The 10 Worst Chokes in NFL History

The story of the NFL cannot be written without perhaps its most appealing aspect: the “underdog story.”

For every few huge favorites that manage to trounce a rival 32-7, we know that there will be at least one team that manages to fight against all odds to upset the odds and come out victorious.

And beyond the mere underdog stories of redemption, we have the “choke” jobs — teams that have everything going for them, whether it be in a single game or full season, and manage to somehow mess it up.

For all the enjoyment we gain from watching a team overcome the odds after having been beaten down, it can be the most frustrating feeling in sports to have your franchise blow away a massive advantage in a few ill-timed instances.

Here’s Heavy’s take on the worst chokes in NFL history:

10. Atlanta Falcons Trading Brett Favre to the Green Bay Packers

Although this was not a true “choke” in the traditional sense — there was no game or season specifically on the line — it was arguably a bigger mistake than many single-game or season collapses. The Atlanta Falcons had their future right in the palm of their hands when they drafted Brett Favre with the 33rd pick in the 1991 NFL Draft. Had they not done so, New York Jets personnel director Ron Wolf would have selected him with the 34th pick — perhaps altering the Jets’ future drastically. Instead, Wolf was hired as the Green Bay Packers‘ general manager later that year and gave up a first-round pick in 1992 to the Falcons in exchange for the future Hall of Fame, Super Bowl-winning, three-time MVPs services. And the rest is history.

9. Carolina Panthers Moving Up to Select Bryce Young in the 2023 NFL Draft

It is is important to say that Bryce Young‘s story is far from having been written, and that he has shown real improvements from his disastrous 2-0 start in 2024, posting quarterback ratings of 32.8 and 57.2 to start the season. But anyway you look at it, the Carolina Panthers completely choked what could have been a fantastic situation for them. Moving up in the 2023 draft, with an excellent QB class arriving in 2024, was already a questionable move. Then selecting Young over Pro Bowler and Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud will surely be looked at poorly in the annals of history, giving up multiple first-rounders and elite receiver DJ Moore in the process. The cherry on top of the situation is that the player taken with the Panthers’ original No. 9 selection, Jalen Carter, has become an elite interior defensive threat who would have paired lethally with DT Derrick Brown.

8. The ‘Double Doink’

Perhaps the most famous missed field goal of all time, the tipped field goal in the 2018 NFC Wild Card game was more than just a last-gasp loss from now-infamous Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey. It perfectly exemplified the failure to execute at all levels of the organization, in a game that they were favorites to win. In hindsight, head coach Matt Nagy would have needed a borderline miracle to have remained in the team’s long term future plans after that debacle, and was ultimately fired two seasons later.

7. Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks in the 2014 NFC Championship

A game that does not sit well in the memories of Packers fans across the nation; the Seattle Seahawks fought back from a 16-0 half-time deficit to get the game into overtime, thanks to three second-half touchdowns and a mental collapse from the Pack. Head coach Mike McCarthy’s inability to control the clock by running the ball effectively, coupled with reliably unreliable poor second-half defensive performance, snatched a second Super Bowl appearance from the hands of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and handed the Seattle Seahawks the opportunity to win back-to-back Lombardi Trophies.

6. The ‘Minneapolis Miracle’

Going into this game as underdogs against the Case Keenum-led Minnesota Vikings in this 2017 NFC divisional round matchup, despite having arguably the superior coach and quarterback, the New Orleans Saints seemed to have all but wrapped up the game when Will Lutz hit a 43-yard field goal with just 25 seconds to go. With 10 seconds left at the Vikings’ 40-yard line, Keenum managed to inconceivably complete the ball to receiver Stefon Diggs, as impressive rookie safety Marcus Williams completely mistimed the play. The result: a 61-yard touchdown as time expired, handing Minnesota the win out of the grips of despair, 29-24.

5. Chicago Bears Moving Up for Mitch Trubisky in 2017

There are a lot of poor draft trade-up stories in the National Football League, so the simple fact of that does not add great pertinence to this “choke.” What does add to the exchanging of two thirds and a fourth-round pick is the fact that All-World quarterback Patrick Mahomes was still on the board and was selected eight picks later by the Kansas City Chiefs, completely altering the direction of their franchise for years — and perhaps soon to be decades — to come.

READ NEXT: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Patrick Mahomes

4. New England Patriots Losing the 2008 Super Bowl to the New York Giants

All the New England Patriots needed to complete their historic 19-0 season — being only the second team to go fully unbeaten over the course of a season, along with the 1972 Miami Dolphins — was beat the New York Giants. Coming in as the No. 5 seed, Giants quarterback Eli Manning got hot at just the right time, beating the Bucs, Cowboys and Packers to reach the 2008 Super Bowl. The Patriots were favored by a whopping 12 points, giving the Giants an implied probability of only around 10% chance of winning. Yet, the historic, “helmet catch” from David Tyree and a fierce Giants defensive front managed to counter Tom Brady and Randy Moss‘ offensive prowess, bringing about one of the biggest team chokes in recent memory.

3. Buffalo Bills Losing 4 Straight Super Bowls

Although younger fans of the game will routinely associate the Buffalo Bills with perennial success, under the stewardship of head coach Sean McDermott and All-Pro QB Josh Allen, currently looking towards attaining their fifth-straight division title in 2024, the Bills have long been considered a “loser” franchise, missing the playoffs every year from 2000 to 2017. Their run in the 1990s encapsulated both aspects of their identity, where they improbably made the Super Bowl each year from 1990 to 1993, and lost every time — with two different head coaches, no less! An almost remarkably horrifying statistic that you could argue is one of the underrated craziest sporting extended moments.

2. Malcolm Butler Interception in the 2015 Super Bowl

Now we are getting onto the final stretch, and indeed the well-known fan favorites. Malcolm Butler’s interception was easily one of the greatest, and indeed for many one of the most heartbreaking, plays of the decade, if not all time. Despite having a time out, down 4 points with 25 seconds left, the Seahawks decided to throw a slant “pick route” that was anticipated and undercut by rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler. A horrible way to finish something that was on the precipice of becoming a historic moment for Seattle: winning their first two Super Bowls consecutively. Yet, as is often the case, what seemed to be a choke could have also been impeccable planning from head coach Bill Belichick, as tapes show Butler getting beat on that same pick route in practice in days prior.

1. 2017 Super Bowl, ’28-3′

Not a particularly strong debate here: the Atlanta Falcons were on the cusp of winning their first championship in franchise history, up 28-3 in the third quarter, when Tom Brady and the Patriots found a way to overcome the biggest deficit in Super Bowl history and take the game to the first ever overtime in Super Bowl history, where they scored on their very first drive to win 34-28. A combination of tight play calling from Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and incredible spirit from Brady helped revive the team to get the win out of the claws of defeat. But on Atlanta’s end, truly the biggest choke of all time.

What do you think is the worst NFL choke of all time? Sound off in the comments!

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