Yearbook Standouts

For every NFL season there is one NFL team that separates itself from the rest to be classified as the worst team in the league. Most people that team as getting the worst record in the NFL, while also being lucky enough to land the first overall pick in the NFL Draft to hopefully select that game-changing player that turn the franchise around. Although that is true, this blog today will be going over a few teams that managed to finish last place in the league, while having one particular moment during the season that stood out above the rest in a variety of reasons. In particular, it could be an embarrassing one, an entertaining one, or even a dreadful one that is so serious that will forever be associated to this team. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this blog.

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2008 Detroit Lions

The 2008 Detroit Lions are notorious for becoming the first NFL team ever to go 0-16 in an NFL season. In a season in which the Lions were trying to rebound from a 7-9 campaign in 2007, the Lions flopped and the brown paper bags came out as loss after loss piled up. Now everyone knows that the Lions were bad record-wise, but there is one particular moment that during this season that is just so memorable.

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Endzones Should Be 11 Yards

This single play would sum up the Lions’ entire season in a nutshell. Already 0-4 on the season, the Lions were matched up in a week 6 game against their division rival the Minnesota Vikings. With the Lions defense already allowing 36.7 points a game on the season, it seemed like the Vikings would be able to beat the Lions pretty convincingly. However, throughout most of the game, the Lions were actually the ones in control. It was not until the final minutes that the tides started to turn. A controversial interference call against Lions cornerback Leigh Bodden gave the Vikings a free 42 yards, shown in this play. Setting up the 26-yard game-winning field goal made by Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell to give the Vikings a 12-10 win with only nine seconds remaining.

The game itself was a sloppy affair for both teams, but this was the Lions closest game on a miserable season in which they went 0-16. A win here could have stopped the Lions from achieving the abominable achievement of being the first team to go 0-16. Outside of the controversial call mentioned above, there is a moment in this game that gets ed the most in a bad way.

In which Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky ran out of the end zone while Jared Allen was chasing him. The play resulted in a safety, giving the Vikings two points, and is ed today as one of the worst Lions plays of all-time. In a 12-10 loss, those two points Orlovsky cost the Lions were big. Who knows what could have happened if the game ended in a tie and went into overtime. Perhaps, the Lions come out with a win and only manage to go 1-15 on the season. In a season filled with failure, this mistake truly stands out above the rest. Just check out how terrible this play was:

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2017 Cleveland Browns

Staying on the topic of 0-16 teams, the 2017 Cleveland Browns managed to accomplish the same disappointing fate as the Lions did in 2008. Unfortunately for the Browns, this miserable season would come one year later, after barely missing out on going 0-16 in 2016, when the Browns managed to only win their week 16 matchup against the Chargers on Christmas Eve. In a season full of lows, the week 17 game against the Steelers truly defined this winless season with one little hiccup.

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Corey Coleman Drop Kills Browns Hope

With the Steelers already locked into the second AFC playoff spot and unlikely to catch the Patriots, Mike Tomlin had one goal to finish out the 2017 season. Tomlin wanted everyone to stay healthy. So with the number one AFC spot in all likelihood out of reach, the Steelers decided to rest most of their starters against the Browns in week 17. Which meant Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Cameron Heyward, and David DeCastro were among the key Steelers sitting out.

While the Browns were 0-15 at the time and desperately needed this win, especially to take advantage of several Steelers players sitting out. The game throughout was close, even with a lot of backups playing for the Steelers. Tied at 21 with 10:54 remaining in the 3rd quarter, the Browns in typical fashion collapsed. First letting JuJu Smith-Schuster return a kickoff 96 yards to the house, second giving away the ball two times, and finally, a disastrous play by Corey Coleman that would leave the Browns losing 28-24 to the Steelers backups.

Now this play by Corey Coleman was really bad and will forever be attached to this Browns season. Down only by four with the Browns facing a fourth-and-2 on Pittsburgh’s 27-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the game, DeShone Kizer somehow escaped pressure and darted a perfect ball towards Coleman. The 2016 first-rounder would not be able to hang onto the ball as it hit him perfectly in the hands but fell incomplete after Coleman dropped it. As shown in this play:

If Coleman would have caught that the Browns easily would have had four more tries to nail that walk-off touchdown or even get a touchdown that play, and end the winless season again late in December. While in reality, Coleman dropped it and the Browns are known as the second team ever to finish an NFL season 0-16. This play stands alone among the rest as it put a nail in the coffin to the Browns season to accomplish an unfortunate achievement.

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2011 Indianapolis Colts

For years Peyton Manning was the heart and soul of the Indianapolis Colts. A leader for the city of Indianapolis, Manning will always be a legend here. So it was no surprise that the Colts fell apart in 2011 without Manning, who was out for the entire season due to neck surgery. The Colts simply could not match their 10-6 record in 2010, instead producing a failure 2-14 record. As opposed to the other teams here today, the Colts do not have one play that defines their season. Instead, they have one burden that follows them throughout.

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The Loss of Peyton Manning

As I mentioned before, Peyton Manning was a superstar quarterback for the Colts organization, and simply could not match his production without him. The absence of Manning left the Colts struggling to find a replacement quarterback, first g Kerry Collins out of retirement to be an insurance policy until Manning could come back. Only the Colts did not know at the time that replacing a four-time MVP and Super Bowl MVP would last throughout the whole season. Which would prompt the Colts into trying several different quarterbacks for the season.

Now while Manning could not exactly be present on the football field, he was still there in spirits throughout the season on the sidelines. Which in a way is the haunting demise over the Colts season. Seeing your star quarterback helpless on the sidelines was just the defining moment for this team. After how much Manning has done for the organization, he simply had to sit back and watch as pain and misery roared over the Colts throughout the season.

The offensive juggernaut that the Colts and Peyton Manning orchestrated was no longer present. Once a top five offensive time, the Colts slid all the way to the 30th offense, only ahead of the Rams and Jaguars. With every single area of the offense missing Manning greatly. Outside of bringing Collins out of retirement, the Colts also relied on Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky starting games for this Colts team. Two options that could not replicate even half of what Manning did.

When someone looks back at this 2011 Colts team, the absence of Manning killed all hopes and dreams for this organization. Of course the terrible 2-14 record will always be ed, but this season will be recognized as the season that a new era began for the Colts with the absence of Manning. As Manning would be cut in the offseason and the Broncos in free agency, while the Colts would select Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

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2019 Cincinnati Bengals

The most recent team to finish the NFL season with the worst record was the 2019 Cincinnati Bengals. In a division filled with the Steelers, Ravens, and Steelers, the Bengals failed to improve from a 6-10 record in 2018 to fall all the way to the bottom of the standings with a 2-14 record. The first season since 2002 without head coach Marvin Lewis, new Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had a terrible rookie campaign at the helm of the Bengals organization. Now there was one moment that really made the Bengals season special. The week 16 matchup against the Miami Dolphins was a thrilling affair that left people speechless in the ultimate Tank Bowl.

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Ultimate Tank Bowl

Heading into this December 22, 2019 matchup, the Bengals were heading into this game against the Dolphins with a 1-13 record, while the Dolphins were equally bad with a 3-11 record. A loss here for the Bengals would secure that they get the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

A game featuring two terrible teams is not suppose to be entertaining and it looked like that for the most part. The Dolphins were dominating their underperforming foe 35-19 with only 33 seconds left in the game. However, facing a fourth and goal, Andy Dalton threw the perfect to Tyler Boyd for a touchdown. Then Dalton connected with Tyler Eifert for a two-point conversion, making the score 35-27. Now needing an onside kick to tie it up, Randy Bullock pulled it off perfectly and the Bengals recovered.

With one second remaining and needing 25 yards, the Bengals needed a miracle to happen! And a miracle is exactly what happened when Andy Dalton found Tyler Eifert for this play:

The game wasn’t over yet. The Bengals still needed to convert the two-point conversion to take the game into overtime. The play resulted in this happening:

Now tied at 35-35 this game was heading into overtime. Unfortunately there was no exciting moments here in overtime as Jason Sanders only kicked a 37-yard walk-off field goal as time expired in overtime. Still, this late comeback by the Bengals was entertaining nonetheless. This Tank Bowl loss would guarantee that the Bengals would select first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft to win the #TankForBurrow sweepstakes. This game also leaves a legacy of being one of the best games between two terrible teams, ing the 2009 Browns-Lions game and 2012 Lions-Titans game.

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2012 Kansas City Chiefs

Before the Chiefs had Alex Smith or Patrick Mahomes on the team, they were a dysfunctional team that had a lot of rock bottom moments. The 2011 Chiefs managed to go 7-9, but when 2012 came they hit the deepest low point as they finished with the worst record in the NFL at 2-14. The overall whole 2012 season was a rough patch for the Chiefs. The most impactful brought chills on a cold, dark December 1st night.

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Jovan Belcher Kills Himself At Chiefs Facility

In a season filled with low points, the one that easily becomes the defining moment of the season is when your own player shoots and kills himself. It is a dark tragedy that defines a season. Jovan Belcher, an undrafted linebacker in his fourth season with the Chiefs could not take it and would end his own life.

Not having the best homelife overall, Belcher got into an argument with his then-girlfriend Kasandra Perkins. Instead of listening to her, Belcher would shoot her 10 times with a handgun, killing her in the process. Not being able to comprehend what he just did, Belcher drove to the Chiefs practice facility and waited until someone would come.

Eventually Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, head coach Romeo Crennel and linebackers coach Gary Gibbs would come into with Belcher. With Belcher holding the same handgun to his head, the Chiefs staff all tried to persuade Belcher to put down the gun and not make the biggest mistake of his life. Unfortunately it was not enough as Belcher already knew the horrible act he committed was unforgivable. With the police sirens approaching from afar, Belcher knelt down and shot himself in the head.

Anytime there is an NFL death it is a tragedy, but this one instance involving Belcher tells a darker story that will forever stick with the 2012 Chiefs. Belcher was the perpetrator that committed the murder-suicide. An instance that usually does not happen often involving a current NFL player.

#Glory