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Fansided

The Greatest Insult to Injury NFL Moments in History

By Erik Lambert

New York Giants #21 running back Tiki Barber blows a kiss to the fans after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter during the Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants game on December 17, 2006 at Giants Stadium Philadelphia Eagles 36 New York Giants 22 (Photo by Tom Berg/NFLPhotoLibrary)
New York Giants #21 running back Tiki Barber blows a kiss to the fans after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter during the Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants game on December 17, 2006 at Giants Stadium Philadelphia Eagles 36 New York Giants 22 (Photo by Tom Berg/NFLPhotoLibrary) /
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31 Dec 1995: Quarterback Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers (right) and Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Terance Mathis confer after a playoff game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers won the game, 37-20.
31 Dec 1995: Quarterback Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers (right) and Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Terance Mathis confer after a playoff game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers won the game, 37-20. /

NFL moments are defined in so many different categories, but one that is almost never mentioned in the insult-to-injury category.

For those who need an explanation, it means when something bad happens to a player, coach or team and then just when things couldn’t look worse, something even more terrible happens on top of it. While it’s the worst nightmare for fans, it makes for incredible drama both on and off the field. That is one reason the NFL is so great. They can play out these sort of situations more than most professional sports. So what are the best of the best (or worst of the worst) such moments?

Before getting into that, here are some honorable mentions who just missed making the cut.

Honorable Mentions:

Brett Favre beats the Falcons in 1995 playoffs – Atlanta didn’t take much time to try developing their former top draft choice Brett Favre. After just one season in 1991, they traded the raw quarterback to Green Bay for a 1st round pick. It’s a move they would live to regret for the next two decades. Never more so than when he crushed them 37-20 in the 1995 playoffs. He would then win the Super Bowl the next season.

Randy Moss torches the Cowboys – Michael Irvin was in the waning years of his storied career for the Dallas Cowboys. They had a chance to find a quick fix with emerging talent Randy Moss out of Marshall. He was right there at #8 in the 1998 draft. They even made it seem like they’d draft him. Instead they went with Greg Ellis. A few months later, Moss made them pay for the mistake with 163 yards and three touchdowns in a 46-36 Vikings win.

Terry Bradshaw terrorizes the Raiders – By the mid-1970s, quarterback Terry Bradshaw had had enough. He wanted out of Pittsburgh, chaffing at the hard coaching style of Chuck Noll. He implored Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis to trade for him. Davis was not in a position to do so, but as a favor to a young player he loved he contacted the Steelers insisting they should commit to Bradshaw if they want to win. Pittsburgh took his advice and ended up beating Oakland in both the 1974 and 1975 AFC championship games.

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