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Which Choke Job Was the NFL's Worst?

Posted Dec 28, 2008 11:15PM By JJ Cooper (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Broncos, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Jets, NFL Playoffs

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We can mock the Lions' 0-16 season, wonder how good the Patriots would have been if Tom Brady didn't blow out his knee, or speculate over which NFC team is most likely to give the Giants trouble in the playoffs.

But after watching a wild December of football, it's hard to avoid the fact that 2008 is the year where an amazing number of teams simply gagged their way out of the playoffs. Usually there are one or two teams that peaked in October and failed to live up to their potential, this year, we had a futile four that all choked away what were once seemingly safe playoff berths.

Here's a ranking of who sucked the worst in a season that saw plenty of teams throw away their chance at playoffs glory.

The Mama Cass (Four-Star Choke Job)

Dallas Cowboys (1-3 in December). When December started, the Cowboys knew they faced one of the toughest schedules in the league. But sitting at 8-4, they also knew that simply going 2-2 would assure them of a playoff spot. Every one of Dallas' three losses this month is defensible, as the Cowboys lost to three playoffs teams--the Steelers, Ravens and Eagles. But it's how the Cowboys lost it that will ensure this ranks among the worst seasons in Cowboys history.

Needing a stop against the Ravens, Dallas allowed two 70+ yard touchdown runs in the final five minutes. Needing a win over the Eagles to earn a playoff spot, Dallas trailed 27-3 at halftime. Quarterback Tony Romo had a quarterback rating of 99 or better in September, October and November, then threw only five touchdowns compared to six interceptions while racking up a 67.9 rating in December. Romo's yet to have a quarterback rating above 80 in December and in each of this three seasons as a starter, he's played his worst in the final month of the season.

Jerry Jones will likely fire another coach, no matter what he says about Wade Phillips' job being safe, which means Dallas will have its sixth head coach in 12 years. But it's funny that the general manager (who happens to also be named Jerry Jones) throughout that 12-year stretch will continue to have absolute job security. Jones may have run off Jimmy Johnson because he got tired of Johnson getting all the credit for the Cowboys' dynasty, but the fact remains that ever since Johnson left, Jones has won nothing since Johnson's players got old.

Needs A Heimlich (Three-Star Choke Job)

New York Jets (1-4 in their final five games). Was it just over a month ago that the Jets were considered to potentially be the class of the AFC? Sitting at 8-3 with a win over the previously undefeated Titans, New York looked prime to finally give its fans something to cheer about, after making it to the AFC Championship game only twice in the past 37 years.

But that was before Brett Farve took his legacy and yacked all over it, throwing eight interceptions and only two touchdowns in December. New York would have won the AFC East if they could have just gone 2-2 against the Broncos, 49ers, Bills and Seahawks--four teams that will be sitting at home come playoff time.

Instead, New York came into the finale against the Dolphins knowing that even a win wouldn't assure them a playoff spot. And now Jets fans can see how much fun the Packers fans had spending the offseason playing the "will Farve retire?" game.

Quick Grab Him Some Water (Two-Star Choke Job)

Tampa Bay Bucs (0-4 in December): When the month began, Tampa was sitting at 9-3 coming off a key division win against the Saints. With games left against the Panthers and Falcons, Tampa knew that the path to a division title would still be difficult, but with games against the Chargers and Raiders to wrap up the season, the Bucs seemed assured of at least a wild card spot.

It's easy to forgive Tampa Bay for its losses to Carolina and Atlanta--both division opponents played very good football over the final month of the season. And maybe we can excuse them for losing at home to a hot Chargers team.

But how can Tampa Bay lose at home to the Raiders when a win assures a playoff spot? It's easy to explain what happend--Tampa's usually intimidating defense decided to go on strike. The Bucs allowed a 150-yard rusher in three of their final four games and more than 30 points three times in December, after not allowing 30 points in any of their first 12 games.

Let Me Clear My Throat (One-Star Choke Job)

Denver Broncos (1-3 in December): Every week we heard how the Broncos needed just one win or a Chargers' loss to wrap up the AFC West. And every week when the games were finished, you could still say the same thing.

But unlike the other teams on this list, there are some extenuating circumstances for the Broncos. Denver has had one of the NFL's worst defenses all year, and there's really no excuse for that. But it's understandable that the offense fell apart when Denver was forced to put five tailbacks on injured reserve.

It's safe to say that the Chargers did the league a favor by knocking the Broncos out of the playoffs--defenses this bad should not be playing in January. But unlike the other teams on this list, the Broncos were never very good, so it's not as much of a choke job as simply a mediocre team being exposed for what it was.

Tags: Brett+Farve, BrettFarve, Jerry+Jones, JerryJones, Tony+Romo, TonyRomo

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