maybe they thought they could win in Denver and didn't need HFA.

Cost them in Denver big time.
Couldn't agree more. I mean it's obvious they wanted to see what there was in Steven Jackson. But they put all of 1% effort into that Miami game. Just starting Garoppolo probably wins the game.

2015/2017 are why I'll never feel bad for another team's injuries. This team very nearly won five in a row. There's no doubt in my mind they beat Riverboat Ron if they make it in 2015
 

TheoShmeo

Skrub's sympathy case
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For me, it was the Jets game. I was at the 45-3 shellacking. Which was glorious. I expected more of the same in the divisional round. At the very least, I expected a win.

That game was hideous on so many levels. The Wes Welker thing before the game was so unPatriots-like, and it cast a bit of a pall on me, if not the team. Then to see Bill bench Welker for a series and that terrible Brady pick early on. Losing to Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez was so ridiculous. The later Denver losses were of course bad, but at least that was to a good team.

On a personal note, I live in Northern NJ and had to go to a wedding with a lot of people who know I'm a serious Patriots fan immediately after the game ended. I had no option to blow it off. I didn't give anyone the satisfaction of showing that I was upset but at the same time, all of those happy, schadenfreude faces at my expense were hard to take. Grinning and bearing it and gagging inside....

All that said, any amount of personal stake logically should pale in comparison to the 2006 debacle. That game should have been in the bag and the combo platter of that terrible Offensive PI call on Troy and the flu/heat thing in the second half turned it sour. And with the crappy Bears team waiting to be destroyed, it was doubly galling. That it rained hard at the SB that year was a slight salve (very slight), inasmuch as I was planning to go if the Pats made it.

Going back to the Jets game, another personal note is that one of my closest friends is a die hard Steelers fan and we travelled from NY to Pittsburgh for the AFCCG. For one day of my life, I was as passionate about the Steelers (and in truth, against the Jets) as anyone at Heinz. Given the massive amount of Jets fans who made the trip, it was more than a little bit enjoyable to see the Steelers hang on. A particularly vile Jets fan was sitting behind us and spewing extreme profanity during the entire game. Steelers fans, despite all of their on line bravado, were pretty tame and said nothing to him. I was ready to let him have it after the game was over, turned around to launch and saw before me a grown man hunched over and completely blubbering. Not crying, mind you, but utterly balling. I couldn't compound this poor schlub's misery. It was sweet enough as is.

This thread reminds me of how I now view the 2003 Grady Boner game. On some level, it still hurts, but mostly with all the success it's like a dull pain. We are so damned lucky.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
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1. 2011 Giants: I really thought they would avenge the SB42 loss and beat Eli easily. Then they got down, battled back and Welker dropped the easy TD pass that would have ended it. Manningham with the great catch and it was deja vu all over again. I remember just sitting there for hours after the game stewing and in disbelief. By that point I wondered if we would ever see a fourth ring.
That wasn't a TD pass, it would have been a first down pass, which would have allowed them to run out the clock. Still, that one hurts. Catch the ball Wes.
 

AB in DC

OG Football Writing
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Jul 10, 2002
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Edit: The only place I really disagree with you is 2011. The Giants were not that good and any time you come that close to winning it hurts. It hurts a lot less in retrospect but at the time we didn’t know if they were ever going to win #4 so I was crushed by this loss at the time.
The reason that didn't hurt as much for me is that, IMHO, the Pats were clearly outplayed by the Ravens in the AFCCG, so there was a bit of a playing-with-house-money vibe for the Super Bowl. And of course the defense was just atrocious. That said, I really wanted to see the team win that one for Myra.
 

The Social Chair

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Feb 17, 2010
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2010 for me if I can't have 2007. I would have liked the Welker / Wilfork 2007 - 2012 era Patriots to get a title.

2007 was my favorite season (pre-SB) and I don't think it happens without losing in 2006.
 

Ralphwiggum

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The reason that didn't hurt as much for me is that, IMHO, the Pats were clearly outplayed by the Ravens in the AFCCG, so there was a bit of a playing-with-house-money vibe for the Super Bowl. And of course the defense was just atrocious. That said, I really wanted to see the team win that one for Myra.
That’s fair but it kind of undercuts 2006 a bit. The Chargers were by any metric a better team than the Pats that year, and IMO outplayed them in that divisional game and would have won if Marlon Mcree wasn’t an idiot. That’s why 2006 bothers me a bit less than others, the Pats were at best the 3rd best team in the AFC that year and should have lost in the divisional round, and were clearly playing with house money in the AFC title game.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
19,271
There were multiple terrible calls in that game.

1. Non existent face guarding against Hobbs.
2. Never called OPI against Brown.
3. Soft roughing the passer against Wilfork.
#1 is my usual go to in the "Patriots get all the calls" nonsense. It's funny that I still hear people at bars etc. when out call out guys for face guarding which hasn't been a penalty in 15 years.
 

Bergs

funky and cold
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Jul 22, 2005
21,613
This thread has me fuming mad. They all sucked, especially the ones that the officials fucked up. There is literally 1 season in the entire BB/TB12 run where there's no way we could have won it all. We are so fucking spoiled. The 6 rings are awesome, but we have been legit perennial Super Bowl contenders for 18 fucking years (not counting 2008 for obvious reasons).