Worse way to lose an NFL playoff game- rout or heartbreaker?

[Unocal 76]

In light of what we saw this year in the conference title games- Vikings get blown out, Jags let it slip away in the 4th quarter:

What's a worse way to lose in a spot like this?

[OGBoardPoster2005]

Heartbreaker.

I'd rather never think we had a chance.

[BRV]

I'd rather the game be over before it even started.

When the Patriots got housed by the Ravens, 33-14, in the 2009 Wild Card Round - which included falling behind 24-0 in the first quarter - I was over it by the time I went to dinner later that night. They just got outclassed by a far superior team and they weren't ever in the game.

Compare that to the Patriots' close playoff losses (2007 vs. Giants, 2011 vs. Giants, 2015 vs. Broncos, 2017 vs. Eagles). Some of those losses still sting to this day, despite the Patriots' five Super Bowl victories. Those gut-wrenching losses that come down to one or two plays are the hardest to get over because you always play it back in your mind. "What if Asante Samuel intercepted Eli Manning?" "What if Rodney Harrison knocked the ball loose from David Tyree's helmet?" "What if Mario Manningham bobbles the ball down the sideline?" "What if Tom Brady finds Rob Gronkowski on the two-point attempt in Denver?"

That's why I was somewhat flustered that the Patriots were starting to mount a comeback in Super Bowl LI. I'd already resigned myself to a loss when they fell behind 28-3, but when they started clawing back, all I kept imaging was some stomach-punch ending, like they'd score to make it 28-26 but fail on the two-point conversion or they'd tie the game but Atlanta would drive down and kick a game-winning field goal. Needless to say, it all worked out in the end, but part of me kept expecting the shoe to drop as they were coming back in the fourth quarter.

[Lupin the Third]

Losing a close game hurts, but I look back on it and am able to see the majesty of the game, and can see it as a classic.

Getting blown out just pisses me off to no end.

[Ganon83]

I felt significantly worse after the Packers blew a lead on the Seahawks in the 2014 NFC championship game than I did after they were routed by the Falcons last year.

Although part of that was that we probably shouldn't have made it as far as we did. We learned this season Green Bay is terrible without Rodgers and unlike say the Texans has next to nothing to fall back on when he gets hurt.

[MWC]

As a Vikings fan....It was much easier to just accept that the Eagles kicked their ass and that they didn't deserve it. Same with the Giants in 01.

That Falcons/Saints games in 98/09? Still damn hurt to this day. They should have won both.

[pegasuswarrior]

This is just for discussion’s sake. Is it because you did something incredibly weak and moronic that cost you the game or a series of incredibly weak and/or moronic things that cost you the game? If you lost a squeaker because of either of those things, I’d rather have seen you get blown out. I can’t stand seeing people who know what they’re doing suddenly not have a clue how to go with what got them there.

[hossfan]

I'd much rather see my team lose because of one bad play (or an extraordinarily good play from the other team) than have them get obliterated like they didn't deserve to be there in the first place. Though the worst would be for them to utterly collapse like the Falcons did in last year's Super Bowl.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

I'd rather my team get smashed, tbh.

My mind goes back to the Bengals absolutely blowing up and f***ing themselves out of a playoff winn against Pittsburgh a couple years ago. That shit almost made me cry. I'd rather see 10 blowouts than go through that again.

[Push R Truth]

Vikings Fan here... I'd rather get crushed.

It's easier on the heart to just say "They were flat out better today." It happens. Everybody gets it. It's was even better when the Eagles won it all. Because I look back on that asskicking like "Yup, the better team won and went on the finish the job."

[Nickybojelais]

The Dolphins have been crushed in every single playoff defeat that I've seen I think the time the Jags put 62 points up against them hurt me just as much as a defeat to a last second field goal would have.

[Dr. T is an alien]

Colts fan here, and losing close games are always better. Granted, Patriots fans are generally obnoxious anyways but since the series has recently been lopsided they are infinitely worse towards Colts fans. They were decidedly less so when the games were usually close during the Manning years.