Every team that loses a Super Bowl feels they left something on the field. They feel they had the better team but just made a few wrong plays that led to their demise. While that may be true for several of the teams, most were just beaten by a better team on that day. It's sports. It happens.
But these seven teams truly should feel that they should have a Vince Lombardi trophy at their headquarters had it not been for them getting in their own way. Seven teams who I honestly feel stole defeat from the jaws of victory. Teams who really did waste a golden opportunity to win a Super Bowl championship.
Here are those seven:
7 - 1970 DALLAS COWBOYS
In what has since become known as the Blunder Bowl, miscues cost the Dallas Cowboys their first Super Bowl championship. Dallas held the lead for most of the Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts' only lead coming with five second left in the game, giving them the 16-13 victory. The Colts turned the ball over seven times in the game, yet the Cowboys couldn't figure out a way to win. Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter alone, with one leading to the Colts game-tying touchdown and another leading to the game-winning field goal.
6 - 2007 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
The Patriots were thiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to becoming the first 19-0 team. While known for blowing that opportunity, the Pats really had their chances to reach that goal. It wasn't like the New York Giants' offense was good, and the Patriots finally broke through with a Tom Brady TD pass to Randy Moss with 2:42 remaining. While the Giants' game winning drive is forever known from David Tyree's amazing catch (and Eli Manning somehow escaping a sack) and Plaxico Burress' touchdown, it should also be known for New England's inability to get the defense off the field. They failed to stop Brandon Jacobs on a 4th and 1; Asante Samuel missed a sure interception; Rodney Harrison was unable to knock away Tyree's catch; and the Patriots allowed Steve Smith to pick up a key 3rd-and-11.
5 - 2023 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
This is a bit more about circumstances. Just the second overtime game in Super Bowl history, the 49ers actually had a lead in overtime (22-19) before the Kansas City Chiefs took the next drive the length of the field and beat them. The Niners also had a 19-16 lead with under two minutes remaining in regulation before the Chiefs drove down and kicked a tying field goal. There were also some mismanagement by the Niners during the game, with the team electing to take the ball first in overtime possibly being the most egregious.
4 - 2008 ARIZONA CARDINALS
One of the greatest Super Bowls ever is defined by two plays that doomed the Cardinals. The first happened at the end of the first half as Arizona was primed to score a touchdown to give the Cards a 14-10 lead heading into the break. Of course Kurt Warner's pass was intercepted by James Harrison who made, to me, the greatest play in Super Bowl history (David Tyree's play was great, but had some luck to it -- Harrison's play was just insane). So the Steelers took a 20-7 lead into halftime instead. Despite this, Arizona took a 23-20 lead with 2:37 left in the game on a Larry Fitzgerald 64-yard TD catch and run. As we all know, Ben Roethlisberger threw an absolutely perfect pass to Santonio Holmes, who made one of the greatest grabs in Super Bowl history, to give the Steelers a 27-23 lead with :35 remaining.
3 - 2014 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Give Lynch the ball. I know there's been discussions over the years about that play call and if running Lynch for that final yard was as simple as it seems ... but give Lynch the ball. It was second down -- give him the ball. Okay, if you don't want to run the ball ... don't throw an interception at that moment. Either way, the Seahawks blew a great chance at winning their second straight Super Bowl. Even after Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson's pass, the Seahawks screwed up by jumping offsides as the Patriots were snapping the ball from their own 1-yard line. The penalty moved the ball to the six and Tom Brady was able to kneel down for the win.
2 - 2016 ATLANTA FALCONS
You had a 28-3 lead.
It isn't just Atlanta had a 28-3 lead -- they had that lead with 8:00 left in the third quarter. They allowed 31 consecutive points to the New England Patriots. They gave up two must-have two-point conversions to the Patriots. And they let the Pats drive down in overtime and score a touchdown to end the game. The Patriots never had a lead during regulation. The events of Super Bowl LI will never not be ridiculous.
1 - 1990 BUFFALO BILLS
There is no team on this list that deserves this spot more than the 1990 Buffalo Bills. Why? Because they are the only team in Super Bowl history to miss a game winning field goal in the final seconds and the only time the Super Bowl was decided by a single point. If Scott Norwood's 47-yard kick is true, the Buffalo Bills would have had a 22-20 lead with just four seconds remaining.
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