Top 5 worst single-season collapses in NFL history
You know the feeling when your team is sitting pretty and you know that barring a spectacular collapse in the middle of the NFL season, they are destined for the playoffs. But there are those teams that have done just that: collapsed so spectacularly that defeat has snatched the jaws of victory.
It makes for a harrowing watch for fans who would like to forget such collapses. But they were so unbelievable in nature that we had to chronicle them.
Here's our list of the best single-season collapses in NFL history.
NFL collapses after 2000
#1 - 2003 Minnesota Vikings
In the new millennium, the team that first set the bar for the most spectacular collapse was the Minnesota Vikings in 2003. Randy Moss was on fire as the Minnesota Vikings started the season 6-0.
Not only were they being discussed as playoff contenders, they were being dubbed as favorites for the Super Bowl.
But what happened next is the stuff of nightmares for any Vikings fan. They would only win three more games and collapse to a 9-7 record at the end of the season.
But it was the final game that made this collapse so painful to remember. The Vikings led 17-6 in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons and a win would grant them a wild-card spot.
But they gave up two consecutive touchdowns, including Nate Poole's catch in the last second, to lose the game and miss out on the postseason.
Nate Poole owns your favorite team (if they’re the Vikings) https://t.co/2vRFlqgvqJ
#2 - 2012 Chicago Bears
Staying with the NFC North, we recount the spectacular collapse of another franchise nearly a decade later. In this millennium, many teams have begun with a 7-1 record.
Only the Chicago Bears in 2012 have missed out on the playoffs.
What began as a 7-1 record finished as a 10-6 record after a 3-5 collapse late in the season. That still does not look too bad on paper, but the issue was that it was not enough to even secure a wild-card berth.
They lost the wild-card tiebreaker to the Minnesota Vikings.
Jay Cutler's had more mediocre stats in 2012. Despite trading for Brandon Marshall (his former teammate) Cutler still only completed 58.8% of his passes for 3033 YDs 19 TDs and 14 INTs. The Bears had another late season collapse and Lovie Smith was fired. https://t.co/M40Juy0Zc6
They had a truly spectacular defense, perhaps the best in the NFL at the time, but the inefficiency of the offense precipitated the collapse. Why this also features on our list is because this collapse culminated in the firing of Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears themselves would not go on to have a winning season in six more years.