Desean Jackson- Monday Sept, 15 2007
In a Philadelphia Eagles game against the Dallas Cowboys, Desean Jackson had the Cowboys’ secondary beat and was on his way to making a 61-yard touchdown catch. But, as he neared the end zone, Jackson chose to release the ball backwards a bit too early in celebration of what he thought was a touchdown catch. After review, the referees ruled the play a fumble and the ball down at the one yard line. If Brian Westbrook had not run the ball into the end zone on the following play, this would be without a doubt the dumbest play in NFL history.
Janikowski Fake Kick- Sunday Nov 3 2007
While playing the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders found themselves in a fourth and ten situation tied 3-3. Raiders coach Tom Cable called for a fake field goal run, which required their 250 pound kicker, Sebastian Janikowski, to make the 15 yard dash for the first down. When holder Shane Lechler received the ball, instead of simply pitching it to the kicker, he decided to hike it through his legs. The hike from Lechler was low and Chiefs cornerback Maurice Leggett recovered it and ran 67 yards for the touchdown. The touchdown was the deciding score that won the Chiefs the game.
Ed Reed Kick Return- Sunday Nov 22 2009
With 30 seconds left in the game, the Baltimore Ravens needed a field goal to beat the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. While returning a punt from the Colts, Ravens safety Ed Reed decided to pitch the ball when there was no one behind him to avoid being tackled. Reed watched as Freddy Keiaho recovered the fumble for the Colts around midfield. If Reed had just gone down, the Ravens could have run a few plays and kicked the field goal. Instead, the Colts kneeled the ball to avoid what would’ve been their first loss of the season.
Aaron Brooks Backward Pass- Sunday Nov 4 2004
New Orleans Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks was scrambling to avoid the pressure from the San Diego Chargers defense. As he tried to avoid the defenders, he decided to throw the ball away. But instead of throwing it forward, Brooks threw it backwards. The play resulted in a loss of 30 yards and gave us one of the clumsiest moments in football history.
Dan Orlovsky Safety- Sunday Oct 12 2008
There were many reasons why the Detroit Lions lost every single game they played last year. This play showed just one of their main flaws: their quarterback Dan Orlovsky. The Lions were playing against the Minnesota Vikings, and the Vikings were within the Lions’ 20 yard line. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson fumbled the ball and it was recovered by the Lions near their own goal line. The first play after the recovery, Orlovsky started to scramble to avoid a pass rusher and he unknowingly ran out of the back of the end zone for a safety. The best part, though, was that he kept going, unaware that he had stepped out of bounds. The mistake eventually cost the Lions the game as the Vikings won by two points.