The biggest chokers in NFL history – ranked

NFL teams don’t like to admit that games are won or lost on one play, but the fact of the matter is that crucial mistakes can prevent franchises from winning playoff games and bringing home a Lombardi trophy. We’ll take a look at the 15 NFL players who choked in the biggest moments, whose gaffes are a huge part of their legacies. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

It wouldn’t be shocking if even the most passionate NFL fans never heard of Junkin. He was a long snapper who played 20 years in the NFL. Junkin’s field goal snap in a January 2003 playoff game for the New York Giants went horribly wrong, and cost the team a chance to move on. Junkin told the New York Post in 2012, “I still think about it… You know how many footballs I’ve snapped since I was nine years old? I ought to be able to do that in my sleep.”

It seemed like the Minnesota Vikings had a Wild Card round victory in the bag when Walsh lined up for a 27-yard field goal in a January 2016 playoff game. Minnesota was down one point, and they remained down one after Walsh shanked the chip-shot kick. Walsh told the NFL’s website after the game, “I didn’t come through for us, and that hurts.”

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Romo enjoys the luxury of being a voice of the NFL in his job as a commentator for CBS, but he had one of the worst moments of his career in a spot many were surprised to find him in. All the Dallas Cowboys had to do in a 2006 Wild Card game was kick a short field goal to give them a lead with over one minute left. However, Romo was the holder for the field goal, and couldn’t secure the ball before being tackled. It was one of the more stunning moments in NFL playoff history.

Newton was virtually unstoppable on his way to winning the 2015 NFL MVP, but his dominance came to a screeching halt in the Super Bowl that year. He threw one interception and lost two fumbles on the Carolina Panthers’ way to falling against the Denver Broncos. Newton’s body language in that game was not good. Jeff Chadiha of the NFL’s website brought up the play where Newton did not care to dive for a loose football on the ground next to him.

There is a lot of blame to go around for the Atlanta Falcons to this day. They squandered a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. Ryan took a sack for a 21-yard loss in the fourth quarter with a chance for the Falcons to ice the game, despite New England’s furious comeback. There were other plays that Ryan and his teammates didn’t make, but that one lives on in Ryan’s tortured legacy.

Craig is one of the most accomplished backs in NFL history, but his blunder in the 1990 NFC title game hasn’t been forgotten. The Seattle Times called the moment “a play of infamy,” and said that Craig’s fumble ended the 49ers dynasty. Craig coughed the ball up, with San Francisco trying to run out the clock against the New York Giants. Craig told The Seattle Times, “I’ve had a lot of highs and lows, but this is the lowest ever.”

Taking down the New England Patriots during the Tom Brady era was no small feat, and the Baltimore Ravens were seconds away from doing it in the 2012 AFC title game. However, Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal that sent the Patriots to another Super Bowl. After the game, Cundiff admitted to Slate that he was late getting on to the field.

There was another enormous mistake made in a 2012 conference title game. Williams muffed not one, but two punts for the 49ers in the NFC title game, which gave the New York Giants life and ultimately a victory. Alex Didion of NBC Sports Bay Area called the pair of gaffes “the worst plays in 49ers history.”

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Wilson has had an impressive career, but was part of arguably the worst play in NFL history. Granted, the Seattle Seahawks didn’t do him any favors by not running the ball at the goal line to win a Super Bowl in 2014, but Wilson could live with almost any result than the one that ended up happening. He threw a game-sealing interception to Malcolm Butler, which crushed Seahawks fans everywhere.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Anderson was having one of the best seasons of a kicker ever in NFL history up until that point in 1998. He was technically part of the explosive Vikings team that featured Randy Moss and Cris Carter, which was on the doorstep of making the Super Bowl. However, Anderson missed a field goal that would’ve put them up 10 with two minutes left in the game. He hadn’t missed a kick in two years before that, so it was a shocking turn of events.

Gannon was on point during the 2002 NFL season, winning league MVP and leading the league in passing yards. None of that mattered in the Super Bowl, though, as Gannon looked like a shell of himself against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vaunted defense. Gannon threw five interceptions in a blowout loss. Gannon called it “a nightmarish performance.”

The Browns had a chance to force overtime in the 1988 AFC title game against the Denver Broncos, if Cleveland running back Earnest Byner could cross the goal line for a touchdown to tie the game. The only problem was, Byner lost the football on the way, ending Cleveland’s dreams. It was a shame, considering Byner scored two touchdowns in that contest and had a strong performance otherwise.

Cowboys radio announcer Verne Lundquist said after Smith’s massive Super Bowl drop, “he’s got to be the sickest man in America.” Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach threw Smith a perfect pass as the tight end was wide open in the end zone. Smith’s body flopped helplessly as the shock of him not catching the easy pass overwhelmed him. Dallas lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-31 in large part due to that play.

Kelly is a beloved figure in Western New York, and a legitimate Pro Football Hall of Famer. With that said, he didn’t show up in the biggest games time and time again. Kelly helped get the Buffalo Bills to four Super Bowls in the 1990s, but they lost every single one of them. StatMuse shows that Kelly threw for two touchdowns and seven picks in the big game.

Of course, Kelly isn’t the only Buffalo Bill who wishes he performed better. Arguably, no player is more associated than falling short in a big moment than Norwood, who sent a field goal wide right that likely would have won Buffalo a championship had it gone through the uprights. Norwood told Sports Illustrated, “I would like to kick it again. To have another chance.” Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

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