The Worst Loss in the History of Every Single NFL Franchise (2024)

Being a fan is tough.

It's an emotional roller coaster, with incredible highs and unbelievable lows.

This slideshow will focus on the latter.

This will be about the toughest losses in franchise history for each NFL team.

I hope you all enjoy reliving your worst moments as a fan.

That sounds like fun, right?

Well, here we go.

This was the scene after the most beautiful catch in NFL history.

Santonio Holmes tapped his toes in bounds and stretched out of bounds to haul in a Ben Roethlisberger pass to give the Steelers a 27-23 win.

That's the closest the Cardinals have ever come to glory.

The Falcons' 48-21 loss to the Packers in the divisional round of the 2011 playoffs was the franchise's most lopsided playoff loss.

They also failed to win a game after earning the NFC No. 1 seed and getting a first-round bye.

Aaron Rodgers probably still haunts the dreams of several Falcon defenders.

Seven field goals accounted for all of the scoring in the Ravens' 15-6 loss to the Colts.

An ugly loss like that to a rival on your home field in the playoffs is always hard to swallow.

But, Adam Vinatieri has a knack for breaking teams' hearts.

The man in the picture? That's Kevin Dyson.

Bills fans probably remember him as the man who ran back a kickoff in the 2000 playoffs after several laterals.

The game became known as the "Music City Miracle."

The Bills have been largely irrelevant since that loss.

Mr. Vinatieri makes another appearance on our list, this time for a last-second field goal to win Super Bowl XXXVIII.

The Panthers' only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history ended in one of the most painful ways possible, a 32-29 loss on a last-second kick.

This wouldn't have been such a horrible loss if not for the first play of the game.

Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, giving Bears fans hope.

Peyton Manning and the Colts then systematically demolished that hope, winning the game, 29-17.

On the bright side, Palmer's first pass was a 66-yard touchdown pass to Chris Henry.

On the dark side, Palmer tore his ACL and hasn't been the same since this 31-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Earnest Byner was walking into the end zone to score the tying touchdown of the 1988 AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos.

But, unfortunately for Browns fans, he fumbled at the 3-yard line.

Hold on to the ball, Earnest!

Tony Romo was the starting quarterback.

He shouldn't have been asked to be the holder too.

But we all know the story. He botched the hold on a 19-yard field goal that would have won the game for the Cowboys.

Instead, the Seahawks held on to a 21-20 lead and advanced to the next round of the playoffs.

The Broncos' fourth Super Bowl loss was excruciating.

They allowed 55 points in their 55-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

That is still the most points ever allowed in a Super Bowl.

The Lions hold the unfortunate distinction of being the only team in NFL history to finish a season 0-16.

The 16th and final loss came on December 28, 2008, in a disappointing 31-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers had the Eagles pinned deep in their own territory facing a 4th-and-26, holding a 17-14 lead.

Fourth-and-26!

And Freddie Mitchell gets a first down!

How does that happen???

Sorry, clearly I am still bitter about that game.

Let's move on.

The Texans finished the 2009 season with four straight victories to earn a 9-7 record, the best record in franchise history.

But, they lost twice to the 7-9 Jacksonville Jaguars.

If they had won even one of those games, they would have been able to snag a wild card spot and the first playoff berth in franchise history.

Back in the Baltimore Colts era, the team was favored heavily to win Super Bowl III.

Then Joe Namath guaranteed a Jets' victory, and the rest is history.

I'm sure old Colts fans still hate Broadway Joe.

In the Jaguars' second year of existence, they made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game.

They upset the Bills and the Broncos along the way.

Then, one step away from an improbable Super Bowl, they lost a gut-wrenching game to the New England Patriots, 20-6.

The Chiefs were the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 1995, but failed to win a single game in the playoffs following that season.

They hosted the Indianapolis Colts and lost an ugly 10-7 game.

Lin Elliot missed three field goals, earning the goat of the game honors.

Super Bowl XIX would be Dan Marino's only Super Bowl appearance.

Unfortunately, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time wasn't able to get a win.

The Dolphins lost to the 49ers, 38-16.

Brett Favre looked like he was going to lead the Vikings to their fifth Super Bowl appearance.

But, in the blink of an eye, an ill-advised pass was intercepted by Tracy Porter, ending the Vikings' hopes for a game-winning field goal.

They would go on to lose the game in overtime.

Eighteen-and-1.

The Patriots' chances for a perfect season ended when David Tyree caught this pass from Eli Manning by clutching it to the side of his helmet.

A Plaxico Burress touchdown catch at the end of this drive gave the Giants an amazing 17-14 victory.

With a Super Bowl berth on the line, the Saints had a horrible game in the cold, snowy city of Chicago.

They lost the game, 39-14, thoroughly outplayed by the eventual Super Bowl losers.

Fortunately for Saints fans, they won a Super Bowl a couple years later.

Doug Brien missed two field goals at the end of regulation.

Both of them would have sent the Jets to the AFC Championship Game.

But, alas, the game went into overtime and the Steelers would win the game, 20-17.

The Giants were thoroughly outplayed in Super Bowl XXXV.

They lost to the Ravens, 34-7.

The only touchdown they managed to score was a 97-yard kickoff return.

This game proved the Giants had no business making it to the Super Bowl.

The Raiders haven't been relevant since their loss to the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.

The 48-21 loss in 2003 has sent the Raiders into a tailspin that has lasted eight years now.

Adam Vinatieri once again had a game-deciding field goal.

The only difference was that this time, it wasn't at the last second.

His field goal put the Pats up 24-14 late in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles would close the score to 24-21 before running out of time.

Ben Roethlisberger had the ball late in the fourth quarter with a chance to win.

He ALWAYS wins those games, right?

Not this time.

Roethlisberger was inaccurate and couldn't lead the Steelers past midfield.

The result was a 31-25 loss to the Packers.

Steve Young thoroughly decimated the Chargers in San Diego's only Super Bowl appearance.

The Chargers lost the game, 49-26, an embarrassing showing from the defense.

After an exciting wild card victory, San Francisco was blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs won, 31-6, and would eventually win the Super Bowl.

The 49ers haven't returned to the playoffs since.

In the 2004 NFC Divisional Playoffs, the Seahawks and Packers were going into overtime.

The Seahawks won the coin toss, prompting Matt Hasselbeck to say, "We want the ball, and we're gonna score!"

He then threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, giving the Packers a 33-27 victory.

Another Vinatieri appearance?

Are you kidding me?

The Rams were Vinatieri's first victims.

His last-second field goal gave the Patriots a 20-17 victory in Super Bowl XXXVI, the first Super Bowl victory in Patriot history.

Prior to the Lions, the Bucs were the only team to not win a game in a season.

Granted, it was their first season in the league, so we should cut them some slack.

But still, 0-14 is horrible.

So close.

So very, very close.

And yet, the Titans still don't have a Super Bowl victory.

If only Stretch Armstrong played wide receiver in Tennessee.

The Redskins' worst loss wasn't even a game.

It was a player.

Joe Theismann suffered one of the most gruesome injuries in football history when Lawrence Taylor snapped his leg bones in half.

It ended Theismann's promising career, leaving many Redskins fans to wonder what might have been.

(The Redskins won that game, 23-21.)