Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The 10 Most Painful Giants' Losses


Because being a real fan is about sharing in the pain...


10. Titans 24, Giants 21, (Nov. 26, 2006)

Prior to the Giants recent meltdown against the Eagles, when was the last time an NFL team blew a 21 point lead in the 4th quarter? Yup. The Giants took a 21-0 lead into the 4th quarter against the Titans. This time Vince Young did the damage.

9. 49ers 44, Giants 3, NFC Divisional Playoff (Jan. 15, 1994)

Some losses break your heart. Others are just humiliating. This was the worst playoff loss in Giants history. It was also the last game in the careers of both Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms.

8. Jets 27, Giants 21, (Dec. 18, 1988)

Last game of the season. Al Toon’s touchdown in the final seconds costs the Giants a playoff spot.

7. Ravens 34, Giants 7, Super Bowl XXXV, (Jan. 28, 2001)

The Ravens defense deserved it, but getting crushed on the biggest stage hurts.

6. Rams 19, Giants 13 (OT), NFC Divisional Playoff (Jan. 7, 1990)

Flipper Anderson beats the Giant secondary with a game-winning touchdown in overtime. He keeps running into the tunnel, leaving the Meadowlands stunned in silence.

5. Eagles 19, Giants 17, (Nov. 19, 1978)

One of my earliest (and worst) Giant memories. Quarterback Joe Pisarcik only needed to take a knee and the hapless Giants win. Instead he puts the ball on Larry Csonka’s hip, Herm Edwards recovers the fumble and the rest is history. The Eagles go on to make the playoffs for the first time in 18 seasons. Giant fans know it as “The Fumble.” In Philly, it’s the “Miracle at the Meadowlands.” This wasn’t the worst loss in Giants history – the Giants were terrible and going nowhere - but it had to be the stupidest.

4. Panthers 41, Giants 9, (Dec. 27, 2009)

The Giants final home game in the 34-year history of Giant stadium. The mediocre Carolina Panthers start a back-up quarterback, Matt Moore, and humiliate the Giants, eliminating them from playoff contention.

3. Vikings 23, Giants 22, NFC wild-card playoff (Dec. 27, 1997)

A nine-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. Then the wheels come off and Giant nemesis, Randall Cunningham, completes the comeback.

2. Eagles 38, Giants 31 (Dec. 19, 2010)

The most recent ones are always the most painful, but as things stand right now, the Giants can still make the playoffs. But whether they do or they don’t, this historic collapse against the hated Eagles won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

1. 49ers 39, Giants 38, NFC Wild-Card Playoff (Jan. 5, 2003)

Some fans blame Trey Junkin, whose bad snap blew the chance for a game-winning field goal. Others blame the officials for blowing the pass interference call on the game’s final play. I remember Michael Strahan pointing at the scoreboard when the Giants were celebrating a 24 point lead. Everything after that is a nightmarish blur.
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1 comment:

jwharding28 said...

I remember watching the Vikings playoff game with you, and my wife urging us to leave the bar to go get ready for a friends wedding. Being Giants fans, we explained to her the seemingly bizarre set of circumstances that would have to take place, but that we feared would.

And then every single bad thing that had to happen to produce a Giants' loss did.

To me, The Fumble is so horrible precisely because it is emblematic of the futility that was Giants Football during the 1970's. I was a child of confused loyalties at the time, so I can't rank it as #1.

But I think nothing is worse than what we just experienced. Yes, watching Anderson run out of the stadium with the ball was brutal, yes, the Niners game in 2003 was heart-wrenching. But the precipitous collapse combined the sheer stupidity of punting the ball to the best return man this side of Devin Hester and being unprepared for an obvious onside kick makes this year's loss to the Eagles The Most Painful Loss Ever.