NFL players have hearts of steel, muscles of iron and, occasionally, brains of concrete.
How else do you explain that some of the best athletes in the world make some of the most ridiculous mistakes in sports?
We witnessed a classic mental failure on Sunday as Chicago completely botched its exit from an almost guaranteed victory against Washingtona play so stupid it made us wonder…is this the stupidest play in NFL history?
Let’s consider some of the stupidest moves the league has ever seen. In this case, we’re focusing on intentional moves – both on and off the field – that were horribly bad, not regular gameplay that ended up looking ridiculous. (So: no Butt Fumble, no Miracle at Meadowlands, no Orlovsky safety. These were unforeseen – albeit hilarious – mistakes during regular play.)
10. Garo Yepremian Pass
The classic in this kind of list. During Super Bowl VII, Garo Yepremian, the Dolphins’ very precise kicker, saw his field goal attempt blocked and the ball still alive move away. Yepremian caught the ball and attempted a pass, but the ball went straight through the air, ending up in the hands of Washington’s Mike Bass… who raced 49 yards for a touchdown. Humiliating for old Garo – but Miami still won, capping what remains the only undefeated season in NFL history.
9. Fall on it, man!
Late in the 2009 season, James Butler of the Rams picked off Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford in the end zone. Good news, right? And then Butler made an unfortunate mistake: He stood up, took two steps down the field, then backpedaled into the end zone for what he thought was a touchback. Sorry, buddy. It’s security. (The Lions still lost, 17-10.)
8. Wrong way!
Here’s another catastrophic security from yesteryear. In 1964, San Francisco’s Billy Kilmer fumbled the ball and Minnesota’s Jim Marshall ended up with the ball. But Marshall had gotten turned around in the scrum, and so when he ran untouched 66 yards into the wrong end zone, he scored not a touchdown for the Vikings, but a safety for the 49ers . Luckily for him, the Vikings were going to win anyway.
7. Fall on it, man! II
Remember: There are different rules for punts and kickoffs, and woe betide the receiving team that confuses them. In Week 17 of the 2016 season, the Jets, who were already beating the Bills 23-3, started late in the game. The Bills, perhaps defeated, simply let the ball trickle into the end zone — where the Jets’ Doug Middleton fell on the live ball, effectively making it the longest onside kick possible. Ouch.
6. Leon Lett I
Celebrating early is a recurring theme on this list, and few celebrations are more infamous than Leon Lett’s during Super Bowl XXVII. At the end of an absolute mayhem by the Bills, the Cowboys’ Lett recovered a fumble and began rumbling toward the end zone. But with about 10 yards remaining, watching himself on the Jumbotron, Lett began celebrating — only for Buffalo’s Don Beebe to catch up with him and knock the ball out of his hands. You never want to have the worst game of your career at the Super Bowl, and luckily Lett didn’t…
5. Leon Lett I
1993 was a difficult year for Lett; the following season, just months after the Super Bowl, he had another mental hiccup. With 15 seconds left and leading 14-13, Dallas blocked a Miami field goal attempt and the ball floated harmlessly onto the snowy field. Lett tried to fall on it, but only knocked the ball forward and Miami recovered it. The Dolphins then attempted another field goal, and this one was a good one. Do you make your two biggest mistakes on Super Bowl Sunday and Thanksgiving Thursday? Rough. If there’s any consolation for Lett, it’s this: The loss didn’t stop Dallas from another Super Bowl victory.
4. Cross the goal line!
It happens every season: someone drops the ball before crossing the goal line, and the rest of the world wonders what they were thinking. The most famous incident might be DeSean Jackson’s mistake in 2008, where he threw a spectacular pass from Donovan McNabb on what would have been his first NFL touchdown. Don’t do this, friends:
3. Helmet Throw
It doesn’t get any more Browns than this: In the 2002 season opener, the Browns led the Chiefs 39-37 with four seconds left. Dwaye Rudd and the rest of the Browns defensive line swarmed Chiefs quarterback Trent Green. Rudd thought he had fired Green, so he took off his helmet and threw it away in exultation. But Green had actually passed the ball to John Tait, who rumbled all the way to the Cleveland 26. The referees flagged Rudd for unsportsmanlike conduct, and since the game cannot end on a defensive penalty, the Chiefs were awarded a play on the 13-yard line. Morten Andersen powered Kansas City to a one-point victory, and Cleveland added another uniquely Cleveland story to its legacy.
On this date in 2002, the Chiefs tackled John Tait’s 28-yard run, the second longest ever by an offensive lineman, which contributed to the game-winning field goal.
Contributing slightly more to the victory was Browns LB Dwayne Rudd’s helmet throw, which extended the game with an untimed stop. pic.twitter.com/H7Hqw09qtI
– Original Research (@QuirkyResearch) September 8, 2020
2. Beary Failure
Washington is I’m still trying to think of a name for the Hail Mary on Sunday, but we opt for this one, suggested by a Twitter reader. Because as spectacular as the play was, what elevates it to art is the completely stupid play by Tyrique Stevenson, who spent precious seconds taunting Washington fans. back to the roomthen sent the ball straight into the hands of receiver Noah Brown. It’s as instantaneous as karma can be. When your own fans tell you to pay attention to the game, well… you’ve done something special.
The final outcome of this piece remains to be determined. It could cost the Bears a playoff spot, it could cost several people their jobs…the Fail Beary is the gift that will keep on giving.
1. The worst play in NFL history
You probably already knew this one was coming, right? Poorly conceived, poorly executed, the Colts’ fake punt attempt against the Patriots in 2015 was so horribly wrong:
According to then-Colts punter Pat McAfee — I wonder what he’s doing these days — the idea was to try to simulate the Patriots by thinking the entire punt team was subbing for the offense . Then a man lined up offside and the rest of the team lined up on him, making it an illegal formation. Oh, and the “center” – receiver Griff Whalen – was supposed to just hold the ball to try to draw the Patriots offside. But Whalen had never actually played the game before, so when he felt hands on his butt, he threw the ball – and everyone was mauled. Absolute disaster. It’ll never get worse than this…right?
