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13 Of The Biggest Collapses In Sports History, Ranked By How Painful They Were To Watch
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Vote up the sports meltdowns that hurt the most to watch.
When it comes to the worst meltdowns in sports history, there's no shortage of jaw-dropping moments that leave fans baffled and players devastated. These are the instances where victory seemed all but assured, only to slip away in the most dramatic, often heartbreaking fashion. Whether it's an inexplicable collapse or a series of unfortunate events, these moments are etched into the annals of sports history.
Take the Atlanta Falcons blowing a 25-point lead in Super Bowl LI, for example. With a commanding position, the Falcons were poised to secure their first championship, but a relentless comeback by the New England Patriots turned the game on its head. Similarly, the New York Yankees' epic collapse after leading the AL Championship Series 3-0 against the Boston Red Sox in 2004 is another unforgettable debacle. It remains one of the most shocking turnarounds in baseball history, with the Red Sox ultimately winning the series and breaking their long-standing curse.
Now, it's time for you to weigh in. We've compiled some of the most infamous sports meltdowns, and we want to know which ones you think are the worst. Cast your vote and see how your picks compare with other sports fans. Your input will help spotlight the most dramatic collapses and keep the conversation alive about these unforgettable moments in sports history.
Super Bowl LI, played at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX, in 2017, featured the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. The Falcons had been victorious over the Green Bay Packers to take the NFC championship while the Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the AFC title. Going into the Super Bowl, the Patriots were favored to win, in large part thanks to quarterback Tom Brady.
Neither team scored during the first quarter, but the Atlanta Falcons ran away with the second, outscoring the Patriots 21-3. The Falcons' defense was able to limit Brady and the Patriots offense effectively and carried that momentum into the third quarter. The score was 28-9 when the fourth quarter began but, as Falcons coach Dan Quinn would explain, his team “ran out of gas.” The Patriots, however, “got hot” and “executed terrifically.” This was clear as the Brady-led group scored 19 unanswered points.
The game went into overtime and the Patriots scored again, winning the game by coming back from a 25-point deficit.
Monumental meltdown?The New York Yankees went into the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox in 2004 with a better record. The Yankees were also taking on the “cursed” Sox, who had been perennial losers for as long as anyone could remember. The so-called “Curse of the Bambino” started in 1919 when the team sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees.
Both teams had won their division with relative ease and, after winning the first three games in the ALCS, it looked like the Yankees had the series locked down. They'd just defeated the Red Sox 19-8 in Game 3. And no team to date had ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
The game started with the Yankees scoring two runs in the third inning. Boston scored three in the fifth and the Yankees responded with two more in the sixth. The game was 4-4 after Boston scored in the ninth, which sent the contest into extra innings.
Neither team scored during the 10th and 11th innings, but the 12th was all Boston. David Ortiz hit a two-run home run, winning the game for the Red Sox.
That was essentially the beginning of the end for the Yankees. Boston won the next four games, taking Game 7 by a score of 10-3.They continued to the World Series, where their winning streak just kept going after they swept the St. Louis Cardinals.
History was made in the playoffs that year. The Yankees became the first team to lose a playoff round after being up 3-0, and Boston finally broke that curse.
Monumental meltdown?- 3
The Houston Oilers Gave Up Five Consecutive Touchdowns In The 1992 AFC Wild Card Game
On January 3, 1993, the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) took the field against the Buffalo Bills to face off in the American Football Conference wild card game. The Oilers had a 10-6 record while the Bills were 11-5, ultimately giving Buffalo home-field advantage.
During the first half of the game, Houston outscored the Bills 28-3. Early in the third quarter, the Oilers scored again, making it a 35-3 game. Then, things started to go horribly wrong for the visiting team.
Buffalo scored a touchdown about halfway through the quarter and recovered an onside kick to get the ball back right away. The Bills kept up that momentum through the rest of the third quarter and, by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the score was 35-31 Oilers.
With roughly three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Bills scored again and took the lead - and scored their fifth consecutive touchdown. The Oilers were able to tie up the game and send the contest into overtime, only to lose 38-41. When all was said and done, the Oilers blew a 32-point lead and their hopes of moving ahead in the playoff round.
Monumental meltdown? The four major golf championships in professional golf each year are the PGA, Masters, US Open, and British Open. When the Masters began in Augusta, GA, in April 1996, golfer Greg Norman took a quick lead during the first round.
Through the second and third rounds, Norman remained atop the leaderboard at 13 under par and six strokes ahead of his closest competitor, Nick Faldo.
Round 4 proved less successful for Norman, however. The Australian golfer struggled from the outset, losing one stroke off his lead at the first hole. Slowly, as the round continued, Norman's shots went in all the wrong directions. By the time the round was over, he had bogeyed four times and double-bogeyed five times. He ended up in second place.
Norman hadn't just lost his six-stroke lead. He finished five strokes behind Faldo, the winner. Faldo reportedly told Norman at the time that he wanted to give him a hug - so he did.
Monumental meltdown?As defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors looked to repeat in 2016. They set a new regular season winning record during the 2015-2016 season, going 73-9 (the Chicago Bulls held the previous record at 72-10 in 1995-1996), and breezed through the playoffs.
Golden State was set to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals - a team with a 57-25 regular season record. Much like the Warriors, the Cavs were relatively unmatched during the playoffs.
Golden State came out strong when the NBA finals began on June 2, 2016, winning the first two games by 15 or more points each. The Cavaliers won the third game while the Warriors rebounded to take Game 4. It looked as though the Warriors would lock up the championship in Game 5.
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers had different plans. Games 5 and 6 were both victories for the Cavs, evening the series 3-3. Game 7 would decide it all.
The final game of the NBA Championship was played on June 19, 2016. Cleveland and Golden State were essentially tied after the first quarter, but the latter had the lead at halftime. Cleveland came back during the third quarter and continued to outplay their opponents through the fourth. When the game was over, the score was 93-89 in favor of the Cavaliers - and the Warriors had blown a 3-1 game lead to lose the championship series.
The Warriors are the first team to lose the NBA finals after holding a 3-1 game lead.
Monumental meltdown?- 6
The Minnesota Golden Gophers Watched Their 31-Point Lead Go Away At The 2006 Insight Bowl
The Minnesota Gophers and Texas Tech Red Raiders faced off at the Insight Bowl played in Tempe, AZ, on December 29, 2006.
Minnesota had a 6-6 record going into the game; Texas Tech had a 7-5 record. During the first quarter, Minnesota scored twice during the first quarter and three more times during the second. Going into halftime, the Gophers led 35-7.
The third quarter was less successful for Minnesota, but only moderately so. They scored a field goal, while the Red Raiders scored a touchdown. It was during the fourth quarter that Minnesota really unraveled.
Texas Tech scored three touchdowns and a field goal in the final quarter of the game. Their comeback sent the game into overtime. Minnesota did kick a field goal in overtime, but Texas Tech bested them with a touchdown.
The comeback by Texas Tech made history. It wasn't the biggest comeback in college football (that happened earlier in 2006 when Michigan State bested Northwestern after having been down 35 points), but it was a record for a playoff game. Texas Tech took over the bowl game comeback record from Marshall University. Marshall rallied from 30 points down when they played East Carolina University in the GMAC Bowl in 2001.
In 2016, Texas Christian University tied Texas Tech for the record when they beat Oregon after coming from behind in the Alamo Bowl.
Monumental meltdown?
