Five Biggest NFL Football Bloopers

American Football Bloopers

These are listed in ascending order, with the most notorious american football blooper listed last at number one.


At Electro-Mech, we not only produce electronic football scoreboards but also follow the latest football news, scandals and trends. Check out our other articles about all things football. For now, let’s look at some unfortunate NFL bloopers.

Blooper #5: The Whiffed Punt

Chicago lived up to its nickname of the Windy City for its Bears’ home 1986 playoff game against the New York Giants. The frigid January day featured gusty breezes that struck fear in the hearts of kickers and kick returners. Second-year punter Sean Landeta of the Giants fell victim to the conditions. When he tried to punt near his own end zone in the first quarter, a vicious gust of wind came up just as he let go of the ball, and he barely even got the side of his foot on it. The Bears Shaun Gayle scooped up the ball for an easy touchdown, and the Bears went on to a dominant win. There was some redemption down the road for Landeta, however, as he went on to become a Pro Bowl punter and his team won the Super Bowl the very next season.
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=landeta+bears&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#

Blooper #4: The Giants Blow a Sure Thing
On November 19, 1978, the New York Giants were on the brink of victory against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles were out of timeouts in the final minute, and Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik needed only to kneel down after the snap to clinch the victory. Instead, the Giants’ coaches called for a handoff to running back Larry Csonka. The Giants players, unhappy with the decision, failed to get properly prepared prior to the snap, and a shaky exchange between center and quarterback led to a botched handoff. The ball bounced free and was scooped up by Philadelphia’s Herman Edwards, who sprinted into the end zone for the winning score. A video can be found at the start of the References section of this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracle_at_the_Meadowlands

Blooper #3: Dallas’s Thanksgiving Turkey
In Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, the Cowboys were coasting to a win over the Buffalo Bills when a goal-line fumble by Leon Lett cost them an additional touchdown. The very next season, Lett laid another egg during Dallas’s Thanksgiving Day game against Miami. A freak Texas snowstorm had turned the field white, and the Cowboys held a narrow lead at the end of the game as Miami lined up for a game-winning field goal. Dallas’s Jimmie Jones blocked the kick, and the Cowboys had only to stay away from the ball to regain possession and secure the win. But as the ball died at the Dallas 9-yard line, defensive lineman Lett inexplicably tried to dive on it. When he made contact with the ball, it became live again, and he was unable to grab it. Miami fell on the ball at the Dallas 1. The Dolphins then kicked the winning field goal with three seconds left.
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d8008f982

Blooper #2: Garo’s Gaffe
The Miami Dolphins are the only team in the Super Bowl era to go undefeated during a season. The capped off their legendary 1972-1973 campaign with a 14-7 victory in Super Bowl VII. The only blot on their performance in the title game came late in the fourth quarter when they had a field goal blocked by Washington’s Bill Brundige. Dolphins’ kicker GaroYepremian picked up the ball and attempted to pass to teammate Larry Csonka, but the ball slipped out of his hand. He next tried to bat the ball away, but the ball went right into the hands of Mike Bass of the Redskins. Bass easily avoided Yepremian’s feeble attempt at a tackle and went 49 yards for a touchdown to make the game close. The ill-fated play appears toward the end of the following video.
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d8014daf8

Blooper #1: Jim Marshall’s Wrong-Way Run
Although Marshall was one of the best defensive ends of the 1960s and 1970s, he will forever be best remembered for a mistake he made on October 25th, 1964. His Minnesota Vikings were in San Francisco to play the 49ers. In the first half, San Francisco was deep in its own territory. Quarterback George Mira of the 49ers dropped the ball off over the middle to Billy Kilmer. Kilmer was swarmed over by Viking defenders, and the ball came loose. Marshall, having been turned around by a double-team block, picked the ball up while on the run and took off down the field. Trouble was, he was headed in the wrong direction. Marshall galloped 70 yards to the end zone, and he flipped the ball out of play. The 49ers were awarded a safety, as Marshall’s teammates looked on in disbelief. Marshall atoned for his error by forcing a fumble that was returned by the Vikings for the winning touchdown, but the wrong-way run was the only play that most people would remember. It can be seen about halfway through the following video link.
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80999876

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