History Main / EveryYearTheyFizzleOut

* [[http://grantland.com/the-triangle/a-celebration-of-canadian-hockey-futility/ Canadian teams in the playoffs since 1993 also qualify.]] The Senators, Flames, Oilers, Canucks and Canadiens have all made it to the final round, (and as far as Game Seven for the Flames, Oilers, and Canucks[[note]]twice![[/note]]) and promptly lost, [[SeriousBusiness breaking the hearts]] of a [[CanadaEh nation]]. RockBottom was in 2016, when ''all seven Canadian teams missed the postseason''.[[note]]The only other time Canada was shut out before, in 1970, there were only 2![[/note]]

** Stefanski's tenure, however, [[SubvertedTrope got off to a promising start]], surprising many people by not only clinching their first winning season since 2007, but also earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2002 (in a field that was arguably even ''more'' stacked than the 2007 field) and then ''winning'' their first playoff game since 1994, the latter of which was done with a shorthanded roster and coaching staff plus a limited amount of practice days due to COVID-19. They went out in the divisional round in a competitive loss to the Chiefs. Stefanski would lead them back to the playoffs in 2023, overcoming a season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson (who succeeded Mayfield as starting QB by this point) that saw three different substitutes, the latest being a Joe Flacco that started the season unsigned, and promptly got [[CurbStompBattle stomped on]] by a young Texans QB-HC combo.

** 2023 saw the Lions make the playoffs with a 12-5 record and win the Wildcard and Divisional rounds to make it to only their second NFC Championship game in franchise history. A dominant first half against the [=49ers=] gave them a 24-7 lead at halftime, and it seemed almost assured that Detroit would make it to the Super Bowl for the first time ever. But in the second half, almost everything that could go wrong did. Dropped passes, two failed 4th down conversion attempts (both times within easy field goal range, so the Lions could've easily picked up 6 points), and a lost fumble on offense. An insane dropped interception that instead bounced off the defender's face mask and into the [=49ers=] receiver's hands to set up a touchdown. San Francisco ended up winning 34-31, meaning those two field goals Detroit chose not to kick were the difference in the game.

** In 2023, after some early season struggles the team managed to rally and once again enter the playoffs as the #2 seed. However, after taking care of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round, the team lost ''again'' in the Divisional Round to [[RuleOfThree Kansas City]] 27-24, this time on their own turf. To rub salt in the wound, Buffalo had the chance to tie it near the end of regulation, only for kicker Tyler Bass to miss the kick wide right, just as Scott Norwood did at the end of Super Bowl XXV. The game was quickly dubbed "Wide Right II" by the media.

** In 2023, after some early season struggles the team managed to rally and once again enter the playoffs as the #2 seed. However, after taking care of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round, the team lost ''again'' in the Divisional Round to [[RuleOfThree Kansas City]] 27-24, this time on their own turf. To rub salt in the wound, Buffalo had the chance to tie it near the end of regulation, only for kicker Tyler Bass to miss the kick wide right, just as Scott Norwood did at the end of Super Bowl XXV.

** Stefanski's tenure, however, [[SubvertedTrope got off to a promising start]], surprising many people by not only clinching their first winning season since 2007, but also earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2002 (in a field that was arguably even ''more'' stacked than the 2007 field) and then ''winning'' their first playoff game since 1994, the latter of which was done with a shorthanded roster and coaching staff plus a limited amount of practice days due to COVID-19. They went out in the divisional round in a competitive loss to the Chiefs.

** The [=DeShaun=] Watson era saw the team go to the Playoffs twice, neither of which had them make the AFC Championship game. This is especially the case in the 2019-20 Playoffs where despite dominating the Chiefs early on they would surrender the 24-0 lead and lose 51-31. By the time of their next Playoffs appearance in 2023-24, Watson had been traded to the Cleveland Browns and a new QB and HC combo would lead the Texans to a thrashing of the Browns at home, only to be thrashed themselves by the Ravens in the Divisional.

** The [=DeShaun=] Watson era saw the team go to the Playoffs twice, neither of which had them make the AFC Championship game. This is especially the case in the 2019-20 Playoffs where despite dominating the Chiefs early on they would surrender the 24-0 lead and lose 51-31. By the time of their next Playoffs appearance in 2023-24, Watson had been traded to the Cleveland Browns and rookie C.J. Stroud had become the new Texans starter.

** The most painful loss came in the 2014 game, where, thanks to Mike [=McCarthy=]'s conservative playcalling and special teams miscues, they blew a 19-7 lead and lost to the defending champion, the Seahawks, in overtime.

** However, the Cowboys would still fall victim to this trope in the Prescott era. In his rookie year, Prescott led the team to a 13-3 record only to lose to the Packers in the Divisional Round. The team had up-and-down seasons throughout the era, but like previous seasons they would fall short. They fired Jason Garrett after the 2019 season, replacing him with former Packers coach Mike [=McCarthy=], who was infamous for his conservative play calling. They did finally score their first and only win against Tom Brady in the Wild Card round of the 2022-2023 Playoffs, but would once again lose in the Divisional Round against the 49ers, ending with [[https://youtu.be/qAukunmhZPM?t=173 one heavily derided play involving star RB Ezekiel Elliot at center]]. 2023 saw the Cowboys clinch the NFC East and the conference's 2nd seed in the '23-'24 playoffs. Dallas completely faceplanted at home to the ''7th-seeded'' Packers, losing 48-32 in a contest that really wasn't that close. All the worse is that to that point, 7th seeds have previously never won since the format's expansion became effective in the 2020-21 playoffs.

** The [=DeShaun=] Watson era saw the team go to the Playoffs twice, neither of which had them make the AFC Championship game. This is especially the case in the 2019-20 Playoffs where despite dominating the Chiefs early on they would surrender the 24-0 lead and lose 51-31. They have not made the Playoffs since.

** However, the Cowboys would still fall victim to this trope in the Prescott era. In his rookie year, Prescott led the team to a 13-3 record only to lose to the Packers in the Divisional Round. The team had up-and-down seasons throughout the era, but like previous seasons they would fall short. They fired Jason Garrett after the 2019 season, replacing him with former Packers coach Mike [=McCarthy=], who was infamous for his conservative play calling. They did finally score their first and only win against Tom Brady in the Wild Card round of the 2022-2023 Playoffs, but would once again lose in the Divisional Round against the 49ers, ending with [[https://youtu.be/qAukunmhZPM?t=173 one heavily derided play involving star RB Ezekiel Elliot at center]]. 2023 saw the Cowboys clinch the NFC East and the conference's 2nd seed in the '23-'24 playoffs. Dallas completely faceplanted at home to the 7th-Seeded Green Bay Packers, losing 48-32 in a contest that really wasn't that close. All the worse is that to that point, 7th seeds have previously never won since the format's expansion.

** However, the Cowboys would still fall victim to this trope in the Prescott era. In his rookie year, Prescott led the team to a 13-3 record only to lose to the Packers in the Divisional Round. The team had up-and-down seasons throughout the era, but like previous seasons they would fall short. They fired Jason Garrett after the 2019 season, replacing him with former Packers coach Mike [=McCarthy=], who was infamous for his conservative play calling. They did finally score their first and only win against Tom Brady in the Wild Card round of the 2022-2023 Playoffs, but would once again lose in the Divisional Round against the 49ers, ending with [[https://youtu.be/qAukunmhZPM?t=173 one heavily derided play involving star RB Ezekiel Elliot at center]].

** Finally averted in the 2023 season after Michigan overcame a sign-stealing controversy to clinch their second consecutive 13-0 season, win the Rose Bowl in a closely-fought battle with Alabama, and [[CurbStompBattle put a 34-13 whipping on Washington]] in the title game to win [[EarnYourHappyEnding their first national championship since 1997]].

** Finally averted in the 2023 season after Michigan overcame a sign-stealing controversy to clinch their second consecutive 13-0 season, win the Rose Bowl in a closely-fought battle with Alabama, and [[CurbStompBattle put a 33-14 whipping on Washington]] in the title game to win [[EarnYourHappyEnding their first national championship since 1997]].

** Finally averted in the 2023 season after Michigan overcame a sign-stealing controversy to clinch their second consecutive 13-0 season, win the Rose Bowl in a closely-fought battle with Alabama, and thrash Washington in the title game to win [[EarnYourHappyEnding their first national championship since 1997]].

* The Phoenix Suns have a history of this. Only seven years into existence, they managed to reach the finals, and in spite of their best efforts - including [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gar_Heard#The_Shot a famous triple overtime loss]] - couldn't stop the Boston Celtics. Nearly 20 years of "not enough" later, they rode an MVP season for Charles Barkley to again get to the finals. Against Michael Jordan, so even if [[https://web.archive.org/web/20070901133121/http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/nbafinals/1993.html by Barkley's admission]] they saved Chicago from being destroyed in a huge celebratory riot in Game 5, it was still a defeat in six. During the 2000s, coach Mike D'Antoni and star Steve Nash built a flashy and very effective team that frequently finished atop the conference, only to crash in the semifinals if not earlier. After losing the third Conference Final in seven years in 2010, came a whole decade outside the playoffs. Then, the Suns of Devin Booker and Chris Paul rebounded with fury, going all the way to the Finals again! And in spite of opening 2-0 against the Milwaukee Bucks, they then lost four in a row to Giannis Antetokounmpo and his squad, ensuring 53 years waiting wouldn't be enough for Phoenix to get a title. The following year, Phoenix had the best record in the league, and fell to the Dallas Mavericks in round 2, a game 7 at home, ''by over 30 points''. That game also featured the second-worst point differential for a home team in a game 7. ''At halftime''. There even was a point in the third quarter when Luka Dončić had [[OneManArmy outscored Phoenix by himself, 30-27.]]
* The Philadelphia 76ers of the New Tens and Early New Twenties are in the midst of one of these, though this is a more frustrating example than most. Dubbed [[MemeticMutation "The Process"]], The Sixers spent the early part of the Tens intentionally tanking seasons for higher lottery picks. While it has netted the team solid star talent like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, the postseason returns have been minimal. The Sixers have had consistent seasons of contention but failed to reach past the Semifinals in a consecutive series of heartbreakers (Mostly thanks to the Celtics). The tragic irony of the underachieving is the Sixers originally underwent "The Process" to begin with hopes to ''avoid'' becoming this trope. Even signing James Harden (Who left previously-mentioned Houston for Philly in hopes of winning a title) in the 2021 offseason hasn't been enough to push Philadelphia over the top.

** In 2022, the team enters the playoffs as the #2 seed and widely predicted by experts to finally get over the hump and win the Super Bowl. They proceed to only barely defeat the Miami Dolphins, who were starting a ''third-string rookie quarterback'', 34-31 in the Wild Card Round before being utterly dominated at home in a snowstorm by the Cincinnati Bengals in a humiliating 27-10 Divisional Round defeat. (To be fair to the Bills, they were absolutely put through the emotional wringer leading up to that post-season as their teammate Damar Hamlin ''nearly died'' on the field just a few weeks earlier, so it's not entirely surprising that they weren't on their "A" game.)
* The Cincinnati Bengals held the longest postseason victory drought in the league, but have been perpetual contenders for a while. Since drafting Andy Dalton and AJ Green in 2011, they managed to make the playoffs for an impressive four years in a row—leading to four less-impressive postseason defeats in a row. They only managed to win in 2022 over the Las Vegas Raiders, 31 years after their next-closest win, ending the at-the-time longest playoff drought in all of North American sports. And then made the ''Super Bowl'', but lost there to the Rams. They would return to the playoffs the following season, and got a hair away from their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance...and would end up losing the AFC Championship thanks to a last-minute field goal by the Kansas City Chiefs, the same team the Bengals defeated to get to the Super Bowl the previous season.
** The fifth loss is surreal. The Bengals started 8-0, finished 12-4 and in the Wild Card Playoff game hosted against their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals rally from a 15-0 deficit to take a 16-15 lead, then proceed to intercept the ball on the Steelers' next possession. It looked like the Bengals were well on their way to their first postseason win since 1990, only for Bengals halfback Jeremy Hill to fumble the ball on the next play. The Steelers get the ball back, but with less than 90 seconds to go and the Steelers starting from their own 11-yard line, the Bengals look like they're going to hold the Steelers off... that is, until the Bengals defense gives up ''thirty yards'' on personal foul penalties, bringing the Steelers offense into easy field goal range, where they won 18-16, [[YankTheDogsChain extending the Bengals long playoff drought]] while making them the first NFL team ''ever'' to lose five straight in the opening round.

** First, the 1991 Divisional playoff game against Denver. The high-powered offense of the Oilers shot out to a 21-13 halftime lead, and late in the game a punt pinned the Broncos back to their 2-yard line, where trailing 24-23, John Elway led a late-game drive punctuated by two fourth-down conversions to set up the winning field-goal in what some dubbed "The Drive II" (same spot on field, and almost five years after "the Drive").
** The second would be the most infamous. The Oilers raced to a 35-3 lead over the two-time AFC champion Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card game, when [[PutMeInCoach backup quarterback]] Frank Reich (though he started the game and his poor play was a big reason why the Oilers had a 32 point lead in the first place) led a succession of drives culminating in five unanswered touchdowns. The Bills would go on to win 41-38 in overtime. Until 2022 and the Colts blowing a 33-0 lead in a regular season game (see Matt Ryan's entry under "Quarterbacks" above) this stood as the biggest blown lead in NFL history, and still holds the record for biggest blown lead in a playoff game.
** The last one came in the Astrodome after the Oilers had gone on to clinch the #2 seed and a first-round bye. They went on to face the Kansas City Chiefs where, after starting the fourth quarter holding on to a slim 10-7 lead, the Oilers became the victim of another comeback, this time orchestrated by Joe Montana that culminated in a 28-20 loss.

** The fact that ESPN analysts often picked them as "a team to watch out for" and "playoff-bound" did not help matters, as their disappointing finishes rewarded them with nicknames such as "Forever 8-8" and "Next Year's ''Divisional'' Champions", a combination of an insult and a reference to the Cowboys' years of being this trope in the 60s.

** However, after said Super Bowl they haven't given that same output. Predicted to pick up in 2018 right where they left off and be one of the best teams in the league, Wentz entered after Foles split the first two games of the season. But things weren't going the way they planned, injuries were derailing them, and despite many thinking they'd get it together, the losses just didn't stop. And after what was looking to be a franchise redefining loss, [[CurbStompBattle 48-7]] at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome, they were on the brink of becoming the worst defending Super Bowl champions in NFL history. And facing the hardest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL following that, they were heavily predicted to complete said collapse. After Week 14, the Eagles were facing a Rams team in LA twice as scary as the one that ended Wentz's MVP caliber season a year prior. Before that, Wentz was sidelined yet again with a stress fracture in his back, and [[https://twitter.com/jasonmyrt/status/1073255492171038720 it was revealed this had been prior and players were aware of the situation]]. Foles came in to face the Rams, who were ''13.5 point favorites'' against Philly. And yet, they handed LA their first home loss of the season and that changed everything. They rallied back and made the playoffs, got lucky to beat the Chicago Bears in their place and were back in the Superdome against that same Saints team...except this time just falling short. Afterwards, Foles left in free agency to join the Jacksonville Jaguars. Only time will tell if Wentz will ever see his 2017 level of success again or not... and if he does, he won't be doing it with the Eagles, having been traded to the Colts during the 2021 offseason and then traded again to the Commanders in the 2022 offseason. However, the Eagles have surged back behind Wentz' successor, Jalen Hurts, making the playoffs in 2021 (Hurts' first full year as a starter) and going all the way to the Super Bowl -- ultimately going down in a close loss to a surging Kansas City Chiefs team -- just one year later.

** The 2000-01 post-season was an extreme example; after winning every single regular season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and ending up 2nd overall in the conference, the two teams faced off in the first round of elimination, with Ottawa heavily favoured to win. Instead, they were ''swept'' 4-0.

** 2023 would see a strong performance throughout much of the season and was widely considered by many to be the best Red Wings team in years, to the point that by February, they were widely poised to clinch a wild card spot...but then came an abysmal March, complete with several of their key players either injured or traded away, that ensured their out-of-playoff-contention streak would continue.

*** During the late '70s and the '80s (several years removed from the glory years of Matt Busby and the holy trinity of Best, Law and Charlton), they fielded talented squads yet never won a single Football League First Division (England's top flight before the Premier League) title thanks to Liverpool's dominance, which was occasionally challenged by local rivals Everton. Then came the '90s, Eric Cantona, Alex Ferguson and Fergie's Fledglings (Beckham, Giggs, Neville, Scholes, etc.); suddenly, United [[TookALevelInBadass became the Premier League juggernaut football fans now either love or hate.]] The power of that juggernaut has faded somewhat following Ferguson's retirement, with United finishing outside the Champions League places in the 2 of the 3 seasons that followed. To add insult to injury, when they did qualify from the Champions League, they promptly failed to get out of the group stage, dropped down into the Europa League and were then swept aside with almost insulting ease by resurgent arch-rivals Liverpool. Nowadays, Man United are commonly seen as a big-spending club (86 million quid for Paul Pogba, anyone?) that flatters to deceive in major competitions (with the exception of 2016 FA Cup and 2017 Europa League wins).

* The Dallas Cowboys, despite being one of the most successful teams in NFL history, had not won a playoff game for years until their home win in the 2010 wildcard round. This has become increasingly worse for Cowboy fans in the last two years with the Cowboys being easily one of the most dominant teams in the league, but choking in the first round (first time was against the Seahawks with a gimme field goal being botched and the second time they lost outright to the heavy underdog Giants). The Cowboys finally got a postseason win over Philadelphia in the NFC wild-card round.

* The [[CollegiateAmericanFootballPower5Conferences University of Michigan football team]] was well known for most of the '00s to have an exceptional season, and then lose both [[BigGame The Game]] versus Ohio State (the biggest rivalry in college football) and their Bowl game. The worst was in 2006, when Michigan went into The Game after a perfect season ranked #2 to OSU's #1 and suffered a heartbreaking 42-39 loss, and then proceeded to go to the Rose Bowl and get thoroughly thrashed by the University of Southern California 32-18 after getting denied a shot at a rematch in the BCS National Championship game. Their only consolation was that OSU was itself thrashed even worse by Florida 41-14 in the title game. [[SarcasmMode Go Blue.]]

* Among the two conferences of HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities) schools in the Division I Football Championship Division, the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is the more prestigious, with schools like Grambling, Jackson State and Alabama State, while the rival Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is often perceived as featuring lesser schools. But in the Celebration Bowl, which has paired the two conference champs since 2015, the MEAC has won all but one game, with the SWAC's lone win being Grambling's 10–9 escape against North Carolina Central in 2016. The 2021 and 2022 editions were especially stinging fiascos for the SWAC, since they were represented by Jackson State, who had gotten a ton of attention from having NFL great Deion Sanders as their head coach. In 2021, JSU entered the game at 10-1, being heavy favorites over a 6-5 South Carolina State squad, but SCSU pounded them 31–10. 2022 saw JSU enter the game undefeated, with the expectation that they'd be motivated to give Sanders a farewell gift of a win before he left to become the head coach at Colorado, but North Carolina Central staged a second half comeback to send the game to OT, where NCCU prevailed 41–34.

*** However, in 2020, both Kershaw and the Dodgers defied their postseason reputations. As for Kershaw, he threw 8 innings of shutout ball in his only appearance against the Brewers in the wild-card round, with the Dodgers advancing. In the Division Series against the Padres, he only threw once, giving up 3 runs in 6 innings but still getting the win. Next was the NLCS against the Braves, who shelled him for 4 runs in 5 innings in his only start in that series; fortunately for him, the Dodgers made it to the World Series against the Rays. Kershaw proceeded to have two solid outings, getting the win in both and posting a 2.31 ERA for the Series, which the Dodgers won to end a 32-year championship drought.

*** 2022 once again looked very promising for the Dodgers. After acquiring Freddie Freeman from the Braves, manager Dave Roberts guaranteed during spring training that the Dodgers would win the 2022 World Series. They absolutely dominated the 2022 season and beat down everyone in their division including the San Diego Padres. Reclaiming the NL West and setting a franchise record of 111 wins, becoming the best team of the 2022 season. Then comes the NLDS where they would face the 89-win Padres. Despite taking Game 1, the Dodgers would lose in humiliating fashion to their little brother to the south. Even worse? The game clincher was in San Diego where Padres fans came in full support of their team after years and years of Dodger fans hijacking Petco Park.

* The UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan football team was well known for most of the '00s to have an exceptional season, and then lose both [[BigGame The Game]] versus Ohio State (the biggest rivalry in college football) and their Bowl game. The worst was in 2006, when Michigan went into The Game after a perfect season ranked #2 to OSU's #1 and suffered a heartbreaking 42-39 loss, and then proceeded to go to the Rose Bowl and get thoroughly thrashed by the University of Southern California 32-18 after getting denied a shot at a rematch in the BCS National Championship game. Their only consolation was that OSU was itself thrashed even worse by Florida 41-14 in the title game. [[SarcasmMode Go Blue.]]

* Fourth and finally, Matt Ryan. His 4–6 record is as ignominious as Rivers' (worse percentage, fewer appearances); most infamously, he and his Atlanta Falcons committed the worst choke in Super Bowl history (and potentially in NFL and even ''sports'' history[[note]]it's not the largest lead an NFL team has ever blown (that honor goes to the Houston Oilers blowing a 32-point lead against the Buffalo Bills, see below), but the particular importance of the game, the speed at which the turnaround happened, and the sheer absurdity of some of the game-changing mistakes have led to it being a candidate for the worst in history nonetheless[[/note]]), squandering a 28–3 lead in his only SB appearance. Later, in 2022, as a QB for the Indianapolis Colts he also beat the record for the largest lead ever blown in NFL history, losing to the Minnesota Vikings 36-39, despite having a 33–0 halftime lead.

** 2017 had the Lions finishing with the same 9-7 from the previous season, but this time it wasn't enough for playoff contention - had they not lost to the already eliminated Bengals in their 15th game, they could have a shot at the postseason. Matthew Stafford would be traded to the Los Angeles Rams after the 2020 season, yet again citing the Lions' issues, and immediately won a Super Bowl in his first season with his new team.

** The Philadelphia Eagles had picked up something of a reputation, along with a mild AFC counterpart the New York Jets, for a team that is, almost every season, picked to go deep in the playoffs if not win the title, no matter how they finished the season before, but only left with the trophy once, in Super Bowl III in 1969.[[note]]Although certainly not helping in that regard is that their division, the AFC East, has the Patriots, who are a death sentence to the championship hopes of most teams in today's day.[[/note]]

** 2017 had the Lions finishing with the same 9-7 from the previous season, but this time it wasn't enough for playoff contention - had they not lost to the already eliminated Bengals in their 15th game, they could have a shot at the postseason.
** 2022 saw coach Dan Campbell and quarterback Jared Goff finally find their footings with Lions, allowing them to finish 9-8 ([[{{Irony}} and knocking the Packers out of the postseason in the process]]), though much like in 2017, this record wasn't enough for playoff contention, thanks to not only starting the season 1-6, but also a heartbreaking loss to the Panthers in Week 16 that set back the Lions' postseason chances.