Ranked: The worst NFL Playoff blunders in history

Mark Andrews
(15) Gary Anderson misfires
(14) John Kasay’s terrible kickoff
(13) Scott Norwood’s kick
(12) Roger Craig’s fumble
(11) Brett Favre’s ill-considered throw
(10) The Wes Welker drop
(9) The infamous Tony Romo hold
(8) Lee Evans breaks Baltimore’s heart
(7) Ray Lewis gets the better of Eddie George
(6) Az-Zahir Hakim drops the ball
(5) Matt Hasselbeck can’t live it down
(4) Brett Favre throws a brutal interception
(3) The Jackie Smith drop
(2) Earnest Byner ‘The Fumble’
(1) Russell Wilson interception
Mark Andrews

With 93 seconds left of the NFC Divisional Round, Baltimore's Lamar Jackson threw Mark Andrews the ball on a two-point conversion play to level the game, but Andrews fumbled the ball in the endzone, meaning Baltimore lost 27-25 to the Buffalo Bills. However, Andrews isn't the first player to have a game-losing blunder in the NFL Playoffs.

(15) Gary Anderson misfires

In the 1998 NFL season, Gary Anderson converted all 94 of his attempts for the juggernaut Minnesota Vikings. That is until Anderson misfired on a 38-yard field goal try, which would have staked the Vikings to a 10-point lead in the final minutes of the NFC Championship game. The Atlanta Falcons eventually tied the score and prevailed in overtime.

(14) John Kasay’s terrible kickoff

The Carolina Panthers had just tied the Super Bowl 38 29-29 with 73 seconds to go, when they faced Tom Brady and the Patriots. Punter John Kasay erratically booted the following kickoff out of bounds, putting Brady on his 40-yard line. Six plays later, and Adam Vinatieri kicked the ball for the win.

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(13) Scott Norwood’s kick

The Buffalo Bills' Super Bowl losing streak is among the most unusual things in NFL history. At Super Bowl 25, they were four seconds away from victory over the Giants if Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal had gone between the posts. Instead, the ball missed agonizingly, and the Giants won 20-19.

(12) Roger Craig’s fumble

The 1990 San Francisco 49ers could have been the first team to have a legitimate chance of winning a three-peat, but with less than three minutes left of their NFC Championship game against the New York Giants, Roger Craig fumbled the ball to give the Giants a shot at a game-winning field goal. Per the Giants website, Matt Bahr kicked the 42-yard goal for a 15-13 win.

(11) Brett Favre’s ill-considered throw

No one has thrown more interceptions than Hall of Famer Brett Favre, and none are more infamous than his last pass as a Green Bay Packer. In the 2007 NFC Championship, Favre threw an ill-considered toss that was swiped by the Giants, who kicked a game-winning field goal four plays later.

(10) The Wes Welker drop

Was it a bad pass by Tom Brady or a lousy catch by Wes Welker? With the Patriots 17-15 up against the New York Giants, Brady threw the ball to a wide-open Welker at the 20-yard line. It was the perfect catalyst for a game-winning drive, but Eli Manning and the Giants would fight back and win 21-17.

(9) The infamous Tony Romo hold

In the 2007 NFC Wild Card game, the Dallas Cowboys faced fourth down and 1 with 1:19 left to play. The Cowboys brought out Martin Gramatica to kick an extra-point field goal to bring the scores level to 21 each. Quarterback Tony Romo was holding the ball, which he eventually dropped as Gramatica was taking the kick. Romo panicked and tried to run it to the endzone, but he was tackled.

(8) Lee Evans breaks Baltimore’s heart

After Mark Andrews' devastating fumble, Baltimore fans will remember Lee Evans' similar dropped catch in the 2012 AFC Championship. With 26 seconds remaining and Baltimore down three against the Patriots, Evans had the ball caught in the endzone, but Sterling Moore knocked it out. The Ravens cut him the next day.

(7) Ray Lewis gets the better of Eddie George

The Tennessee Titans versus the Baltimore Ravens is one of the most underrated in history, spearheaded by Eddie George and Ray Lewis. In the 2000 AFC Divisional, Lewis snatched the ball from George after his fumble with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to send the Titans home.

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(6) Az-Zahir Hakim drops the ball

In the 2000 NFC Wild Card game between the LA Rams and the New Orleans Saints, The Rams had a chance to go down the field and tie with a field goal with just under two minutes left. Instead, on the return punt to the Az-Zahir Hakim of the Rams, he famously dropped the ball, which was intercepted. The Saints won their first-ever playoff game.

(5) Matt Hasselbeck can’t live it down

In the 2003 Wild Card game, Matt Hasselbeck famously shouted over the PA at the coin flip that "he wanted the ball, and they were going to score" before overtime started. During OT, Hasselbeck infamously threw an interception to Green Bay's Al Harris for a game-winning touchdown. Ouch.

(4) Brett Favre throws a brutal interception

In the 2009 NFC Championship game, with 19 seconds left and tied at 28-28, Brett Favre needed to gain a few more yards for his kicker to be in field-goal range and win. Instead, the New Orleans Saints intercepted the ball, and they progressed to the Super Bowl.

(3) The Jackie Smith drop

According to USA Today, in Super Bowl 13, Jackie Smith dropped a perfect pass from quarterback Roger Staubach that would have tied the game at 21-21. The Smith drop killed the Dallas Cowboys' momentum, and they eventually lost 35-31 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

(2) Earnest Byner ‘The Fumble’

With the game on the line to take the Cleveland Browns to their first Super Bowl, Earnest Byner fumbled the ball just a yard from scoring a game-tying touchdown against the Denver Broncos. 'The Fumble' cost the Browns as they lost 38-33.

(1) Russell Wilson interception

This is the worst blunder in NFL Playoff history. With 20 seconds left and his team down 28-24 in Super Bowl 49, Russell Wilson decided to throw the ball with his team on the five-yard line, leading to New England's Malcolm Butler coming up with a game-winning interception. Just run the ball!

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