Worst missed field goals in NFL playoff history, ranked

The most devastating way to lose an NFL game is with a missed kick. That is especially true if it comes in the postseason, as such misses are season-ending. There is nothing fans hate more than when a kicker misses an important kick, and there have been a number of misses that have gone down in infamy. We at ClutchPoints decided to rank the worst. Here are the 10 worst missed field goals in playoff history after the recent heart-breaking miss by Tyler Bass.

10. Pete Stoyanovich, Miami Dolphins – 1994 Divisional Round

The Miami Dolphins dominated in the early '70s, but they have had a number of disappointments since. It is tragic that Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl ring. He appeared in the championship game in only his second year, but he never made it back (nor have the Dolphins since). One of his best chances to get back to the Super Bowl was in 1994, as his offense ranked first in yards and third in points. It was not meant to be, though, as Pete Stoyanovich missed the game-winning kick with only a couple of seconds left against the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round. The Chargers won 22-21, and Marino and his offenses were never as effective going forward.

9. Mike Vanderjagt, Indianapolis Colts – 2005 Divisional Round

In 2002, Peyton Manning had to call Mike Vanderjagt an “idiot kicker” after he made critical comments about Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, via Bleacher Report. Vanderjagt was a damn good kicker, though, and he remained with the team for that reason. In 2003, Vanderjagt even became the first kicker ever to not miss a field goal or extra point in the entirety of a season, including the playoffs. In the 2005 Divisional Round, though, Vanderjagt had a costly miss. The Colts were down 21-18 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Vanderjagt missed the would-be game-tying 46-yard kick badly. To rub salt in the wound, Vanderjagt threw his helmet in frustration and cost the Colts 15 yards with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

8. Billy Cundiff, Baltimore Ravens – 2011 AFC Championship Game 

Justin Tucker has been one of the greatest kickers in NFL history while donning the black and purple of the Baltimore Ravens. His predecessor – Billy Cundiff – was fairly successful, too, as he was 16/16 in the fourth quarter in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. However, Cundiff's Ravens career ended with a miss in the AFC Championship Game. The Ravens trailed the New England Patriots by a score of 23-20, and Cundiff had to race to get set up for a would-be game-tying kick in the 2011 AFC Championship Game. The Ravens barely got the snap off before the play clock struck zero, but it didn't matter as Cundiff's kick sailed to the left, and the Ravens' season ended.

7. Nate Kaeding, San Diego Chargers – 2004 Wild Card

A Wild Card game between the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets in 2004 went to overtime. The Chargers drove all the way down the field and set up a 40-yard field goal for Nate Keading, but the Chargers' kicker missed it, which allowed the Jets' Jeff Reed to win the game with a field goal that made the score 20-17.

6. Lin Elliot, Kansas City Chiefs – 1995 Divisional Round

The final score of the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts Divisional Round game in 1995 was 10-7. It was a low-scoring game largely due to the fact that Lin Elliot played horrendously. Elliot was 0/3 on the day, with his worst miss coming from 42 yards out with 42 seconds to play.

5. Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills – 2023 Divisional Round

The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs have had one of the best rivalries over the last few years, as the teams led by Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have delivered some of the most memorable postseason games in recent memory. It is hard to call it a rivalry when the Chiefs keep winning, though, and Tyler Bass' missed field goal in this year's playoffs led to the Chiefs being 3-0 in the postseason over the Bills in this era.

In the 2023 Divisional Round, the Bills and Chiefs were performing yet another classic game, but most NFL fans wanted Buffalo to win because of the Chiefs' recent success. Kansas City was up 27-24 with 1:46 to go in the game. The Bills made it to field goal range, and Bass had a chance to tie the game up, but he missed his kick wide and to the right, which is the worst thing a Bills fan can see. It was reminiscent of Scott Norwood's miss in Super Bowl XXV, which makes it all the worse.

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4. Cody Parkey, Chicago Bears – 2018 Wild Card

Cody Parkey's miss in the 2018 Wild Card was particularly devastating because of how close to going in it was. The Chicago Bears trailed the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 16-15 with 10 seconds left. Parkey lined up from 43 yards out, and his kick hit both the left upright and the crossbar before bouncing off for a miss. The miss became known as the “Double Doink,” and replays show that the Eagles' Treyvon Hester tipped the ball, which likely caused it to narrowly miss. A missed field goal that bounced the wrong way on both the upright and the crossbar is extremely unfortunate, and the Eagles took their momentum all the way to an eventual Super Bowl victory.

3. Blair Walsh, Minnesota Vikings – 2015 Wild Card

Blair Walsh had a gimme kick in the 2015 Wild Card for the Minnesota Vikings, as the kicker only had to make a 27-yarder to give his team a win over the Seattle Seahawks. There were 26 seconds left when the Vikings trailed 10-9 in a cold, low-scoring game, and Walsh was 3/3 on the day and had all of Minnesota's points to that point. The Vikings lined up on the left hash, and Walsh missed to the left. It was one of many devastating kicks throughout the Vikings' history.

2. Gary Anderson, Minnesota Vikings – 1998 NFC Championship Game

The Minnesota Vikings are the team most known for poorly timed missed field goals. The worst of the bunch came in the 1998 NFC Championship game when Minnesota lost to the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 30-27. Gary Anderson is one of the best place kickers ever. He ranks third in games played (353), points scored (2,434), and field goals (538), and arguably his best season came in 1998.

Anderson was perfect all season. He was 35/35 on field goals and 59/59 on extra points. His team was just as good, as the Vikings went 15-1 in the regular season. Anderson picked a bad time for a miss, though, as the Vikings were up by a touchdown with just over two minutes left. A made field goal would have been the nail in the coffin, but Anderson missed, and the Falcons came back and won in overtime on a Morten Anderson made field goal. The two Andersons were often compared as the best in the NFL, but Morten's make gave him the definitive edge.

1. Scott Norwood, Buffalo Bills – Super Bowl XXV

The kick that started the Buffalo Bills down a dark path came in Super Bowl XXV. There were just eight seconds left as the Bills trailed by only one point in their first Super Bowl appearance. Scott Norwood missed to the right, though, and it led to the famous “Wide right” call. Norwood's miss came in the biggest game and became the most memorable missed field goal in the history of the sport. The Bills lost in heartbreaking fashion to the New York Giants by a score of 20-19.

The miss led to a feeling that the Bills wouldn't ever be able to win the big one. They made the next three straight Super Bowls, and they lost all three of them. Over 30 years later, the Bills still haven't made another Super Bowl, and they even just devastatingly missed another important field goal in 2024. Despite an overall successful career, Norwood is nearly solely known for his missed kick, and it caused him to be unfortunately hated by a large fan base despite only being an athlete who didn't deserve the hate he got.