By: Joe DiGerolamo
Sundays loss to the 1 win Lions really got me thinking. It got me asking myself one question: Does anybody lose more heartbreaking games than the Green Bay Packers? After hours of traveling down a very depressing and painful road with my good friend, Jack Daniels, I realized that no... nobody loses like the Green Bay Packers. Now because I am a glutton for punishment, I’ve decided to breakdown the top 10 Packer losses in my lifetime. As they say, “misery enjoys company” so come read along with me.
- 10. January 4, 2003 - Falcons @ Packers NFC Wild Card Playoffs
I hate Michael Vick. Always have, always will. The fact that he is the first quarterback ever to come into Lambeau Field during the post season and beat the Packers is really a disturbing fact. The Packers were held scoreless in the first half as they went into halftime down 24-0 which is just embarrassing. Justice would later be served however as Vick and the Falcons would lose to the Eagles in the NFC Championship.
9. November 15, 2015 - Lions @ Packers Week 10
What a nightmare. I’m 23 years old and this is the first time in my life that the Lions came into Lambeau and won. What a classic Packers loss too. They caught a ton of breaks and had you really believing they could beat a 1 win team at home until the inevitable happened and they blew it. First, we get 2 missed PATs from Matt Prater. Then, we get the Justin Perillo TD to bring the game within 2 points but the conversion unsuccessful. Game over right?! Nope. The onside kick bounces right off of Megatron’s hands and the Packers recover! The Packers drive down field into field goal range for Mason Crosby! They’re gonna do it! Ball is snapped, kick is up and its BLOCKED! Not by the Lions, but by holder Tim Masthay! LOL
8. January 10, 2010 - Packers @ Cardinals NFC Wild Card Playoffs
This one wasn’t as heartbreaking as some of the others but its a tough loss because it was such a fun game to watch. An absolute shootout in the desert which saw Aaron Rodgers throw for 423 yards and 4 TDs and Jermichael Finley showed all that potential that we always heard about recording 159 receiving yards. GB Puts up 21 in the 4th to tie it and take it to OT. In extras, Rodgers over throws a wide open Greg Jennings who would have strolled into the end zone and would have sent the Pack to the next round. A play later, Rodgers drops back, fumbles and its returned to the end zone for a Arizona TD and ball game. Devastating way to lose as is, but then on the replay we see that Cardinals DB Michael Adams had a face full of Rodger’s facemask and there was no flag. Cardinals go to New Orleans, Green Bay goes home.
7. January 15, 2012 - Giants @ Packers NFC Divisional Playoffs
Nothing is as humbling as when a 15-1 team doesn’t win a single playoff game. Thats what happened in 2011, the year after the Packers won the Super Bowl. Everyone in Packerland was overlooking the Giants and pretty much stamped their ticket to back to back Super Bowls. Eli Manning had other ideas as he marched right into Lambeau and beat the tar out of the Packers. It was one of those games that even though there was still plenty of time left and the score was close you knew the game was over at the half. The final nail in the Packers coffin happened with 4 seconds left in the half. Eli throws a hail mary to Hakeem Nicks which is caught. The Packers shouldn’t have even came out for the 2nd half.
6. September 24, 2012 - Packers @ Seahawks Week 3
This could very easily be the top game on this list but I decided to put it at 6. Hands down the most embarrassing moment in Monday Night Football history. The night that Roger Goodell went from clueless putz to a full blown diabolical villain. This was the night where Roger whipped out his 2 inch pecker and pissed all over the Shield. If you recall the NFL refs were on strike so the NFL decided to hire total amateurs to replace them. Each game on the NFL slate to this point had countless bad calls and a billion penalties. On the final play of the game, Wilson rolls out, throws a duck towards the end zone, Golden Tate pushes Sam Shields 10 yards and its still intercepted by MD Jennings. After the interception, Tate rips the ball out of Jennings hands and that coward, Lance Easley throws his hands up to signal a touchdown. Don’t worry though, its under review, they have to overturn it, right!?!? WRONG! Touchdown Seattle. Unbelievable. The worst part of all of this garbage was that loser Goodell stood by the decision! Its wild that even though the replacement refs “made the correct call” that by the next Sunday the strike was over and the real refs were back. If you are reading this Roger, I hate you.
5. 2012 - 2013, all 4 games vs. San Francisco
I couldn’t pick one. Each game played between GB & San Fran from 2012 - 2013 was a total train wreck. The worst part is, they were pretty much all the same game. Kaepernick runs all over the Packers D, they look clueless, have no idea how to stop it, then implode on the sidelines. Colin really owes Dom Capers some millions. Without him, he wouldn’t have gotten that monster deal and without Colin, I’d be a much happier person.
4. 2009 vs. Brett Favre & The Vikings
Another time where I can’t pick one. Both games were just awful. It was tough enough seeing the greatest player in Packers history wearing that disgusting, purple jersey but then he straight up kicked the Packers ass both times they played. We all know the story, Favre retired, then unretired, Packers went with Rodgers, traded Favre to the Jets, he retires again, unretires again and signs with the Vikings for revenge and gets it. (sidenote: just realized I put this game at #4... get it? #4, like Favre’s jersey number) Thankfully, the next season the Packers would beat Brett and the Vikes both times and would win the Super Bowl. Favre retired for good and is getting his jersey retired with the Packers next week, so all is good with Brett and the Packers :-)
3. January 11, 2004 - Packers @ Eagles NFC Divisional Playoffs
This might not be a top 3 game for all other Packer fans out there but for me it definitely is because of where I live. As a south Jersey native, I’m in the heart of Eagle country aka 90% of the people I associate with are Eagle fans. I remember it like it was yesterday, the Packers were rolling up 14-0. Our boy Robert Ferguson caught a touchdown which is just bananas if you think about it cause he had 13 career TDs in 8 years. I was feeling good. Then the Eagles battled back but time was running out. Late in the 4th on 2nd down McNabb gets sacked, bringing up 3rd and 26. A McNabb incompletion and here comes 4th and 26. We got this. No way they convert this! All the Packers have to do is not give up 26 yards! McNabb drops back and finds a WIDE OPEN Freddy Mitchell in the middle of the field. FREDDY FN MITCHELL!!! First down, Eagles. The rest is history. Eagles score, take it to OT, Packers win the toss, Favre throws an interception that looked like a punt and Akers drills a field goal that knocks Green Bay out of the playoffs and sends a 12 year old Joey Units, to his bedroom to cry himself to sleep.
2. January 20, 2008 - Giants @ Packers NFC Championship
I don’t even know what to put for this one. It was just so bad. This was one of my favorite Packer teams of all time and they had such a brutal ending. It was looking great for GB. Game in Lambeau where its like -200 degrees, Coughlin’s face almost fell off, Favre vs. Eli, hellllooooo SUPER BOWL!!! JKJKJK. The Giants hang tough and take it to OT where the Packers have the ball. It could have been a storybook ending to the career of #4. He could have gone down the field, threw a game winning TD and could have been the 1 in 18-1 in Arizona when he beats the Patriots and could have rode off into the sunset as Super Bowl MVP. INSTEAD, he throws an INT to Corey Webster and Lawerence Tynes bangs home a field goal to send the Giants to the Super Bowl. Now, Eli is the 1 in 18-1, not Brett.
1. January 18, 2015 - Packers @ Seahawks NFC Championship
The cool thing about this game is that it literally can’t get any worse. This is it. Nothing will ever be as bad as this game. Just can’t lose a worse game. Not possible. It was one of those times where I didn’t want to celebrate until it was an absolute lock because I just had a bad feeling all day long. I was going to go over every single back breaking play of this game but I started to write it and got really depressed. I remember getting 2 text messages, one from my brother and one from my good friend, Mike Rodgers, both messages were about the same. “Congrats on the Super Bowl Units!” I didn’t respond because I just knew... the Packers are losing this game. Then what do you know, fake field goal, onside kick botched by Brandon Bostick, Wilson TD and successful 2 point conversion, Seattle wins the toss and Wilson throws a game winner to absolute crush me.
So that's it. I don’t want to write anymore. This blog has ruined my night. I hope you enjoyed it atleast.
