There are always those games that just crush you beyond compare- those cruel, cruel losses where the only possible cause is that the universe must hate you. What games have you witnessed that make you wake up the next morning praying that it was just a nightmare?
Here are my choices.
#3 - The Immaculate Deflection
[youtube]SgXvaRUP4l4[/youtube]
After a Cedric Benson TD to take a 1-point lead with only 38 seconds left, this happened. I remember it perfectly. I just stared at the TV, jaw on the floor, for a solid 5 minutes straight... without saying a single word. This has to be the worst possible way to start a season.
#2 - The Wake-Off Safety
[youtube]4CV13wF5iq0[/youtube]
Now this one wasn't the play as much as the entire game. So many missed opportunities in a game that the Bengals should have won. It had despair, followed by false hope, followed by complete disappointment. Then, throw on the injury to Giovani Bernard, a season-ending injury to Geno Atkins, and that terrible, terrible safety (all on prime time for the world to see). No game has ever brought me down as much as this one, and I still haven't recovered from it... at all. (And sorry about the video, Youtube didn't have anything better)
#1 - 2005 AFC Wild Card Game
[youtube]XsQLw3suvdU[/youtube]
Well let me start off by saying that 2005 was the first year I followed football. I was 7 at the time, and the Bengals were 4-0. Since Cincinnati has never gotten used to having a good NFL team, that was a big deal. So, being a 7 year old, I hopped on the bandwagon. By the end of the season, I was a hardcore fan. I watched every game devoutly and knew more about the team and players than most of the coaching staff did. To this day, I think the 2005 Bengals were the best Bengals team since the days of Boomer Esiason (although this current team definitely has the potential to be even better), and by far the best chance at a Bengals Superbowl in years... so this game was too hard to watch. Carson Palmer was never the same since that injury, either.
Here are my choices.
#3 - The Immaculate Deflection
[youtube]SgXvaRUP4l4[/youtube]
After a Cedric Benson TD to take a 1-point lead with only 38 seconds left, this happened. I remember it perfectly. I just stared at the TV, jaw on the floor, for a solid 5 minutes straight... without saying a single word. This has to be the worst possible way to start a season.
#2 - The Wake-Off Safety
[youtube]4CV13wF5iq0[/youtube]
Now this one wasn't the play as much as the entire game. So many missed opportunities in a game that the Bengals should have won. It had despair, followed by false hope, followed by complete disappointment. Then, throw on the injury to Giovani Bernard, a season-ending injury to Geno Atkins, and that terrible, terrible safety (all on prime time for the world to see). No game has ever brought me down as much as this one, and I still haven't recovered from it... at all. (And sorry about the video, Youtube didn't have anything better)
#1 - 2005 AFC Wild Card Game
[youtube]XsQLw3suvdU[/youtube]
Well let me start off by saying that 2005 was the first year I followed football. I was 7 at the time, and the Bengals were 4-0. Since Cincinnati has never gotten used to having a good NFL team, that was a big deal. So, being a 7 year old, I hopped on the bandwagon. By the end of the season, I was a hardcore fan. I watched every game devoutly and knew more about the team and players than most of the coaching staff did. To this day, I think the 2005 Bengals were the best Bengals team since the days of Boomer Esiason (although this current team definitely has the potential to be even better), and by far the best chance at a Bengals Superbowl in years... so this game was too hard to watch. Carson Palmer was never the same since that injury, either.