Rank Brady's postseason losses by pain and regret

InstaFace

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10 of 'em. How do they stack up in terms of how painful the memory is, or how badly you wish you could go back and give them another shot? How inconsolable were you, not just that night but a week later?

Chronological order:

  • 2005: NE 13, @ DEN 27. a 4-turnover shitshow topped by a Champ Bailey 100-yard runback that should have been ruled a touchback after Ben Watson pulled a Don Beebe.
  • 2006: NE 34, @ IND 38. We were up 21-6 at half, with Finland waiting in the gold medal match.
  • 2007: I think we forfeited or something, because I can't recall a damn thing about this game
  • 2009: @ NE 14, BAL 33. 83-yard kickoff return for a TD to start the game off on a high note. Got worse from there.
  • 2010: @ NE 21, NYJ 28. Got Rexed by a team we'd beaten 45-3 a few weeks prior. Patriots were 14-2 with a 15.4 SRS, 2nd in the Brady era
  • 2011: NE 17, NYG 21. We were up 17-15 for all of the 4th quarter, except the part that matters.
  • 2012: @NE 13, BAL 28. Led 13-7 at half, got Flacco'd in the 2nd half as we turned it over thrice.
  • 2013: NE 16, @ DEN 26. Never really got anything going; failure at a 2PC to bring it within 8 with 3' remaining kinda encapsulated the season
  • 2015: NE 18, @ DEN 20. Failed a 2PC to Gronk to tie the game on the last play. Would have won if we'd taken a FG 3 times in the 4Q when offered.
  • 2017: NE 33, PHI 41. We couldn't stop them. But they couldn't stop Brady, either... until they finally did.

My rankings by descending pain / regret:
  1. 2007 (nothing need be said)
  2. 2006 - pissed it away, handed Peyton a ring
  3. 2011 - yeah we probably lost to the better team, but not only was a title right there for the taking, so was vengeance
  4. 2010 - replay that game 10x and I bet we win 9
  5. 2015 - this is the only game of the Belichick era that I kinda, even a little, hold against the coach
  6. 2017 - made way too many Philly sports fans happy. and probably the closest game of the lot, the most believable that we could easily win a replay
  7. 2012 - at home, in the AFCCG, to the fucking Ravens. Thank god we ripped their hearts out and ate it still beating two years later.
  8. 2013 - I think we win 30% of replays, and certainly show better than we did
  9. 2005 - the gods were against us that year and that day, but at least had our day in the sun
  10. 2009 - yeah, we weren't ever winning shit that year
 

Red Averages

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The next one.


Ok, here's my list: Have to start with the SB losses I think.
07 - pretty obvious IMO
11 - Close game, and if he played just a bit better they win. Not that it was his fault.
17 - He had maybe the best Super Bowl game statistically and they lost. Also, lost the potential for 3 in a row.
06 - I still hate this game. Would have definitely won the super bowl over the Bears.
15 - So close. Would have been an easy Super Bowl win I think.
10
13
09
12
 
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InstaFace

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The premise of this thread pains me, and fills me with regret.
I suppose I'm curious which games stung the least or rang least significant to people, more than anything. I think we all know the top of the list, likely know the top few, and that's probably a less interesting conversation.
 

Marciano490

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Can I rank which grandparents’ deaths were most upsetting? Maybe pets, too.
 

bankshot1

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"42" was the worst. I'm convinced Brady played that game with a severely sprained ankle.

"46" sucked, but I thought the Giants were the better team that year, and should have been favored in that game. But i also think mid 3rd qtr Brady having completed like 13 passes in a row banged his hand on (IIRC) Tuck's helmet and lost his touch.

And fucking missed Welker by this much...

Yes there is a theme.

God intervened in an unexpected and untimely ways

or I don't take losses well.
 

streeter88

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The next one.


Ok, here's my list: Have to start with the SB losses I think.
07 - pretty obvious IMO
11 - Close game, and if he played just a bit better they win. Not that it was his fault.
17 - He had maybe the best Super Bowl game statistically and they lost. Also, lost the potential for 3 in a row.
06 - I still hate this game. Would have definitely won the super bowl over the Bears.
15 - So close. Would have been an easy Super Bowl win I think.
10
13
09
12
This ranking is perfect.

But I hated the 2017 SB a bit extra because it was the first one I purposefully took the day off work to watch it ( in Australia SB is on at 10 am Monday) and made the mistake of going to a Philly dominated SB party. Worse I had food poisoning the night before so couldn’t even enjoy the spread.

Eagles I hate almost as much as the Giants.
 

tims4wins

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Ok here we go

1) 2007: no explanation needed
2) 2006: blown lead, Finland in the gold medal game, Peyton's first title, team was sick, Rodney hurt by dirty Fisher, etc.
3) 2017: lost to a backup QB, maybe the single worst defensive performance of the BB era (2009 regular season at New Orleans?), the whole Butler thing. Was a chance to go back to back, 3 out of 4 for the second time
4) 2011: that Giants team was weird, they were crap during the regular season, but the better team that day. Sucks that Gronk wasn't 100%. Painful because of the Welker drop. Also the weird safety to start the game threw everything off. The Pats dominated that game for a very long stretch (from down 9-0 to up 17-9)
5) 2015: handed fucking Peyton a title again. Pats crapped out down the stretch. Again injuries a major part - no RBs, and Edelman had just come back from breaking his foot and seemed hurt again in the AFCCG
6) 2010: defense wasn't great and young guns at TE (no pun intended, whoops), but yeah like someone else said they win that game 8-9 times out of 10. That team was a juggernaut down the stretch
7) 2013: I actually believed going in the Pats could win this game, then the Talib injury happened, Brady missed Edelman wide open early IIRC, it went to shit quickly. This team would have lost to the LoB though
8) 2012: ranking this lower than 2013 because the injuries seemed worse, even though it was at home at the Pats led at halftime, I never really believed
9) 2005: not particularly painful in retrospect, the Pats weren't that good anyway, but it was the first playoff loss of the era, and the Pats really made so many mistakes this game
10) 2009: no Moss, no chance, and Adalius Thomas can take some blame too

When looking through this list, to me there is a clear line of demarcation between the top 6 and the rest. The top 6 teams all truly were contenders IMO. The bottom 4 would have been somewhat fortunate to win it all.
 

DJnVa

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“Hey, we have so many awesome sports memories with this team. Let’s talk about the bad times that totally sucked!”

I get that we’re generally over these now but still. To each his own I guess.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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This reminds me of my own neurotic behavior when I wake up in the middle of the night and for some reason intead or rolling over and falling right back asleep, I inevitably decide to dwell on all the things that are bothering me. Never fall back asleep.

I prefer the thread with all the complaints about Julian Edelman being in too many season-ended championship videos, and it’d be refreshing to mix it up.
 

Captaincoop

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The 2009 loss to the Ravens hurt way more than the 2013 Broncos loss. The Pats were at home and had Brady back after a lost year. I remember hoping they might pull things together and go on a run.

That 2013 Broncos team was running on all cylinders and playing at home. The Pats were banged up, with almost no receiving weapons, and playing on the road.

The fact that Denver got worked in the Super Bowl probably colors some of the memory here.
 

54thMA

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My rankings by descending pain / regret:
  1. 2007 (nothing need be said)
  2. 2006 - pissed it away, handed Peyton a ring
  3. 2011 - yeah we probably lost to the better team, but not only was a title right there for the taking, so was vengeance
  4. 2010 - replay that game 10x and I bet we win 9
  5. 2015 - this is the only game of the Belichick era that I kinda, even a little, hold against the coach
  6. 2017 - made way too many Philly sports fans happy. and probably the closest game of the lot, the most believable that we could easily win a replay
  7. 2012 - at home, in the AFCCG, to the fucking Ravens. Thank god we ripped their hearts out and ate it still beating two years later.
  8. 2013 - I think we win 30% of replays, and certainly show better than we did
  9. 2005 - the gods were against us that year and that day, but at least had our day in the sun
  10. 2009 - yeah, we weren't ever winning shit that year
This list is pretty much spot on, my only changes would be to flip 3 with 6. I'm normally a glass half full sports fan, but I had a bad feeling Opie and 9-7 horseshoe up their asses Giants were going to win that game, especially the way they won the NFCCG that year. I might be wrong, but didn't 14 of their points come off of fumbled punts thanks to the 49ers regular punt returner being injured the week before?

That Super Bowl loss to Folsie and the Eagles was much more annoying for me than the second Giants loss, that piss poor defensive effort specifically. And don't get me started on the Butler benching, IMO there will never be a valid reason for it.
 

Mystic Merlin

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I can’t relate to a list with ‘17 above any of: ‘06, ‘11, or ‘07. I was over the Philly Super Bowl quite quickly. ‘06, ‘07, and ‘11 in particular were tough.
 

54thMA

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The most comical thing about this is of those 10 losses, only 3 were not either an AFCCG or Super Bowl loss, how many other teams can bemoan 7 Championship game/Super Bowl losses.

Talk about an embarrassment of riches......………….
 

Van Everyman

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The hard part about the 2017 Philly loss was that it seemed like the team might be coming apart at the seams. Butler benched, Jimmy G run out of town, Alex Guerrero, Gronk talking retirement. I still maintain that the MVP of the 2018 season was Bob Kraft for doing what it took to bring McDaniels back at the 11th hour to mend fences.
 

SMU_Sox

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So the way I see it is it’s so hard to win fucking 1 that all 6 of ours broke right. 2007 doesn’t even bother me anymore. You have this much consistent success you will inevitably have a ton of heartbreak but also hopefully a few trophies. With 6 and counting that’s one of the best outcomes I think you could reasonably expect.
 

JokersWildJIMED

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The 05 loss to Denver was maybe not the worst, but real tough. Horrible officiating basically handed Denver 14 points (phantom DPi, Watson play, unbelievable missed illegal procedure not called on Denver that should have negated a huge completion). Team did have the TOS, but still...team was definitely coming together late and poised to make a run similar to this year ...would have been three in a row...Pitt ended up winning SB to rub additional salt in the wound
 

Leather

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It’s hard to talk about these because the context of each made them worse than they appear now. The really bad ones weren’t just bad, they peeled away of layer of mythos.

2005 sucked because it was the end of the illusion of invincibility. In retrospect, it was just one of those games that sometimes happens when you have to play on the road (in Denver, especially) in the playoffs.

2006 was awful because it was against Manning and the Colts, and the end of the illusion of invincibility against *them*. Also because it was really within the Patriots’ grasp and took some seriously fortunate shit for the Colts to pull it off. Also because the Bears were dog shit. But mostly, it hurt bad at the time because for the first time it felt like 2001-2004 might be it. That The Run was over and the team was getting older, or hurt, and maybe our time in the sun was ended. Ironically, this sentiment would color every single subsequent season-ending loss for the next 11 years.

2010 was awful because it was the end of the dominance against the Jets and it really felt like the game was just a mistake
that should have corrected itself a half dozen times but never did. It was like a bad dream. It was also especially hard because it was their first legitimately good team/shot following 2007 and to have it fizzle out just seemed to confirm the the worst fears that it really was, yet again, “all over.”
 

Jettisoned

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2010 was bad but I remember feeling pretty good about the team in the offseason after what felt like a fluke loss. The offense was loaded with talent after an incredible draft, and I was excited to see a full season with Gronk, Hernandez and Woodhead fully integrated into the offense. It got even better when their first rounder in 2011 started at left tackle right away the following season.
 

TheoShmeo

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Painful thread.

1. Giants perfect season game. The combo platter of (1) the fluikiness of it (the Samuels miss on admittedly a tough play and then the entire play, start to finish, of the Helmet Catch) and (2) the Giants D line just dominating the Pats O line, (3) of course the loss of the perfect season, and (4) that it was to a NY team makes this the "winner."

2. The Philly SB. A few really bad calls, the complete inability of the D to get a stop and the whole Butler drama/weirdness make this a VERY CLOSE contender for the top spot for me. In some ways, this was worse because of the D. To see a Pats team continually not deliver on defense was so gross. I remember thinking late in the game that even if they won, it was not going to be nearly as satisfying as other SBs, for just that reason.

3. The second Giants SB. The Brady-Welker play (I blame them both equally), the Manningham catch and that it was to the Giants, again....vomit.

4. The 2006 AFC Champ game. The fact that they let Manning off the map, got screwed on the offensive PI call at the end of the first half and would have steam rolled the Bears makes this one the clear winner in the non-SB division.

5. The loss to Sexy Rexy in 2010. You just can't lose to a Jets team in the playoffs, and especially to one that you beat 45-3 at home a few weeks earlier. Welker's foot job and BB's overreaction to same set a bad tone. On a personal note, I had to go to a wedding in the NY area immediately after the game and deal with a massive schadendfreude moment for too many people.

6. The rest....all kind of tied.
 
Apr 24, 2019
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Painful thread.

2. The Philly SB. A few really bad calls, the complete inability of the D to get a stop and the whole Butler drama/weirdness make this a VERY CLOSE contender for the top spot for me. In some ways, this was worse because of the D. To see a Pats team continually not deliver on defense was so gross. I remember thinking late in the game that even if they won, it was not going to be nearly as satisfying as other SBs, for just that reason.
Couldn’t agree more. Aside from the Scottish Game, this is at the top for me because it felt - feels - entirely preventable. Is there anyone here who doesn’t suspect that, if BB had gone to Butler at the start of the second half, or even the 4th quarter, and said, GET OUT THERE, Malcolm wouldn’t have run out and played with his hair on fire? That the D wouldn’t have felt a collective lift and flown to the ball, played with more intensity, played with some measure of inspiration?

Also, this thread is brutal. Sorry I bumped it.
 

Leather

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Butler is/was a crappy CB. He made a great play at the most opportune time possible (yay!) but benching him did not rob the Patriots of a super bowl win.

The “what If” factor is a cruel psychological trick that your brains are playing.
 

Van Everyman

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Yeah I’m not disagreeing here. Butler was at best wildly inconsistent in 2017 and tape showed him completely off the reservation in the AFCCG that year. My memory is also that the closest you could get a “Butler would have made a difference on *that* play” play was McCourty whiffing on the Ertz tackle because Chung would have been defending him instead if Butler had been in. Maybe.

Saying the Butler benching was the reason the Pats lost in 2017 is like saying Buckner was the reason the Sox lost Game 6.
 

tims4wins

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07 SB
11 SB
10 Jets game
17 SB
06 AFCCG
13 AFCCG
12 AFCCG
15 AFCCG
06 AFC Divisional
09 1st round
05 AFC Divisional
06 AFC Divisional?

Ranking the Jets game over 2006 is weird to me. 2006 they had a 21-3 lead (or 21-6?), were only a game away from the Super Bowl, and would have faced the Bears. That to me is more painful than the Jets loss. Even assuming a win over the Steelers in the AFCCG, the Pats may very well have lost to the Packers in the Super Bowl anyway.
 

RedOctober3829

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06 AFC Divisional?

Ranking the Jets game over 2006 is weird to me. 2006 they had a 21-3 lead (or 21-6?), were only a game away from the Super Bowl, and would have faced the Bears. That to me is more painful than the Jets loss. Even assuming a win over the Steelers in the AFCCG, the Pats may very well have lost to the Packers in the Super Bowl anyway.
05 not 06. I ranked the Jets game that high because of where I live plus the fact that it was the first time they lost at home in the Brady run.
 

Ralphwiggum

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The Philly game bothers me a lot less because they had just won two out of three. It bothers me even less now that they won again. I don't know that Butler would have made a difference, he wasn't good that year and there were signs all season long that the defense was going to be their undoing.

'06 bothers me less for the many of the same reasons: they had just won 3 of 4 and really should have lost to San Diego the week before. I got over the Philly loss and the '06 Colts loss way, way faster than some of the other ones that happened when it really looked like they might never win #4. Scottish Game is #1 for me by a mile, followed in some order by the other missed opportunities between '07 and '14, with the exception of '09.
 

Captaincoop

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That 2006 loss is the only non-Scottish game that I still get pissed thinking about. They had it won, would have destroyed the Bears for a Super Bowl win, and it would have cemented Manning's status as a playoff dud. I was looking forward to all of that...
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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2007
2017

After that, it's kind of interesting, but everything else is sort of tied to me. I'm not sure why. In my mind, it all is just sort of one piece -- some losses in Denver and a tough one to Manning, a couple to the Ravens, a weird loss to the insufferable Rex Ryan. I'm not sure why I include 2011 in with all those. It feels like it should have hurt more.

I guess maybe typing that out the true ranking would be:

2007
2017

Big gap

2011 and 2006 (tied)

Small gap

Everything else.
 

InstaFace

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07 SB
11 SB
10 Jets game
17 SB
06 AFCCG
13 AFCCG
12 AFCCG
15 AFCCG
05 AFC Divisional
09 1st round
05 AFC Divisional
I mostly buy this (other than 05 being listed twice), the only weird part to me is putting '13 ahead of '15. I felt like we were very close to winning '15, had a healthy Gronk and could have won it with a slightly different strategy (or kicking the damn field goals), but the touchdown in the closing minutes of '13 made things seem closer than they were and that game was really more like a blowout. What's the rationale there?
 

RedOctober3829

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I mostly buy this (other than 05 being listed twice), the only weird part to me is putting '13 ahead of '15. I felt like we were very close to winning '15, had a healthy Gronk and could have won it with a slightly different strategy (or kicking the damn field goals), but the touchdown in the closing minutes of '13 made things seem closer than they were and that game was really more like a blowout. What's the rationale there?
13 sucked more for me than 15 because at least we had won a SB the previous year. '13 was yet another year getting close but without another ring for Brady and left wondering when or if they'd get that 4th ring and end the BS arguments about who was best ever. The ending to '15 stunk for sure as they left points on the field and could've won the game. Of course, they could've also had home field too but screwed that up. But at least they had won the year before.
 

lexrageorge

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Going in reverse order:

2009: Hated that team. The only true dysfunctional team in the Belichick era. Was not surprised to see them get blown out. They weren't that good either. The only downside is that it was clear they needed to do at least a retooling, if not a rebuild, to get back to true SB contention.

2005: The disappointing part is that the playoffs were truly a wide open field that year, and the Pats could have been in the mix to win their 3rd consecutive title. However, they had a middling regular season which included a loss in Denver already, so it's hard to complain about this one too badly.

<Fairly large gap>...

2012: The hope was that they could get back to the Super Bowl. Problem was that Gronk was hurt, and they never really seemed to be able to beat the Big Boys that season (losses to Baltimore, Seattle, and the runner-up 49'ers). Sucks that they lost to the Ravens though

2011: This is the Super Bowl loss that the 3 subsequent Lombardi's has mostly erased. Yes, revenge on the Giants would have been nice. Had Gronk not sprained his ankle the prior week in a lucky win against the Ravens, the Pats likely win. And that intentional grounding safety still burns at me. But, their defense seemed to be a mirage held together with bailing wire all season, so I was actually pleasantly surprised they made it as far as they did. Still don't know how the Giants managed to get that far, and I do know that fans of the Ravens, Saints, 49'ers, and Packers probably have this season ranked fairly high up in their own "pain and regret" forum posts as well.

2013: I can understand why people have this one higher. Losing to a Manning is never acceptable. Unfortunately, they start the game w/o Gronk, and then lose Talib early on, and at that point they don't have any more answers. The fan base was starting to get impatient, and it was unclear how the Pats would make it back.

2015: Higher than 2013 and 2011 because the Pats basically blew this one, IMO. They should have beaten the Jets and Dolphins down the stretch. They should have kicked a FG at some point. Lots of little things change the outcome and keep Peyton Manning from winning his second Super Bowl. Grrrr...

2017: Another one that could be higher. However, the last Super Bowl win eased a lot of the pain. As did the fact that Butler was really not effective this past season, which makes me think that he may not have made much of a difference anyway. The Eagles that playoff run reminded me a lot of this past season's Pats team, in that they basically peaked at the most opportune time. And the Eagles were a much better team than given credit for, IMO. Sometimes you do just get beat.

<Another fairly large gap>...

2006 (tie): A loss to Manning after which the Pats had a 21-3 lead. And a Matt Light illegal procedure penalty and Troy Brown drop from basically icing the game. The Bears would have been no match for the Pats either. A true missed opportunity.

2010 (tie): High up because it was the Jets, and the Pats probably win that one 99 times out of 100. A fluky game, but the Pats defense could not make a stop when needed, which was a potential Achilles heel that made me nervous from the get-go. Worst part about it is that it fed the Felger & Mazz narratives about the Pats and Jets which they never quite discarded, despite the teams records since that point.

<Ginormous, almost unfathomable gap>:

2007: Needs no further comment.
 

j-man

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my losses

i am just going to go after 1999 season
2000 @ Ravers grese was out but had they done what the jets did with 4 WR packages denver gets at least 17 and without shape one a billion play denver wins that game and the 2000 super bowl winning 3 sb in 4 years

2005 Pitt had denver been more Agg toward ben and took the ball away early pitt wouild of pressed and denver wouild had won late and beat sea in det

2012 Balt rahim moore had he not underestimated wr J Jones speed he batted the ball down and denver beats SF in New orl

2016 had norwood i think just lay down at the 1 y line denver runs the clock out beat kc makes the 6 seed and loses at NE in OT in the div round