The 91 Lions won the division, got a first round bye, and beat young Cowboys that would go on to be a dynasty. Sure they were underdogs to Washington, but they’ve never been the best team in football in any year, so why would I hold that against the 91 team? And yes I had hopes for an upset. We had Barry Sanders after all.
If that Pettigrew interference is called (as obvious as it gets) and Dallas likely doesn’t have a chance to drive down the field at the end. I won’t even mention the blatantly obvious holding calls on the final drive.
I think it’s a bit disingenuous to say that there wasn’t ref favoritism in that game and that the calls didn’t have an impact on the final outcome. Of course the Lions should have put the game away earlier so it didn’t come down to that but it could be both, that they got screwed and they choked.
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I don’t consider a 41-10 loss in which they lost to a far superior team to be a heartbreaker but, as I said before, to each their own. I’m not holding it against the team, the Dallas playoff win was the best Lions fan moment in my life, but I never had any expectations that they’d be the Skins that year. Anyway, it all comes down to what one considers a heartbreaking loss.
Calvin Johnson was wide open on that play for a TD pass. Stafford threw to the wrong guy. The only thing weird about the play is they picked up the flag. It was a marginal call.
It’s actually hard to tell…he might have touched it but if he did it was BARELY
It’s like picking least favorite child! You can’t do it!
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The biggest heartbreaker for me was the hail mary game. So they definitely got it right as far as I’m concerned.
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Well said. 2 things can be true at the same time.
Also… even IF the PI call being reversed is debated… there is ZERO debate about the fact that Dez Bryant should have been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The amazing thing is… we had already seen that same movie before.
11/2/2013 – Dez Bryant called for unsportsmanlike conduct… as Jared Allen laughs at him in background.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1835714-cowboys-dez-bryant-draws-flag-takes-helmet-off-as-vikings-jared-allen-laughs.amp.html
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Then… 427 days later… the Lions game.
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/dez-bryant-pass-interference-penalty-cowboys-lions-2015-1%3Famp
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And then only 7 days later… it is illegal again.
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/unlike-dez-bryant-john-harbaugh-penalized-for-walking-on-field/amp/
Yep to me this (Cowboys playoff game) will always be the worst game. We finally had hope. And the NFL took it away from us in what was merely a speck of what was to come our way. This was the best Lions team I had ever seen. We had a superstar QB. We had elite players. We were finally turning the corner.
I still can’t think about this game and not get pissed. I’m pissed off right now as I type this.
Another team making a great play can never be as heartbreaking in my mind. Even the Rodgers hail mary…they still had to make the play.
Stafford and Pettigrew made the play. Grew faked out the LB so bad he had no choice but to run through him with his arms up in the air not even looking for the ball. The interference was obvious. The flag was thrown. The penalty was called.
Then it wasn’t.
From that moment on I knew that the NFL was rigged and it was heartwrenching. I was in denial before that. Usually they are way more subtle about it. Usually in that moment no flag would come out at all…or they would huddle and there would be a holding penalty to offset it…and the down would be played over again.
Not this time though. They actually called the penalty…and then they didn’t.
The ref standing right there staring at the play threw the flag. They called the penalty…walked it off…then walked it back. Never before had that been done…and never again will it be done.
It’s still heartbreaking to think about.
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For me, 2014 by far hurt the most. From a letdown perspective, I don’t think I’ve ever been so high and so low during a football game. It was brutal. Most of ya’ll know this pain. Each year hurts worse for me as I get older, LOL.
I think runner up in my lifetime was the 1994 playoff game on the road vs GB. This is the one where Barry is held to -1 yards or something at Lambeau. That was sort of a magical season. I remember living in the dorms, watching MNF vs. the Cowboys that year - and beating the Champs on the road. What a game, right down to the end. The Lions looked GOOD. They barely lost to SF a week before or after too - the eventual SB Champs that year. (LOVED that 94 NFCG because I hated the Cowboys)
I just remember how close that playoff game was, despite not really playing well. For those who need a recall, or might not go that far back it was a battle, and they had played them like 4 times in one year by that point because they had played them the prior year in the WC game (Favre Hail Mary), then twice in the season, now yet again.
The Lions weren’t built for Dec in Lambeau. They had a high octane offense built for a dome. They could have avoided this had they beat the Dolphins on Xmas day the week before. But in typical NFL scheduling fashion they sent the Lions to Miami on Christmas to play a team who was also fighting for a division title. And in typical LIONS fashion, the score was 27-20 Miami facing a 3rd 19 so all the Lions needed to do to complete the comeback was hold them and drive down one last time to tie, and guess what happened? They throw a screen pass for a yard, the RB runs for 18 more, then FUMBLES, but the Dolphins recover - of course LOL. In case any of you newer fans are wondering how long this sort of stuff goes back…
So anyway, the Lions hung in there at Lambeau all game and had a chance to win at the end. They were down 16-10 with time winding down and needed a TD to win. Dave Krieg drove them to about the 10 yard line. They had a first down and they just could not punch it in. The final play on 4th down, Herman Moore caught the ball high but it was out of the back of the end zone and GB took over on downs and gave up an intentional safety to close it out. They went on and lost big to Dallas, and I always wondered what would have happened if we had another crack at Dallas that year.
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How about 2013 when Aaron Rodgers went down and we couldn’t win a pathetic division? That wasn’t a heartbreaking loss. That was just pathetic.
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Impossible. It’s like selecting your favorite child.
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I think arguing and/or just reading all the bad takes on the Dallas game has just kind of blurred that one out from my heart.
On the Fail Mary, that was just an SOL moment. I don’t freak out over the facemask call. The ref saw what looked like a facemask, then we were just outcoached. I’m used to being outcoached as a Lions fan. Caldwell’s famous look. 10 men on the field. Wrong personnel. I mean, with coaching like that, you don’t deserve to win.
The Calvin “catch” started my slip into not caring. The Dallas playoff “Loss” stamped it in.
The Dallas playoff loss was the day I decided I don’t like the NFL anymore. So that’s the most heartbreaking for me. I studied the pros. Knew every roster. Could recall tons of stats.
Not anymore.
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The woke crap was the biggest turnoff of the NFL for me. Hardly watched any football for a couple of years. I just don’t like being preached to by players, announcers, and media. I don’t make you watch a 15 minute video of my beliefs when you buy a car. I expect that same courtesy.
The biggest change for me came with the birth of my daughters. My scouting career and fantasy football came to an end. I had better things to do.
My dad still talks about that game. He laughs at me for still being a fan. He said that game ended it for him!
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Yep I was there. When they connected on the Hail Mary this Packers chick in front of me turned around with her arms raised up in celebration. I don’t hit women but she came pretty close to taking flying lessons that day.
That was my first thought as well
My bro describes that play just like a poster above. Said it was like slow motion heartbreak. Too young for me but sounds awful.
Dallas for me was tough. Best team they have fielded in my football fandom life.
Green Bay Rodgers Hail Mary was also very very painful.
If I had to pick…. It’s Dallas
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What really stings about the Sharpe catch is that it may not have mattered if Kramer hadn’t thrown the 101 yard pick 6 to George Teague.
Lions were at the 5 yard line or so… ran a bunch formation… and Kramer threw it right to Teague… while Perriman was wide open in the back of the endzone.