Top 10 Biggest Sports Chokes of the 2010s

The Atlanta Falcons were looking to win their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. They met the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. The Falcons raced out to a 28-3 lead in the third quarter. Everyone was in shock as the Patriots were getting completely annihilated and exposed. This was so un-Patriots-like. Yet the Falcons got a little too cocky and couldn't manage the game if their lives depended on it. We all know how it ended. The Pats stormed back, forcing OT. They won the coin toss and proceeded to score, thus winning the game.

In 2016, two cursed teams met in the World Series, hoping to end the cursed label put on them. The Cubs had a 108-year drought, and Cleveland had not won a title since 1948. Through the first 4 games, Cleveland was up 3-1 and needed to win 1 out of the next 3 to claim victory. Chicago won the next 2 games (3-2 and 9-3) to force a Game 7.

The Indians started Corey Kluber, who had an 0.89 ERA and a 4-1 postseason record. Dexter Fowler and Javier Baez both hit home runs to take Kluber out in the 5th inning. The game was tied 6-6 going into extra innings and a 17-minute rain delay. The Cubs won in extra innings to win their first World Series since 1908.

In 2016, Golden State was the defending NBA Champion and looked nearly unstoppable with an impressive 73-9 record. In the Finals, they met a familiar foe in the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James. The Warriors won 3 of the first 4 games pretty decisively. However, Game 4 was the turning point. Draymond Green was charged with a Flagrant 1 Foul for unnecessary contact on LeBron James and was suspended for Game 5. The Cavaliers won Games 5 and 6 to force a Game 7.

Game 7 featured 20 lead changes and 11 ties and was the only game in the series decided by less than 10 points. Golden State did not score in the final 4 minutes and 39 seconds, giving Cleveland their first championship in over 50 years.

Virginia entered the 2018 March Madness tournament with 31 wins and ACC champions, earning them the #1 overall seed. They met UMBC, a team nobody had heard of. A 16 seed had never beaten a #1 seed. They were 0-135 against #1 seeds since the tournament expanded to 64 in 1985. UMBC barely made the big dance, only getting in by beating Vermont in their conference championship.

From the get-go, UMBC came out guns blazing, and Virginia was in trouble. Tied at 21 at half, the Retrievers beat up on Virginia to win 74-54.

I remember this thoroughly. Wasn't it by 20 points? The first time this ever happened was a 20-point upset!

For being as powerful as we are, the USA is one of the most pathetic when it comes to men's soccer. Being in the top 30 can't be too hard, right? Well, apparently it is. The US had an easy task to advance to the World Cup in Russia. All they had to do was beat the tiny island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, and they're in. Adding even more insult to injury, Trinidad was in dead last with nothing to play for outside of pride. The only thing keeping this from being higher is that nobody cares about soccer here.

The Bears came into this game with a 12-4 record, a division championship, and a playoff berth for the first time since 2010. Things were looking bright for Chicago under first-year coach Matt Nagy. They met the 9-7 Eagles, who barely made the playoffs. Everyone expected a deep playoff run. Chicago led 15-10 with just under 5 minutes left. The Bears then gave up a touchdown drive on 4th and 2. They got into field goal range, and all Cody Parkey had to do was make the field goal. He was 3 for 3 that day.

What makes this a choke is he made the first kick, but a timeout was used to ice the kicker. He then double-doinked it, sending Philly on to New Orleans.

In 2011, Kansas had an impressive 35 wins and the #1 seed going against an 11-seeded VCU, who had no business being here. They had to beat Southern California, Georgetown, Purdue, and Florida State just to get here. The Rams were playing in an area overwhelmingly dominated by Kansas fans. KU had an easy route, but VCU dominated from the start. At the time, it was arguably the biggest upset in the tournament.

Kansas City looked quite promising under new head coach Andy Reid in 2013. They were still in the shadow of Peyton Manning's Broncos but entered this game 11-5 against Indianapolis, who was also 11-5. Kansas City jumped out to a 31-10 lead at halftime and scored a touchdown to give them a 28-point lead. However, Andrew Luck led 3 touchdown drives while KC put up a field goal, making it 41-31.

Indy won because the Chiefs' defense couldn't stop anything and due to Andy Reid's clock management. Thus, the Full Reid label was born. To this day, this game still haunts me.

The Bungles met an old foe in Pittsburgh. Cincinnati was looking to end their playoff drought with a win. They had a 12-4 record and a division title. They led 16-15 with only a few minutes left. They looked like they were going to end their 25-year winless playoff drought. Pittsburgh even gave them a chance, and they bungled it, giving the Steelers another opportunity. Then Vontaze Burfict got an unnecessary roughness penalty, and Adam "Pac-Man" Jones added to that by hitting the ref, getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and handing Pittsburgh the game.

In the 2016 NCAA basketball championship, when NC made a shot with 4.6 seconds left, tying the game at 74, Villanova needed a miracle to win without OT. They thought quickly, and Josh Hart made a buzzer-beater, getting the 77-74 championship victory.

Just an overall atrocious run by the Rockets that let the Warriors go to the Finals.

In 2016, defending champion Jordan Spieth had a 5-stroke lead with 9 holes to go at Augusta National. He then bogeyed 10 and 11 before hitting 2 shots in the water on 12, finishing with a 7 or a quadruple bogey, which took him from up 1 to down by 3. Although he tried to recover from it, Danny Willett won the Masters in what was a stunning turn of events.