No fan base is happy after a loss, but there are different levels of disappointment. Determining who are the worst feeling fanbases is a combination of what their expectations were for the team and how they had performed recently. It is not just about a team’s record, as a fanbase that expected their team to lose would not feel as down as a fanbase that thought their team had an easy win and lost. Injuries can also be a factor, if your team had a crushing injury that could propel that team on the list. Also how you lose is very important, getting blown out or losing by a hail mary are both crushing losses, much more than losing by 10. Ultimately, the worst thing is the feeling that your team’s season just ended, losses or injuries that lean a fanbase into thinking that way, are the teams at the top of the list.
Honorable Mentions
Cardinals: 21-31 loss to Seahawks. The Cardinals have now lost 3 out of 4 to fall to last place in the NFC West and three games behind the Seahawks. For a team that had playoff expectations before the year, sitting at 3-6 is not what they want and Kliff Kingsbury is firmly on the hot seat. Could be higher, but probably didn’t expect to beat the on fire Seahawks who have now won four in a row, plus the team did hang tough the whole game.
Falcons: 17-20 loss to Chargers. The score was 17-17 and the Chargers had the ball on the Falcons 22 yard line, running out the time, so they could kick a game winning field goal. Then Austin Ekeler fumbled it and Ta’Quon Graham recovered it and returned it 19 yards, the Falcons incredibly stopped them and were going to have a chance themselves with 34 seconds left! But Graham fumbled it himself, and the Chargers jumped on it to get a new set of downs. The Chargers quickly got back in field goal range and won the game with a 37 yard field goal. A wild swing of events, the Falcons went from being doomed with no time outs, to having the ball and a chance to win, to losing the ball, all in one play. This loss is extra painful as they looked to have pulled off a miracle just to lose it just as quickly. Ironic, as a similar thing happened to the Panthers against the Falcons last week. The loss also knocks the Falcons out of sole first place in the division, but they land as an honorable mention because they are still in the NFC South so being 4-5 is still tied for first place.
#3 Raiders
20-27 loss to the Jaguars. After a 24-0 shellacking at the hands of the Saints last week, which landed them number 1 on this list, the Raiders were 2-5 and were desperately looking for a win. Luckily, they got the 2-6 Jaguars, this was a prime opportunity to pick up a win and try get back into the playoff picture. Instead, the Raiders lost another close game, making the team 0-5 in one score games this year. This was a devastating loss for a team coming off their worst loss of the season, they had a perfect opportunity to bounce back but they botched the game, blowing a 17 point lead for the third time this year. In reference, in the Raiders’ entire franchise history, before this year, they have blown a 17+ point lead five times. In just this year, they have done it 3 times in 8 games. Considering the Raiders are getting closer and closer to being eliminated from the playoffs, and they just lost two games in a row to what are generally considered to be below average teams, and they blew another huge lead, Raiders fans are definitely one of the worst feeling fan bases.
#2 Rams
13-16 loss to the Buccaneers. They have now lost four out of five games, where their offense is only averaging 14 points per game. For reference the worst scoring offense on the year is the Colts at 14.7 points per game. With the loss, the Rams fall to 3-5 and are 2.5 games back from the Seahawks in the division. They now have the 10th best record in the NFC and are currently, solidly on the outside of the playoffs, for being the defending Champions, this a shockingly disappointing start. To make it worse, this was a game they should have had, after getting a goal line stop with 1:52 left and the Buccaneers only had 2 timeouts they just needed one first down to ice the game. But after going three and out the Buccaneers still needed to go 60 yards in 44 seconds with no time out because they were down by four so they needed a touchdown. But Tom Brady is Tom Brady and the Rams stout defense which had only let up 9 points all game, let the Buccaneers march down the field in 35 seconds. Including three straight plays where Brady quickly threw the ball out to the flat where the wide receiver quickly stepped out of bounds, the exact type of play defenses should look out for when the offense has no time outs. A painful last second loss for a team already entering must win territory, Rams fans have every right to be one of the gloomiest fan bases right now.
#1 Packers
9-15 loss to the Detroit Lions. This was the week the Packers, and specifically the offense, was supposed to get back on track! The Lions had easily the worst defense in the NFL, ranking dead last in yards and points per game. They were letting up on average 32.1 points per game and had not held any team to less than 24 points. Meanwhile, the Packers offense was in desperate need of a jumpstart scoring only four offense touchdowns over the last three games. Also the Packers were on a four game losing streak and needed a win to get back into the playoff conversation and what better team to get than the lowly 1-6 Lions. But the NFL is notoriously unpredictable, and even the bad teams have talent. The Packers offense had chances but got no points on drives with first and goal on the 5, first and goal on the 1, and first and ten on Detroit’s 17. That is three drives in the red zone against the worst defense in the league, and they got no points. The Packers have officially hit rock bottom, losing their 5th straight game to fall to 3-6, four and a half games behind the Vikings and are currently tied for the 11th best record in the conference. For a team that not only expected to make the playoffs but expected to make a Super Bowl run before the year started, this is a stunning disappointment. To add to Packer fans sadness is the fact that they own a very bad and injury prone receiving core, with Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb, and Christian Watson all missing games already, and is a huge weakness to the team. But the trade deadline passed with the Packers making no effort to upgrade their wide receivers, despite reports many WRs were available on the trade block. Not only are the Packers on a huge losing streak, with now no hope to upgrade their biggest weakness, but they were also hit with huge injuries during the Lions game. Rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs, one of the few WRs for the Packers who occasionally made plays, is out 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain. To make things even worse, star defensive end Rashan Gary tore his ACL and is done for the year. A Packers team desperate for a win, instead got a devastating loss and with the trade deadline passed and injuries mounting, Packer fans are forced to accept that the season is nearly over. A crushing feeling when they were Super Bowl favorites 5 weeks ago at 3-1.