‘Bless his heart, he’s got to be the sickest man in America.’
It’s been 46 years since legendary broadcaster Verne Lundquist made that exclamation during Super Bowl 13 after witnessing a gaffe by future Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith. (More on that later.)
Yet Lundquist’s sentiment could have just as easily been applied to the Baltimore Ravens’ Mark Andrews, a potential Hall of Fame tight end himself but now one – like Smith – who may not be best remembered for his copious NFL accomplishments.
Andrews had the worst game of his seven-year career Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. He’d already dropped a pass and lost his first fumble in more than five years in the fourth quarter, a serious blow to the Ravens’ comeback bid during a game in which they mostly trailed. But that was mere preamble.
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‘(It’s not) his fault,’ Jackson said of Andrews. ‘All of us played a factor in that game. It’s a team effort. We’re not going to put that on Mark.’
Andrews’ other teammates also rallied to his support, though he didn’t talk to reporters after the game.
‘The best tight end in the league,’ said Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. ‘There’s nothing to say. It doesn’t come down to one play. It’s a four-quarter ball game for a reason. There are 160 plays in a game. You can’t allow it to come down to one play, and we have all the faith in the world in Mark.”
Added coach John Harbaugh: ‘There’s nobody that has more heart and cares more or fights more than Mark. We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews.’
Unfortunately for Andrews, the Ravens and their fans – only a year removed from receiver Zay Flowers’ unfortunate goal-line fumble in the 2023 AFC championship game – that faith wasn’t rewarded Sunday in a loss that will be tough to stomach for a team that absolutely had the firepower to win the Super Bowl.
And so it takes its place on this list of 15 infamous playoff blunders, one that’s not necessarily exhaustive – oh, the number of kickers we could roast – but rather intended to illustrate that postseason heartbreak concentrated into one unfortunate play or moment is all too common:
The fumble
Earnest Byner was a great player who had a great career and was having a great day in the 1987 AFC championship game at Denver, racking up 187 yards from scrimmage and two TDs for the Browns as Cleveland tried to reach its first Super Bowl. But his late fumble near the goal line negated the team’s comeback and cemented a 38-33 defeat one year after the Browns succumbed to ‘The Drive’ led by Broncos QB John Elway. Cleveland still hasn’t played on Super Sunday.
‘That’s my quarterback’
The 2006 season was Tony Romo’s first as a starting quarterback in the NFL. It ended with the Dallas Cowboys’ newest star botching the hold (of a slick kicking ball) for what would have been a chip-shot field goal that likely would’ve propelled ‘America’s Team’ past the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round. Alas. ‘That’s my teammate, that’s my quarterback,’ tearful Dallas receiver Terrell Owens said afterward.
Junk snap
The New York Giants squandered a 38-14 lead in a 2002 wild-card matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Yet they would have survived with a converted 41-yard field goal on the game’s final play … had veteran Trey Junkin, who’d been coaxed out of retirement to handle long snapping duties in the postseason, not botched his offering to holder Matt Allen. Junkin took the blame for the loss in what was his final NFL play, one too many for his liking.
Minnesota mishap
Stefon Diggs’ 61-yard catch-and-run on the last snap of the 2017 divisional round gave the Minnesota Vikings a 29-24 triumph in the ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ against New Orleans. It never happens if Saints safety Marcus Williams doesn’t completely whiff on his attempted tackle of Diggs.
Jackie Smith’s drop in Super Bowl 13
Wide open in the end zone, the eventual Hall of Famer – Smith was playing in his final NFL game – dropped a perfect pass from Dallas QB Roger Staubach that would have knotted the game against the ‘Steel Curtain’ Pittsburgh Steelers 21-21, prompting Lundquist’s heartfelt response. The Cowboys eventually lost 35-31.
Russell Wilson’s INT in Super Bowl 49
Pivotal. Shocking. Unforgettable. Undrafted New England Patriots rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler made the rarest of plays, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat by intercepting Wilson at the goal line with 20 seconds left to preserve a 28-24 win in Super Bowl 49. In the process, Butler derailed the Seahawks’ dynastic bid and launched a lifetime of second-guessing for the legions who skewered Seattle coach Pete Carroll for not directing Wilson to hand off to RB Marshawn ‘Beast Mode’ Lynch, who’d scored earlier in the game.
Wide right
That’s where Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood’s 47-yard field-goal try (barely) missed with 4 seconds left in Super Bowl 25. The Giants hung on for a 20-19 win, and Buffalo would never get closer to a title despite reaching Super Sunday three more times. Probably the most infamous missed kick of all time.
Gary Anderson’s miss
One of the greatest kickers in league history, he converted all 94 of his attempts (35 FGs, 59 PATs) for the juggernaut 1998 Minnesota Vikings. That is until Anderson misfired on a 38-yard field-goal try, which would have staked the Vikes to a 10-point lead, in the waning minutes of the NFC championship game. The Atlanta Falcons tied the score on the subsequent drive before prevailing in overtime.
John Kasay’s errant kickoff
The Carolina Panthers had just tied Super Bowl 38 29-29 with 73 seconds to go. Then Kasay booted the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, putting Tom Brady and the Patriots at their own 40-yard line. Six plays and 37 yards was all they needed to set up Adam Vinatieri for the kill shot field goal. We promise, no more kicker stories after this.
Marlon McCree’s takeaway giveaway
The 2006 San Diego Chargers might have broken through for the Super Bowl victory that the franchise still awaits. The AFC’s top seed that year was poised to beat Brady’s Patriots – especially when McCree picked off TB12 on fourth down with the game winding down and the Bolts up 21-13. But instead of securing the ball and handing it over to the LaDainian Tomlinson-led offense, McCree tried to return it and was stripped, giving the Pats a fresh set of downs that led to a game-tying touchdown … and, ultimately, a New England win.
Ossai’s unnecessary unnecessary roughness
Two years ago, the Cincinnati Bengals were trying to win their second straight AFC championship game on the road in Kansas City. And they might have … had their 22-year-old pass rusher not hit QB Patrick Mahomes late on a scramble to the sideline, the 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty setting up a game-winning 45-yard field goal for the Chiefs in the final seconds.
Ford’s theater of the absurd
The Chiefs might be attempting a Super Bowl threepeat for the second time if they’d hung on to win the 2018 AFC title game against the Patriots. And they almost certainly would have if pass rusher Dee Ford hadn’t been offsides in the final minute, when Brady threw what seemed to be a game-sealing interception … which was erased by Ford’s gaffe.
Roger Craig’s fumble
Speaking of three-peat bids, the 1990 49ers had an outstanding shot at being the first (and only) team to win three consecutive Super Bowls. Their loss to the Giants in the NFC championship game is mostly remembered due to QB Joe Montana being knocked out (and he would basically missed the next two seasons with a subsequent elbow injury). Yet the Niners would have hung on to win that game had RB Roger Craig’s rare fumble with less than three minutes to go not led to the Giants’ game-winning field goal.
Favre out
No one in NFL history has thrown more interceptions than Hall of Famer Brett Favre. But, with apologies to Vikings fans, none is more infamous than his final pass as a Green Bay Packer – an ill-considered toss in overtime of the 2007 NFC championship game that was swiped by the Giants, who kicked the game-winning field goal four plays later.
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