Top 10 WORST Super Bowl Moments of All Time

“Super Bowl VII” (1973) - 7
This contest between Miami and Washington was shaping up to be pretty uneventful. Miami held their opponents scoreless until the final few minutes of the game, when Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian lined up for a field goal to make the score 17 – 0. Unfortunately, the kick was blocked. Instead of scooping up the loose ball and running out of bounds, or even just taking a sack, Yepremian attempted a … let’s call it a “pass.” It was tipped, and Washington defensive back Mike Bass snagged it and ran it back for a touchdown. The Dolphins still won, but Yepremian’s foolish mistake came to be known as “Garo’s Gaffe.” Imagine going down in NFL history for that.

“Super Bowl 50” (2016)
With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Carolina Panthers had the ball down 10 – 16 against the Denver Broncos. Quarterback Cam Newton had recently been named MVP, and the setup seemed perfect for him to lead his team down the field for a touchdown and the victory. But Broncos legend Von Miller had other ideas. He stripped the ball from Newton for the second time in the game. Instead of diving on it immediately, Newton backed away from the pile of men trying to recover the ball. Denver’s T. J. Ward finally managed to gain possession at Carolina’s 4-yard-line. Just a few plays later, the Broncos scored, sealing their win and earning a second Lombardi Trophy for Peyton Manning.

“Super Bowl XXV[c]” (1991) - 25
The Buffalo Bills had a string of bad Super Bowl luck in the early nineties, losing four in a row. It started in 1991 with what had to be the most heartbreaking loss of them all against the New York Giants. With just eight seconds to go and down one point, the Bills lined up for a 47-yard field goal. At that point in his career, kicker Scott Norwood was one for five on kicks over 40 yards. Unsurprisingly, he shanked it wide right, and the Bills lost 20 – 19. Game analysts later noticed the holder Frank Reich had lined the laces up incorrectly, possibly causing the miss. Either way, Norwood’s name is the one that went down in infamy.

“Super Bowl XLVIII[d]” (2014) - 48
This game was painful to watch from the very beginning – unless of course you’re a Seahawks fan. On the first play from scrimmage, Peyton Manning appeared to call for the snap, then stepped forward to call an audible. Center Manny Ramirez didn’t realize the quarterback had moved and snapped the ball anyway. It sailed past Manning’s head and into the end zone, where Bronco Knowshon Moreno recovered it. He was taken down, resulting in a safety at only 12 seconds into the game. It set a record for the fastest score to start a Super Bowl, and the Seahawks went on to rout the Broncos 43 – 8.

“Super Bowl XIII[e]” (1979) - 13
Smith was a star tight end in the league for 16 years, but this is probably the play he’s most famous for. When the Cowboys faced the Steelers in 1979, they were down 21 – 14 at the half. Near the end of the third quarter, the Cowboys had a third down on the 10-yard-line. Quarterback Roger Staubach took the snap and found Smith wide open in the end zone. He fired the ball for what should have been an easy TD, but it bounced off Smith’s chest instead. The tight end appeared to lose his footing as he bent down to make the play, though he later acknowledged that he should have made the catch. The Cowboys would lose that game by just four points.

“Super Bowl XXXVIII” (2004) - 38
The fourth quarter of this game was electric, with the Panthers and Patriots scoring a combined 37 points in 15 minutes of play. The Panthers completed a touchdown pass to tie the game at 29 with 1:08 to go. If they could hold off the Pats, this game would be the first Super Bowl ever to go to overtime. However, John Kasay’s kickoff went way out of bounds, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 40-yard-line. With Tom Brady under center and the legendary Adam Vinatieri kicking, the go-ahead field goal was a cinch. The Patriots won 32 – 29.

“Super Bowl XXIII” (1989) - 23
After two gruesome injuries in the first eight minutes of this game, both the 49ers and the Bengals must have thought they were cursed. 49ers tackle Steve Wallace broke his ankle on just the third play. But that was nothing compared to what happened to Bengals defender Tim Krumrie during the Niners’ second possession. While tackling runner Roger Craig, Krumrie horrifically shattered his tibia and fibula in his left leg. He was carted off the field but insisted on staying in the locker room to watch the game instead of going to the hospital. That was, until the medics insisted he could go into shock. Krumrie had a 15-inch steel rod implanted in his leg and, amazingly, made a full recovery.

“Super Bowl XXXVII” (2003) - 37
When Marisa Robbins got a phone call early in the morning the day before the Super Bowl, she knew something was wrong. Her husband, Raiders center Barret Robbins, had mental health issues and had suddenly disappeared. It turned out that he had undiagnosed bipolar disorder and was experiencing a manic episode. Believing that the game had already been played and the Raiders had won, he’d taken a cab to Tijuana and partied all night. Although he returned to San Diego in time, Coach Bill Callahan decided to keep him out of the game. The once unstoppable Raiders O-line broke down without their leader, and the Buccaneers sacked QB Rich Gannon five times. The final score was a 48 – 21 blowout.

“Super Bowl XXVII[j]” (1993) - 27
When will players learn – showboating before you’ve crossed the goal line is a bad idea. During the fourth quarter, the Cowboys sacked Bills quarterback Frank Reich and stripped the ball. Cowboys defensive lineman Leon Lett scooped up the ball and ran it 64 yards for what should have been an easy touchdown. However, before he reached the end zone, he slowed down and held the ball out in a premature celebration. Bills wide receiver Don Beebe came flying up from behind and popped the ball out of Lett’s hand. It went out of the end zone for a touchback. Lucky for Lett, the Cowboys were already up 35 points by then. The fumble was embarrassing, but at least it didn’t cost them the game.

“Super Bowl XLIX[k]” (2015) - 49
You’re the Seattle Seahawks, and you’re down 28 – 24 against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. It’s second and goal on the one-yard-line with 27 seconds left. You give the ball to All-Pro running back Marshawn Lynch for an easy touchdown, right? Apparently not. Pete Carroll called a pass play, which was picked off by Malcolm Butler. Twenty seconds and one massive brawl later, it was over. The loss was shocking, but no one was more surprised than Seattle cornerback Jeremy Lane. He had broken his wrist and tore his ACL earlier. He woke up from surgery to see his team on the one-yard-line, then fell back asleep thinking he’d be bringing home a ring. He found out the reality the next day.