In a regular season game against the Lions, Bears field goal kickermissed 2 field goals and 2 extra points that was notable because all 4 misses hit the uprights . Last night, Parkey’s leg somehow vaulted another ball into the uprights (with a tip to Treyvon Hester literally ) in a much more painful situation. The #3 seed Bears, at home against the Eagles, trailed 16-15 with 10 seconds remaining when Parkey lined up for a 43-yard field goal. After Parkey’s kick hit the left upright, then bounced on the crossbar, and then landed in the field of play, the Bears magical season was over.

Parkey is not alone. Below are the most heartbreaking, last-second missed field goals in the postseason since 1990 — also known as since Norwood, which remains by a large margin the most heartbreaking miss in postseason history. To qualify, a kick must have been in overtime or in the final seconds of regulation, and the kicking team had to lose the game.

#10) Mike Vanderjagt (Colts) against the Dolphins (2000-12-30)

The Colts led 14-0 in the Wild Card round against the Dolphins before allowing Miami to send the game to overtime at 17 apiece. After a defensive stop, Indianapolis drove 51 yards to set up a game-winning field goal attempt from Vanderjagt, who had made 25 of 27 attempts during the regular season. But his 50-yard attempt was no good, the Dolphins drove down the field for the winning score. Two years later, Vanderjagt blamed his Colts teammates and coaches for the team’s lack of playoff success, and three years after that, Vanderjagt would strike again.

#9) No Field Goal Attempt (Giants) against the 49ers (2003-01-05)

You read that correctly: this one was so painful in part because Matt Bryant never even had a chance. The Giants blew a 38-14 lead to the 49ers, as San Francisco came all the way back to take a 39-38 lead with one minute to go. New York drove down the field and got to the 49ers 23-yard line with just six seconds remaining. There, disaster struck: Trey Junkin, signed by the Giants just days earlier, botched the snap, and the Giants never had a chance to kick the game-winning field goal.

#8) Pete Stoyanovich (Dolphins) against the Chargers (1995-01-08)

Trailing 22-21 in the final seconds of regulation, a pass interference penalty set the Dolphins up at the Chargers 30-yard line. Miami couldn’t advance the ball on two plays, then sent Stoyanovich out there to win the game. After a high snap, Stoyanovich pushed the field goal far to the right, ending Miami’s season.

#7) Cody Parkey (Bears) against the Eagles (2019-01-06)

The missed 43-yard field goal ended the season for the most efficient team in the NFL.

#6) Mike Vanderjagt (Colts) against the Steelers (2006-01-15)

Indianapolis began the season 13-0 and appeared to be Super Bowl bound. But the Colts came out rusty against Pittsburgh, and trailed 21-3 entering the 4th quarter. Indianapolis marched back and made it 21-18 in the final seconds. Vanderjagt lined up for a 46-yard field with 21 seconds remaining to force overtime, and the kicker who made 23 of 25 field goals during the regular season missed here, ending the Colts magical season.

#5) Nate Kaeding (Chargers) against the AFC East

A three-parter here.

As a rookie against the Jets in 2004, Kaeding missed a 40-yard field goal in overtime that would have obviously won the game. The Jets drove down the field and Doug Brien — whose performance a week later makes this same list — hit a 28-yard field goal to help New York pull off the upset.

Then, in 2006 against the Patriots, the Chargers trailed New England 24-21 in the final seconds of the game. San Diego sent Kaeding on for a 54-yard try, which fell far right.

Finally, in 2009 in a rematch against the Jets, Kaeding went 0/3 on field goal attempts, although none came in the final two minutes of the game. The Chargers lost 17-14.

#4) Doug Brien (Jets) against the Steelers (2005-01-15)



What makes this one particularly painful: with 2:02 remaining remaining, the Steelers and Jets were tied at 17 in a Division Round matchup when Brien lined up for a 47-yard field goal. His kick hit the cross bar. New York intercepted Ben Roethlisberger on the next play, and the Jets drove back down to the Steelers 24-yard line, when Brien lined up a game-winning 43-yard field goal. As time expired, his kick sailed wide left. The Jets lost 20-17 in overtime.

#3) Billy Cundiff (Ravens) against the Patriots (2012-01-22)

Right after the Lee Evans drop that could have won the game, Baltimore still had a chance to extend the AFC Championship Game. Trailing New England 23-20, the Ravens sent out Cundiff for a 32-yard chip shot to force overtime. Cundiff somehow missed, providing a painful end to Baltimore’s season. The lone bright spot: the Ravens would avenge the loss by defeating New England in an AFC Championship Game rematch the next season, and go on to win the Super Bowl.

#2) Blair Walsh (Vikings) against the Seahawks (2016-01-10)

This might be the gold standard of missed field goals in the playoffs — but it may not even be the worst missed field goal in the history of the Vikings postseason. Eighteen years earlier, Gary Anderson missed from 38 yards out with over 2 minutes to go in the 1998 NFC Championship Game, so that miss doesn’t qualify for this post. As for Walsh? With 26 seconds remaining, he missed from just 27 yards away in a 10-9 game, The conditions were miserable — a frigid day with -25 wind chill — but that only provides cold comfort to Vikings fans who saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion.

#1) Lin Elliott (Chiefs) against the Colts (1996-01-07)

Elliott combines the multiple missed kicks of Brien with the game-losing nature of Walsh, and somehow ups the stakes. On a blustery winter day — the wind chill was -15 in Kansas City — Elliott missed a 35-yard field goal at the end of the first half and a 39-yard field goal in the 4th quarter. Trailing 10-7 in the final seconds, Elliott went wide left on a 42-yard field goal in the final seconds, ending the season for the #1 seed Chiefs. What makes this one particularly heartbreaking is how good Kansas City was this season: the Chiefs seemed Super Bowl bound, sporting the league’s best defense and #1 ranked running game.

As for Parkey, this is a missed field goal that will hang over his head for the rest of his career. But it isn’t the most heartbreaking missed field goal in NFL postseason history, and it’s not even the most heartbreaking missed field goal in a game in which Parkey’s been involved. In 2013, Parkey was a senior at Auburn when the 10-1 Tigers traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on the 11-0 Crimson Tide. The game was tied at 28 when on the final play of regulation, Alabama lined up for the game-winning field goal that would seen be known as the Kick Six.