Worst call against each NFL team in their history

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bert Emmanuel rule

The 1999 NFC Championship Game was a surprisingly low-scoring affair as the Buccaneers held The Greatest Show on Turf to just 11 points. With St. Louis leading 11-7 late in the fourth quarter, Emmanuel made a crucial 12-yard reception to bring the Buccaneers down to the Rams’ 23. The play was overturned on replay when referee Bill Carollo ruled that the tip of the football touched the ground, therefore rendering the pass incomplete. Emmanuel never lost control of the football but the Buccaneers lost the game, making him the initial case of the NFL’s inconsistent rules about catches.

Tennessee Titans: Mike Renfro’s touchdown is wiped off the board

We’re going back to the days of the Houston Oilers as they faced off with the Steelers in 1980 with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Trailing 17-10 late in the third quarter, Renfro caught what appeared to be a tying touchdown pass in the far corner of the end zone. Referees were too far from the play to tell if Renfro had maintained control of the ball or gotten both feet inbounds so the pass was ruled incomplete. The Oilers kicked a field goal but the Steelers would go on to score 10 unanswered points to easily win.

Washington Redskins: Kirk Cousins gets called for intentional grounding late in a 2017 loss to the Saints

The Redskins have been one of the most fortunate teams in football in terms of officiating but they did get hosed in 2017. Tied at 31 with the Saints late in the fourth quarter, Cousins was trying to drive the Redskins down the field for a game-winning field goal when he threw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock when no one was open. Referees flagged Cousins for intentional grounding, resulting in a loss of down and short-circuiting the potential game-winning drive. The Saints won the game and the NFL admitted after the game that grounding should not have been called, costing the Redskins a chance at a much-needed win.