OT--Steelers Most Soul Searching Playoff loss

[upj87]

guy from cbs says loss to Tebow Broncos... they just can't get away from their never ending dislike of all things Tebow to make a rational point and just try to be clever...No way in hell was that it. Steelers while favorites on the road were banged up to hell and were not going anywhere that year anyway.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/photos/each-nfl-teams-most-soul-crushing-playoff-loss/28/

I seem to recall a loss to the Broncos the year they got dusted 55-10 in the Super Bowl and a home loss to the Jags like a decade ago being much tougher to stomach not to mention O'Donnel giving that super bowl away.

 

[Sarge25]

In my lifetime.
Steelers/Chargers AFC championship game. 3 more yards!!!!

Dennis Gibson knocking down the O’Donnell pass to Barry Foster.
Tony Martin beating Tim McKyer for a TD. McKyer later became ill on the sidelines after the game ended.
Alfred Popunu (TE) catching a long TD and then celebrating like he was drinking the football like it was a can of beer.

 

[Pitt79]

In my lifetime.
Steelers/Chargers AFC championship game. 3 more yards!!!!

Dennis Gibson knocking down the O’Donnell pass to Barry Foster.
Tony Martin beating Tim McKyer for a TD. McKyer later became ill on the sidelines after the game ended.
Alfred Popunu (TE) catching a long TD and then celebrating like he was drinking the football like it was a can of beer.

I agree with this choice.

The Tebow game was almost like a fluky bad luck ending with that 80 yard catch and run, Tebow threw the ball like 10 yards in the air.

 

[Pitt79]

guy from cbs says loss to Tebow Broncos... they just can't get away from their never ending dislike of all things Tebow to make a rational point and just try to be clever...No way in hell was that it. Steelers while favorites on the road were banged up to hell and were not going anywhere that year anyway.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/photos/each-nfl-teams-most-soul-crushing-playoff-loss/28/

I seem to recall a loss to the Broncos the year they got dusted 55-10 in the Super Bowl and a home loss to the Jags like a decade ago being much tougher to stomach not to mention O'Donnel giving that super bowl away.

if I remember correctly, that Bronco loss wasn't soul crushing it all, I think we where coming off a 6 year playoff drought and we beat the Oilers in the wild card game and then went to Denver and almost pulled it out, it was actually an upswing season, the way I remember it. Merrill Hoge had a big game in Denver, I think the final was like 27-23 maybe?

 

[wbrpanther]

In my lifetime.
Steelers/Chargers AFC championship game. 3 more yards!!!!

Dennis Gibson knocking down the O’Donnell pass to Barry Foster.
Tony Martin beating Tim McKyer for a TD. McKyer later became ill on the sidelines after the game ended.
Alfred Popunu (TE) catching a long TD and then celebrating like he was drinking the football like it was a can of beer.

The Charger loss remains the one that got away. Up 10 points late and in total command, someone’s lets Alfred Popunu uncovered down the hashmark. They may not have won that Super Bowl but the experience of going that year would have served them well the next year against Dallas. They would not have fallen behind by 10 points early had they played in the big one the year before.

 

[upj87]

if I remember correctly, that Bronco loss wasn't soul crushing it all, I think we where coming off a 6 year playoff drought and we beat the Oilers in the wild card game and then went to Denver and almost pulled it out, it was actually an upswing season, the way I remember it. Merrill Hoge had a big game in Denver, I think the final was like 27-23 maybe?

were leading up and until two minutes to go...maybe it was my hatred of Elway that clouds my judgement.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

In my lifetime.
Steelers/Chargers AFC championship game. 3 more yards!!!!

Dennis Gibson knocking down the O’Donnell pass to Barry Foster.
Tony Martin beating Tim McKyer for a TD. McKyer later became ill on the sidelines after the game ended.
Alfred Popunu (TE) catching a long TD and then celebrating like he was drinking the football like it was a can of beer.

This. I was at that game. Was unseasonably warm and hazy. And fans left in a haze. Many sat in their seats stunned after the final whistle.

The loss against Denver in the AFC championship was brutal too (was at that one as well). Things were going good until Kordell threw that pick at the goal line. Game took an abrupt turn after that.

 

[BFo8]

I agree with this choice.

The Tebow game was almost like a fluky bad luck ending with that 80 yard catch and run, Tebow threw the ball like 10 yards in the air.

Actually it went about 25-30 yards in the air and Thomas did the rest. That was a banged up Steeler team, but they were 12-4, and never should have lost that game.

I was very pissed about the defensive strategy that day. Normally it’s suicide to let an NFL QB dink and dunk you down the field all day, but Tebow was the exact opposite. He didn’t have any accuracy on short throws at all, but he did throw a pretty good deep ball. So instead of sitting back in a zone and forcing him to try and dump it off the Steelers played a lot of man coverage and got burned deep. It wasn’t just that one play, Tebow threw for over 300 yards on only 10 completions.

The Charger loss was still the worst though, I remember getting up and going to work the next day and it seemed like the entire city was seriously deflated. The whole thing was very Goheen-esque.

 

[JMP87]

In my lifetime.
Steelers/Chargers AFC championship game. 3 more yards!!!!

Dennis Gibson knocking down the O’Donnell pass to Barry Foster.
Tony Martin beating Tim McKyer for a TD. McKyer later became ill on the sidelines after the game ended.
Alfred Popunu (TE) catching a long TD and then celebrating like he was drinking the football like it was a can of beer.

also agree....

 

[Jakey_John]

AFC championship against San Diego was by far and away the worst. I was actually at my best friend’s birthday party at Connelly inn because there was an indoor water park. We were only in 5th grade but it was like air going out of a balloon when we lost.

 

[BradlyPitt]

the super bowl loss to the packers was the worse, people underrate it as a loss because of the 2 recent super bowl wins, the defense hasn't been the same since then and in my eyes no loss hurts more than losing the super bowl

the afc title games against the chargers and broncos weren't big losses, they had no chance against the 49ers and no way kordell beats that packers team

the tebow loss was more hilarious than anything

the 2004 afc title game was a huge loss, that team was 15 - 1 and seemed unbeatable until that game

 

[BillyWestFan]

2001 AFC Championship. 24-17 loss to the Patriots. IMO probably the start of the NE dynasty right here in Pittsburgh and been having trouble beating them ever since.

 

[BradlyPitt]

2001 AFC Championship. 24-17 loss to the Patriots. IMO probably the start of the NE dynasty right here in Pittsburgh and been having trouble beating them ever since.

they weren't beating the rams in the super bowl

that offense would've revealed the weaknesses of chad scott, lee flowers, and dewayne washington a game earlier than the pats did in the opener the next season

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

I'm thinking of the loss to Miami in the game following the Immaculate Reception. Larry Seiple (the Dolphins punter) reeled off a long-yardage run on a fake punt that turned the game around. On top of that, we woke up the next morning to the news that Roberto Clemente's plane went down.

 

[Parkview57]

Because the Steelers and Chuck Noll believed the 1976 team to be in the running for being their best team ever, the loss in the AFC Championship has always intrigued me as a great soul searching loss. If you recall injuries to Franco and Rocky left the Steelers with back-ups in the backfield. Instead of plugging them in and counting on the O-line and great defense to win , Noll changed their entire approach and they only ran the ball 19 times in the game. The year before with the same two teams the Franco (27) and Rocky (10) they ran 37 times and relied on great defense. Bradshaw completed 14 of 35 passes, was sacked 3 times and threw an interception.

 

[bwh05]

In my lifetime.
Steelers/Chargers AFC championship game. 3 more yards!!!!

Dennis Gibson knocking down the O’Donnell pass to Barry Foster.
Tony Martin beating Tim McKyer for a TD. McKyer later became ill on the sidelines after the game ended.
Alfred Popunu (TE) catching a long TD and then celebrating like he was drinking the football like it was a can of beer.

This one was it for me. We were great on D in 94 and had absolutely no business losing to the Chargers. We went up and down the field and just didn’t finish drives and they stole it on a couple big plays. Still pisses me off because it would have given us SB experience even if we lost to SF. We played terrible in the 1st quarter the following year vs Dallas because we hadn’t been on the big stage in a long time and they had.

The O’Donnell game was obviously a bigger but the 95 Cowboys were no joke.

 

[hardbop]

Because the Steelers and Chuck Noll believed the 1976 team to be in the running for being their best team ever, the loss in the AFC Championship has always intrigued me as a great soul searching loss. If you recall injuries to Franco and Rocky left the Steelers with back-ups in the backfield. Instead of plugging them in and counting on the O-line and great defense to win , Noll changed their entire approach and they only ran the ball 19 times in the game. The year before with the same two teams the Franco (27) and Rocky (10) they ran 37 times and relied on great defense. Bradshaw completed 14 of 35 passes, was sacked 3 times and threw an interception.

I agree with 1976 AFC championship game. Would have beaten the Vikings and claimed a third consecutive championship. Forty one years later they would still have been only team to win three in a row.

 

[JD1976]

The Charger loss remains the one that got away. Up 10 points late and in total command, someone’s lets Alfred Popunu uncovered down the hashmark. They may not have won that Super Bowl but the experience of going that year would have served them well the next year against Dallas. They would not have fallen behind by 10 points early had they played in the big one the year before.

The ‘94 loss to the Chargers has to be it. Absolutely gut-wrenching loss to an inferior team at home with the ball inside the 5 yard line. Keep in mind that the Steelers hadn’t been to a Super Bowl in 15 years at that point so the drought had been long and that team was really peaking. It was a really devastating loss.

 

[BFo8]

The worst would’ve been Harbaugh and the Colts Hail Mary catch that initially looked good for a split second. I doubt there’s any of us who saw it that didn’t initially think it might’ve been a TD.

At the time the Steelers had been coming up short in those AFC Championship games, and I for one thought they had “Pitted” themselves out of another SB shot. The Colts weren’t even that good that year, nothing is easy.

 

[Pitt79]

they weren't beating the rams in the super bowl

that offense would've revealed the weaknesses of chad scott, lee flowers, and dewayne washington a game earlier than the pats did in the opener the next season

Still, I'd always rather lose the Super Bowl than not go at all.

 

[rmf05]

76' vs the Raiders. The pure hatred between the teams makes that one the easy winner. 2001 vs the Pats is second for me. We were clearly better than them and would've crushed the Rams in the SB.

 

[Jakey_John]

The worst would’ve been Harbaugh and the Colts Hail Mary catch that initially looked good for a split second. I doubt there’s any of us who saw it that didn’t initially think it might’ve been a TD.

At the time the Steelers had been coming up short in those AFC Championship games, and I for one thought they had “Pitted” themselves out of another SB shot. The Colts weren’t even that good that year, nothing is easy.

My parents were at that game and I was watching with my two older brothers in our living room. I definitely remember my heart being in my throat for a few seconds.

 

[BradlyPitt]

Still, I'd always rather lose the Super Bowl than not go at all.

i'm not saying i wouldn't want to go, you can't win unless you play the game but if you fall at the top of the mountain the more the fall hurts

it hurts more to think only one team prevented the ultimate goal, there are too many "what ifs" if you lose earlier in the playoffs for me to truly think of it as a missed opportunity

for example the steelers more than likely losing in the super bowl to the 49ers doesn't mean they would've played better against the cowboys the next season, those teams were flat out better and it would've been a huge upset if the steelers beat the cowboys

 

[Pitt79]

i'm not saying i wouldn't want to go, you can't win unless you play the game but if you fall at the top of the mountain the more the fall hurts

it hurts more to think only one team prevented the ultimate goal, there are too many "what ifs" if you lose earlier in the playoffs for me to truly think of it as a missed opportunity

for example the steelers more than likely losing in the super bowl to the 49ers doesn't mean they would've played better against the cowboys the next season, those teams were flat out better and it would've been a huge upset if the steelers beat the cowboys

After SB45 and SB30, I was slightly upset, I always felt way worse losing AFC Championship Games. At least if you go, you get to plan your Steelers Super Bowl Party! LOL

 

[303vND]

San Diego...and it’s not even close!

 

[Panther Parrothead]

The San Diego game was undoubtedly the worst; it ranks with the Pirates losing to the Braves in the baseball playoffs.

For most Steelers fans, any playoff loss is painful because we’ve gotten so used to their winning that we expect to win every time (said with only a hint of hyperbole).

But I’ll go back to the Steelers losing to the (undefeated) 1972 Dolphins. The Steelers were outplaying the Dolphins, until Don Shula went into his bag of tricks and called for a fake punt. Their punter, Larry Seiple, went streaking down the field unimpeded - behind the Steelers who were peeling back to block. It looked as though the (unaware) Steelers players were blocking for him.

 

[pbrad]

I agree with 1976 AFC championship game. Would have beaten the Vikings and claimed a third consecutive championship. Forty one years later they would still have been only team to win three in a row.

Noll left Franco in the game against Baltimore even though they were blowing the Colts out. I can't remember the players name but he played high school ball around here, he speared Franco in the ribs when Franco was on the ground and broke some ribs. They went to Oakland with no Rocky or Franco and lost.

 

[pbrad]

The San Diego game was undoubtedly the worst; it ranks with the Pirates losing to the Braves in the baseball playoffs.

For most Steelers fans, any playoff loss is painful because we’ve gotten so used to their winning that we expect to win every time (said with only a hint of hyperbole).

But I’ll go back to the Steelers losing to the (undefeated) 1972 Dolphins. The Steelers were outplaying the Dolphins, until Don Shula went into his bag of tricks and called for a fake punt. Their punter, Larry Seiple, went streaking down the field unimpeded - behind the Steelers who were peeling back to block. It looked as though the (unaware) Steelers players were blocking for him.

That game was played here in December and the Dolphins lucked out, it was a 70 degree day in Pittsburgh in late December.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

Noll left Franco in the game against Baltimore even though they were blowing the Colts out. I can't remember the players name but he played high school ball around here, he speared Franco in the ribs when Franco was on the ground and broke some ribs. They went to Oakland with no Rocky or Franco and lost.

Yep. And right after the game ended and (luckily) most of the fans had exited the stadium, a small, privately owned airplane crashed into the upper deck of the Baltimore stadium. Imagine the reaction if something similar happened today....

 

[Pittx9]

There was the loss at Tennessee in the 02 divisional round..... or you could go with any of the cowher afc championship game losses. 94 against sd was about as bad as it gets. 97 to Denver another bad one, close loss at home where kordell threw 3 picks. 01 at home against New England kordell throws 3 picks again, Pittsburgh looked to be the best in the afc by far all season and nobody what would become of New England. Then New England again in 04, the game was not as close though.

Of course there were the two super bowl losses also. One that will be remembered for 2 O'Donnell INTs and the other mendenhall's fumble (which was aided by David Johnson completely whiffing on a block.) Ben threw a pick 6 in Super Bowl XLV also.

You know what would be cool though... the most heartbreaking playoff losses in bengals history.

 

[Chaos]

My parents were at that game and I was watching with my two older brothers in our living room. I definitely remember my heart being in my throat for a few seconds.

I remember thinking "Thank God that ref was in the best position to make the call, and that he made it correctly." I don't think there was replay then, so I gave all the credit to that ref for being in position.

 

[pittman71]

Cowher teams always choked in the playoffs so 94, 97, 01 and 04 were no shock at all. In 95 the Colts dropped an easy interception late in the 4th quarter that would have sealed Pittsburgh's doom in that game. In 2005 I think we all know the refs gave Pittsburgh the benefit of the doubt against Seattle to give Bettis his ring.

1976 was the worst but Pittsburgh might not come back to win in 78 and 79 had they won in 76 so who knows. I do know it is a disgrace that any team with Tatum and Atkinson actually won a Super Bowl

 

[Swervin27]

In my lifetime.
Steelers/Chargers AFC championship game. 3 more yards!!!!

Dennis Gibson knocking down the O’Donnell pass to Barry Foster.
Tony Martin beating Tim McKyer for a TD. McKyer later became ill on the sidelines after the game ended.
Alfred Popunu (TE) catching a long TD and then celebrating like he was drinking the football like it was a can of beer.

that was a killer, that '94 squad was better than the one in '95 that made the super bowl and lossed.. Even worse to see the chargers go on and get demolished by the niners.

That '01 team was pretty sweet too.. I loved the 92 team but they were to run oriented, very little pass threat. That was COwher's first team. We lost to a wild card Bills team first rd I believe..