One and Done: The Biggest NFL Playoff Flame-Outs of the Past 20 Years
Back in 1990, the NFL tweaked its playoff system, adding a wild-card team in each conference and bringing the field up to 12 teams. While the system was altered slightly by the change from 6 to 8 divisions in 2002 – replacing a wild-card with a division winner – the 12-team format remains in place to this day.
With the 2010 playoffs closing in, it's time to look back on the past 20 years: the blowouts, the comebacks, the unlikely playoff runs, and every other bounce of the football in between. This week: the one-and-done teams.
When the NFL instituted the wild-card format, it gave the division winners a huge advantage for the playoffs. Not only was each winner guaranteed a home game – regardless of record – but the top two teams in each conference even got a week off.
Yet some teams have not lived up to the opportunity they earned in the regular season, failing to win even a single postseason game. Whether they couldn't get out of a season-ending slump, ran into a decent team on a hot streak, or beat themselves with turnovers and penalties, these are are the teams that have flamed out the worst in the past 20 years.
15) Kansas City Chiefs, 1997
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No. 1 Kansas City (13-3) loses to No. 4 Denver (12-4), 14-10, in Divisional Round
Kansas City entered the playoffs on a six-game winning streak, which started with a win against Denver to split the season series. But Denver was on a mission after being upset victims themselves the previous season (more on this later) and would not be denied.
Their defensive line tore through for four sacks – which more then offset the offense's two lost fumbles (Kansas City had no turnovers) – and running back Terrell Davis had 101 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
The Chiefs had a chance at the end of the game, but Elvis Grbac's fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone with 19 seconds left, dealing another playoff loss to head coach Marty Schottenheimer (more on him later as well).
14) New England Patriots, 2009
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No. 3 New England (10-6) loses to No. 6 Baltimore (9-7), 33-14, in Wild-Card Round
The Patriots went undefeated at home in the 2009 regular season, which included beating the Ravens, 27-21, in Week 4. But Baltimore running back Ray Rice ran for an 83-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, and New England never recovered.
Tom Brady had an uncharacteristic playoff meltdown, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble while netting only 154 pass yards on 42 attempts (3.67 YPA). Lost in the blowout was the fact that the Ravens offense didn't play very well; QB Joe Flacco threw for just 34 yards, and apart from the opening run, they averaged a mere 3.03 yards per play.
But when your defense has handed you a 24-0 first-quarter lead, you don't need much offense.
13) Dallas Cowboys, 1998
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No. 3 Dallas (10-6) loses to No. 6 Arizona (9-7), 20-7, in Wild-Card Round
It seemed like an easy setup for the Cowboys. Arizona had never won a playoff game in its 78 years of existence, and Dallas had beaten it twice in the regular season by a combined 38 points.
History changed, though, as Dallas QB Troy Aikman turned in a dud: three interceptions, four sacks and just 3.90 YPA. Cardinal counterpart Jake Plummer wasn't great himself (19-of-36, 213 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT) but it was enough on this day.
The loss sent the entire Cowboys organization into a tailspin; they wouldn't have another winning season until 2003, and wouldn't win another playoff game until 2009.
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12) San Diego Chargers, 2006
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No. 1 San Diego (14-2) loses to No. 4 New England (12-4), 24-21, in Divisional Round
New England did everything in its power to hand this game to San Diego; Tom Brady threw three interceptions, and the offense converted just four of 17 third-downs. But the Chargers committed four turnovers of their own, including three lost fumbles.
The play that said everything came midway through the fourth quarter, when Marlon McCree intercepted Brady on a fourth-down pass from the San Diego 41. Rather than fall down, McCree tried to return the ball; receiver Troy Brown stripped it away, Reche Caldwell recovered, and the Pats went on to score the tying touchdown.
When the Chargers lost the game, head coach Marty Schottenheimer (remember him?) lost his job.
11) New York Giants, 2008
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No. 1 NY Giants (12-4) lose to No. 6 Philadelphia (9-6-1), 23-11, in Divisional Round
New York let off the gas at the end of the regular season and went 1-3 down the stretch; two of those losses were to Philadelphia and Minnesota, helping both sneak into the playoffs. The Eagles made the Giants pay for their generosity by keeping them out of the end zone entirely.
Both Eli Manning and Donovan McNabb threw two interceptions, but the Giants went 3-for-13 on third-downs and kicker John Carney missed two field goals. The moments of truth came in the fourth quarter, when New York twice went for it on fourth-and-short in its own territory; both times, the Philly defense stopped the Giants cold.
10) Green Bay Packers, 2002
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No. 3 Green Bay (12-4) loses to No. 6 Atlanta (9-6-1), 27-7, in Wild-Card Round
Michael Vick had his definitive performance with Atlanta, dealing Green Bay its first ever playoff loss at Lambeau Field. Vick's numbers weren't spectacular – 13-of-25 for 117 yards and one TD passing, 10 rushes for 64 yards – but they didn't need to be with Brett Favre constantly handing the football over to the Falcons.
Favre threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles, posting a 54.4 passer rating. For good measure, the Falcons blocked a first-quarter punt and fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown. While Favre had thrown six picks the previous year against St. Louis in the divisional round, this was the game that truly established his trend of poor performances in big games.
9) Tennessee Titans, 2000
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No. 1 Tennessee (13-3) loses to No. 4 Baltimore (12-4), 24-10, in Divisional Round
While these teams were closer together than many others on this list – the then-division rivals split their regular season games, and they had the two best records in the NFL – this one should have been 24-10 in the other direction. Tennessee more than doubled Baltimore's net yardage (317-134), and sacked QB Trent Dilfer three times while holding him to 5-of-16 passing.
But the Titans had trouble turning their yards into points, and it all came unglued in the fourth quarter. First, Anthony Mitchell returned a blocked field goal 90 yards for a touchdown. Then, after the Titans reached midfield with seven minutes left, Ray Lewis returned an interception 50 yards for a TD to seal the win.
Like Dallas before them, Tennessee seemingly hasn't recovered from the loss; counting this game, the Titans are 2-5 in the playoffs since making the Super Bowl in the 1999 season.
8) Denver Broncos, 1996
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No. 1 Denver (13-3) loses to No. 5 Jacksonville (9-7), 30-27, in Divisional Round
The Broncos were Super Bowl favorites going into the playoffs after dominating the AFC all year. But like the Bills the week before, they could not find an answer to running back Natrone Means.
Means – who had only 507 yards on 152 carries in the regular season – gashed the Denver D for 140 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries (after going 31-175-1 against Buffalo). A last-ditch rally fell short, sending Jacksonville to the AFC title game in its second year of existence. If not for the heroics of the following two years, this would have been a very bitter memory for John Elway to go out on.
7) Carolina Panthers. 2008
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No. 2 Carolina (12-4) loses to No. 4 Arizona (9-7), 33-13, in Divisional Round
Arizona limped into the playoffs as champions of the putrid NFC West, and had lost to Carolina, 27-23, in Week 8. The wild-card round seemed to be as far as it would go.
But Panthers QB Jake Delhomme had one of the worst games in NFL playoff history, throwing five interceptions and losing a fumble. After Carolina scored on the game's opening possession, Arizona ran off the next 33 points, with Panthers coach John Fox stubbornly leaving Delhomme in the game as he continued to heave picks.
Both the quarterback and the franchise have gone into a free-fall since this game; Delhomme has thrown 22 interceptions in 13 starts for the Panthers and Browns, while Carolina has the worst record in the NFL in 2010.
6) Green Bay Packers, 2004
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No. 3 Green Bay (10-6) loses to No. 6 Minnesota (8-8), 31-17, in Wild-Card Round
Minnesota missed being the first 8-8 team to win a playoff game by one day, after St. Louis beat Seattle (9-7). But at least the Rams already had two wins against the Seahawks that year; Green Bay had won both meetings with Minnesota on final-play field goals.
There would be no last-second heroics this time, as Brett Favre had his annual playoff implosion, throwing four interceptions to a defense that had only 11 in the regular season. Meanwhile, Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper had the game of his life, throwing four TD passes with a 137.1 passer rating.
5) San Diego Chargers, 2009
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No. 2 San Diego (13-3) loses to No. 5 NY Jets (9-7) in Divisional Round
The Chargers won 11 straight games to end the regular season, and were a popular pick against a Jets team that needed Indianapolis to roll over just to get into the playoffs.
Unfortunately, San Diego played like it already had a title game spot locked up and had spent its week off surfing. Philip Rivers tossed two third-quarter interceptions, the Chargers committed 10 penalties for 87 yards, and kicker Nate Kaeding missed all three of his field goal attempts.
Meanwhile, New York exploited their porous run defense to the tune of 169 yards on 39 carries. By the time the Chargers realized they could actually lose the game, it was already too late.
4) Kansas City Chiefs, 1995
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No. 1 Kansas City (13-3) loses to No. 5 Indianapolis (9-7), 10-7, in Divisional Round
Look, it's Mary Schottenheimer again! Schottenheimer has a well-deserved reputation for putting together strong regular-season teams that fail in the postseason; he's 5-13 in the playoffs with nine one-and-dones. This one may be the worst statistically – the Chiefs were two games ahead of everyone else in the AFC – but it actually wasn't his fault.
Pro Bowl quarterback Steve Bono threw up a stink bomb, going 11-of-25 with three interceptions before being benched for Rich Gannon. Meanwhile, kicker Lin Elliott missed three field goals – none longer than 42 yards – including two game-tying attempts in the fourth quarter (the last with 37 seconds left). At least Schottenheimer and Bono stayed employed a while longer – Elliott never played another NFL game.
3) Tennessee Titans, 2008
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No. 1 Tennessee (13-3) loses to No. 6 Baltimore (11-5), 13-10, in Divisional Round
Tennessee stumbled a bit down down the stretch after a 10-0 start – which included a prescient 13-10 win over Baltimore – but seemed in prime position to get revenge for its flame-out eight years before. What it got instead was a sense of deja-vu.
The Titans once against controlled the game, gaining 391 net yards to the Ravens' 211. This time, though, they turned the ball over three times – all of them in the red zone – and committed 12 penalties for 89 yards. Baltimore took the lead for the final time when Matt Stover's 43-yard field goal split the uprights with 53 seconds left; when Tennessee couldn't even get a first down on its final drive, history had repeated itself.
2) Indianapolis Colts, 2005
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No. 1 Indianapolis (14-2) loses to No. 6 Pittsburgh (11-5) 21-18 in Divisional Round
It's easy to forget that these Steelers weren't a typical six-seed; they missed the division title on a tiebreaker, and ranked among the league leaders in scoring defense (third), opponents' yards per carry (1st), and sacks (third).
Still, the shock value for this was incredible. Indianapolis started the season 13-0 – including a 26-7 win over Pittsburgh – and was a near-unanimous pick to win the Super Bowl.
But Pittsburgh sacked Peyton Manning five times and allowed just 3-of-13 third down conversions, and the Colts came mentally unglued to the tune of nine penalties for 67 yards. A spirited fourth-quarter comeback from a 21-3 deficit was aided by two gifts from the Football Gods – the officials' incorrect overturning of a Troy Polamalu interception, and Jerome Bettis' improbable fumble at the two-yard line – but came up short when Mike Vanderjagt shanked a 46-yard field goal attempt with 21 seconds left.
1) Dallas Cowboys, 2007
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No. 1 Dallas (13-3) loses to No. 5 NY Giants (10-6) 21-17 in Divisional Round
It's bad enough to be the first NFC No. 1 seed in 20 years not to win a playoff game. It's worse for it to be in a game where you outplay your opponent in almost every way – outgaining them 336 yards to 230, holding the ball 13 minutes longer, going 10-of-16 on third down – except, of course, for the 11 penalties for 84 yards and final-play interception in the end zone.
Losing to a division rival that you beat twice by double digits in the regular season is pretty bad too. But worst of all is the fact that you lost after almost every player publicly promised that you were going to win the Super Bowl. Congratulations, 2007 Cowboys, you are the biggest flame-out of the past 20 years.
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.jpg?w=480 "Chiefs Broncos Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Rams Leapfrogged Cards for Simpson")
