Which is worse, losing AFC Championship or losing Superbowl?

[Smudger]

Losing in the SB is way worse, IMHO.

You have the two weeks of endless hype which I never enjoy because I want it to be game time. The confetti on the other team. The huge spectacle and audience for the SB. As well as that, you have the feelings of falling at the final hurdle.

If you know you are gonna lose one of the two, the AFCCG is the one to lose.

Now, I'm not convinced the Donks get crushed in a fortnight like some. But the pressure on Manning is huge and if he chokes off another SB, it'll be remembered in a way it never would've if he'd lost last night.

 

[Mark_Henderson]

Just remember the Bills...losing the superbowl is MUCH worse than just the AFCCG. That sort of stuff haunts you.

Yeah, but the 4 teams that lost the AFCG's to the Bills are lost to oblivion. One year, it was the Chiefs with Joe Montana. Even if he'd gotten waxed in the Super Bowl like the Bills did, it would have been an accomplishment if he'd taken a different team (with a lot less talent than he had in SF) to a Super Bowl.

I was glad that the Pats at least made their first Super Bowl in 1986. That was better than if they'd lost the Squish the Fish game and the Orange Bowl closed with them losing 24 years in a row there. I'm also glad that the Pats at least went to a Super Bowl with Bledsoe and put up a reasonable fight against a dominant Green Bay team that year.

Losing a postseason game to end a season is hard. The deeper you advance in the postseason, the harder the loss is to take. But, in the long term, it's better at least to have gone to a Super Bowl. An AFC or NFC conference championship banner is still worth hanging in a stadium.

 

[Mazz22]

Losing in the SB is way worse, IMHO.

You have the two weeks of endless hype which I never enjoy because I want it to be game time. The confetti on the other team. The huge spectacle and audience for the SB. As well as that, you have the feelings of falling at the final hurdle.

If you know you are gonna lose one of the two, the AFCCG is the one to lose.

Now, I'm not convinced the Donks get crushed in a fortnight like some. But the pressure on Manning is huge and if he chokes off another SB, it'll be remembered in a way it never would've if he'd lost last night.

That is my thinking too. Better to have lost to Brady which he normally did with Brady as the favorite and him in serious decline than blow another Super Bowl. The Panthers are the type of team that can humiliate him like the Hawks did.

 

[Captain Morgan]

SB. I don't want to feel like crap for losing the SB and deal with the crushing hangover. At least winning the SB the hangover was worth it.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

Yeah, but the 4 teams that lost the AFCG's to the Bills are lost to oblivion. One year, it was the Chiefs with Joe Montana. Even if he'd gotten waxed in the Super Bowl like the Bills did, it would have been an accomplishment if he'd taken a different team (with a lot less talent than he had in SF) to a Super Bowl.

I was glad that the Pats at least made their first Super Bowl in 1986. That was better than if they'd lost the Squish the Fish game and the Orange Bowl closed with them losing 24 years in a row there. I'm also glad that the Pats at least went to a Super Bowl with Bledsoe and put up a reasonable fight against a dominant Green Bay team that year.

Losing a postseason game to end a season is hard. The deeper you advance in the postseason, the harder the loss is to take. But, in the long term, it's better at least to have gone to a Super Bowl. An AFC or NFC conference championship banner is still worth hanging in a stadium.

Those Giant superbowl losses were the worst...I think the closer the score (but still losing) is the more painful. Look at the Titans vs the Rams. I call them the "what could have been's"...

 

[D2maine]

you always want to go as far as you can losing yesterday is much worse than loosing the sb.

better to make it and fail then to never make it.

 

[Mark_Henderson]

I voted the SB only because that means 3 SB loses for TB and the current Pats organization, as it stands right now I much prefer them being 4-2 than 4-3. Get this team healthy and that o line beefed up for TB and make another run for that 5th ring.

I guess it depends on the individual situation in a given year, rather than feeling one way or the other as a rule. This year, since the Pats just won last year anyway and Brady's already been to the SB 6 times, it's probably better not to have his overall record tarnished with an offensive line that can't compete.

But, in the other cases I mentioned, I preferred going to the Super Bowl and losing than not having gone. In 2001, I thought they were going to lose to the Rams, but it was cool that they got there and won in Pittsburgh. The Giants losses killed me at the time (2007 more than 2010), but I still prefer being able to say they've been to 6 Super bowls than saying they've been to 4. It's kind of like the Red Sox winning in 2004, the Pats winning last year made the Giants losses easier to accept.

 

[Mazz22]

I guess it depends on the individual situation in a given year, rather than feeling one way or the other as a rule. This year, since the Pats just won last year anyway and Brady's already been to the SB 6 times, it's probably better not to have his overall record tarnished with an offensive line that can't compete.

But, in the other cases I mentioned, I preferred going to the Super Bowl and losing than not having gone. In 2001, I thought they were going to lose to the Rams, but it was cool that they got there and won in Pittsburgh. The Giants losses killed me at the time (2007 more than 2010), but I still prefer being able to say they've been to 6 Super bowls than saying they've been to 4. It's kind of like the Red Sox winning in 2004, the Pats winning last year made the Giants losses easier to accept.

I agree. That 4th ring took a lot of sting out of those Giants losses and was a great capper to this dynastic run. I do hope for #5 but it would have been a tall order vs Carolina.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

I guess it depends on the individual situation in a given year, rather than feeling one way or the other as a rule. This year, since the Pats just won last year anyway and Brady's already been to the SB 6 times, it's probably better not to have his overall record tarnished with an offensive line that can't compete.

But, in the other cases I mentioned, I preferred going to the Super Bowl and losing than not having gone. In 2001, I thought they were going to lose to the Rams, but it was cool that they got there and won in Pittsburgh. The Giants losses killed me at the time (2007 more than 2010), but I still prefer being able to say they've been to 6 Super bowls than saying they've been to 4. It's kind of like the Red Sox winning in 2004, the Pats winning last year made the Giants losses easier to accept.

Last year's win made this year have less sting...

 

[305patriotfan]

Idc if we lose in WC weekend. I never want to lose in a SB. That shit hurts. If it wasn't for Malcolm Butler catching that interception. The Seahawks still had two more chances to get it in. That would of hurt as well. The losses against the Giants hurt. If we could have split it than it would be better. Wishing we had that undefeated season though. It's the biggest **** you to the haters. Even in 2006. We were up 21-3. Our offense was so garbage that year. FML. We would of won against the Bears. That's 5-7 SBs we missed. Also 2012 idk and 2013 we would of got smacked. So no thank you.

 

[shecolt]

They both hurt. I know because I've been there, done that, and have a shirt rotting away in some landfill or being worn by somebody in some third world country to prove it.

But, as I read this thread it occurred to me how lucky the Patriot fan base (along with others including the Colts) are to even be able to ask this question. Fans of a team such as the Browns would just be thrilled to make it that far because it would be a sign that the team was finally heading in the right direction.

So while I know that loss hurt, think about how a battered Patriot team came 3 points away from being in the SB. That's pretty amazing.

And, think about the great ride you've been on during the Bill & Tom era. I may be wrong, but I think the Patriots have been in the playoffs every year except two (with one being when Brady was out for the year).

They've been in six SBs and won four and I fully expect them to be back in the thick of things again next year. Every fan of every other NFL team would love to be in your shoes.

 

[MontanaBrady]

I think yesterday was a "mercy" loss. The Patriots, if they have won yesterday, and the Bronco's who won yesterday, will get pounded by Carolina. I'm convinced of that, and I would not want this Patriots team to be embarrassed in the SB.

Can you picture what the Carolina defense would do to the Patriots OL. And the Carolina offense is much better than Denvers. So I'm not unhappy that the Patriots lost a close AFCCG.

I agree. This is Carolina's year.

 

[Darth Despot]

I still see this as a "would you rather" question and I would rather be in the Super Bowl and lose as opposed to not being in it at all.

 

[Mazz22]

They both hurt. I know because I've been there, done that, and have a shirt rotting away in some landfill or being worn by somebody in some third world country to prove it.

But, as I read this thread it occurred to me how lucky the Patriot fan base (along with others including the Colts) are to even be able to ask this question. Fans of a team such as the Browns would just be thrilled to make it that far because it would be a sign that the team was finally heading in the right direction.

So while I know that loss hurt, think about how a battered Patriot team came 3 points away from being in the SB. That's pretty amazing.

And, think about the great ride you've been on during the Bill & Tom era. I may be wrong, but I think the Patriots have been in the playoffs every year except two (with one being when Brady was out for the year).

They've been in six SBs and won four and I fully expect them to be back in the thick of things again next year. Every fan of every other NFL team would love to be in your shoes.

Honest question. How do you feel about Frick (Grigson) and Frack (Pagano) coming back next year? If I was a Colts fan, I would want to jump off a bridge. By far the most dumbfounding off-season development.

 

[Mayo1251]

Generally, the painfulness of a loss is proportional to how close it was to winning you a title. So in theory, losing in AFCCG is less painful than losing in SB, yes. But it's not quite that simple.

I'd consider creating a universal constant called Tyree's constant. We'd then create a variable Beta, which represents the relative painfulness of a given loss divided by Tyree's constant, so it could act like Beta in relativistic velocity equations, allowing no known football loss to exceed the painfulness of Helmet Catch.

Of course, there is an extra term in the equation for the painfulness of a loss, and that is if that loss is to Fivehead. So, in this year, I would have much rather lost to the Panthers. Especially if I knew it was going to come down to a blown XPT and a failed 2PTer at the buzzer. I mean...that sucks.

 

[HSanders]

Can we also get a Ratbird variable? I detest that franchise, as do most people who are not Ratbird fans.

 

[O.Z.O.]

SB is worse.

Carolina is going to roll this year, just don't see anyway either of the AFC teams could beat them. Think The Pats would have put up a better showing. I can see ManniHGH being carried off on a stretcher. This has the potential to be uglier than the Donkey loss to the Bitch Pigeons.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

Honest question. How do you feel about Frick (Grigson) and Frack (Pagano) coming back next year? If I was a Colts fan, I would want to jump off a bridge. By far the most dumbfounding off-season development.

So, Fook has to be Irsay...right?

 

[shecolt]

Honest question. How do you feel about Frick (Grigson) and Frack (Pagano) coming back next year? If I was a Colts fan, I would want to jump off a bridge. By far the most dumbfounding off-season development.

Whoa, let's back up a bit.

You told me never to reply to one of your posts. So, am I correct in assuming that you have changed your mind?

It doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I just want to be sure that I am doing the right thing before I get into answering your question.

 

[skippyx]

It is always worse to end the season earlier.
Take it from an Eagles fan. 2004 was way better than 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2008.