NFL playoffs: Five worst losses of all-time

Raiders vs. Patriots (2001 AFC Divisional)

The worst way possible to lose a NFL playoff game is to lose it knowing that the referees cost your team the game. Very few teams know that feeling, but Oakland Raiders fans sure do. The Raiders held a 13-10 lead before appearing to force New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to fumble the football.

The play was initially ruled a fumble. However, the NFL refs congregated and declared that because Brady was in the act of “tucking” the ball and his arm was moving forward at the time even though he clearly wasn’t going to throw it. That’s a call that has haunted the Raiders ever since. In the aftermath, 29 of the 32 NFL teams voted to have the rule abolished (the Steelers voted against it while the Patriots and Redskins declined to vote).

It’s interesting to ponder what might have happened had the fumble not been overturned. The Raiders likely would have made the Super Bowl, and perhaps the legacy of Tom Brady never would have gotten started to begin with. At worst, Brady’s legacy likely would be less than what it is today.

What a horrible way to lose an NFL playoff game.