NFL Betting: 2 Teams That Recently Imploded Heading to the Playoffs
- Get the best NFL betting odds at BetUS
- The Eagles took a huge dive in 2023
- The Cardinals and Patriots are two teams that cost bettors in recent seasons.
Every season, a team destined for the NFL playoffs stumbles late, and either falls short of making it to the postseason or is forced into a Wild Card game and ends up losing.
The most recent example of this is the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles—kind of. I say kind of because the Eagles were a Wild Card team last season. However, after a 10-1 start and the NFL conference odds heavily in their favor to win the NFC, the Eagles collapsed and lost six of their final seven games. To top it off, they got crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 32-9 to cap off two months of failure.
Eagles with an ALL TIME collapse @SmittyBarstool can’t believe it
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 17, 2024
While the Eagles‘ downfall was epic, their making the Wild Card does exclude them from being the worst in history. While it’s hard to pick just one, there are a couple of options to choose from that I’ll break down and poke fun at below. These are from recent seasons, but you best believe there are more tales of failure that date back past the last 15 years or so. I’ll save those for another day.
2 Teams That Recently Crashed Just Before the NFL Playoffs
1. The Curse of Kliff Kingsbury Ruins the 2021 Arizona Cardinals
If you are in a position of power and can hire Kliff Kingsbury someday to coach your football team, do yourself a favor and pass. He is a late-season chocker to a shocking degree and will not lead your team to the promised land.
There is a long statistical history associated with this problem, but I’ll try to convince you as quickly as I can. Kliff Kingsbury is the king of fast starts and tragic finishes. In Arizona, his debut season began 3-3-1 before a 2-7 collapse. In 2020, a 5-2 start unraveled into a 3-6 flop. In 2021, a dazzling 7-0 opening spiraled into a 3-5 skid. Why this didn’t dominate the NFL news in 2021 always puzzled me.
And this isn’t new. Back at Texas Tech, Kingsbury’s Red Raiders started 2013 at 7-0, only to end 1-5. From 2014-2018, his post-Week 7 record ranged from bad (2-3) to downright embarrassing (0-5).
👀👀 at this graphic from @doug_clawson: pic.twitter.com/MNCBFl6wRQ
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) December 28, 2021
The numbers are brutal: across college and the NFL, Kingsbury is 42-20-1 before Week 7 (67.5% win rate) but a dismal 16-43 after (27.1%). He’s excellent at the first act, but the second half? It’s a total faceplant.
In 2021, the Cardinals were among NFL betting favorites to win the Super Bowl after a 7-0 start to the year. But, Four losses in their final five games left the Cardinals with a Wild Card berth at 11-5. They embarrassed themselves in the playoffs with 183 yards in a 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
2. Tom Brady’s Final Collapse in New England
There is no doubt in my mind that Tom Brady is probably the best quarterback to ever pick up a slightly deflated pigskin. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have his share of meltdowns. His two losses to the Giants in the Super Bowl in 2008 and 2012.
New England fans had plenty to be happy about, so I don’t feel bad for those two losses. However, Brady and Co. let the city down in his final season with the Patriots in 2019. The poor finish to the year closed the door to any happy endings in Foxboro—at least the ones not paid for by Robert Kraft.
Yes, the team won its 11th straight AFC title, which is pretty insane by itself. But it was clear that the dynasty of domination they built was not the powerhouse it once was.
Pats lose and Brady’s last pass is a pick 6 at home pic.twitter.com/HJ8VBLdMQC
— Jordan (@JPens4Real21) January 5, 2020
The Pats were on a high in NFL expert picks, starting the season 8-0 before getting a wake-up call from Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in his first MVP season. The loss to Baltimore sent the Patriots on a 4-4 slide. Then, the Pats lost to the Dolphins in Week 17 to miss out on a first-round bye in the playoffs. The loss was notable because the Patriots smoked the Dolphins like lox 43-0 earlier in the season.
The Pats ended up in the Wild Card and lost to the Tennesee Titans 20-13. Brady had just 209 yards passing, and it was a disaster of a sendoff for the future Hall of Famer.
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Question of the Day
When was the last time the Patriots won a Super Bowl?
The New England Patriots have six Super Bowl wins, with the last one coming on 2019.
