1. Nathan Peterman: Week 11, 2017 vs. Chargers
6/14, 66 passing yards, 5 INTs
The 5-4 Buffalo Bills benched Tyrod Taylor in favor of rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman in an attempt to rekindle their offense and end a losing streak. It was the ideal chance to give the young man more confidence against a failing San Diego Chargers squad (3-6).
After Buffalo gained possession of the ball and advanced past middle, Peterman hit a pick-six. When the Bills regained possession of the ball, Peterman’s third-down pass was intercepted by another Chargers defender. The Bills managed to find themselves in a 7–7 deadlock after six minutes, helped by two huge runs by LeSean McCoy and a botched field goal.
2.Ryan Leaf: Week 3, 1998 vs. Chiefs
1/15, 4 passing yards, 2 INTs, 3 fumbles lost
Regretfully, not many pleasant NFL talks tend to mention Ryan Leaf. One of the best examples of why is his third professional start. After two erratic starts, Leaf had one of the worst Sunday afternoons in league history.
With a four-yard connection to tight end Freddie Jones on the opening snap of the game, Leaf’s day got off to a good start. That’d be the only good thing about him. Leaf fumbled two plays later, allowing the Kansas City Chiefs to score a field goal. From there, it never got any better.
Another fumble marked the end of San Diego’s third drive. During their subsequent offensive play, Leaf made his first interception. A third fumble was recovered by KC after two drives.
3. Jake Delhomme: Week 1, 2009 vs. Eagles
7/17, 73 passing yards, 4 INTs, 1 fumble lost
To truly appreciate the unpleasantness of this game—which Jake Delhomme did not complete—one must comprehend the prior 2009 calendar events. In the NFC Divisional Round that January, the #4 Arizona Cardinals took on the #2-seeded Carolina Panthers. Part of the reason the Panthers lost 33–13 was Delhomme’s horrific performance.
4. Rex Grossman: Week 6, 2006 vs. Cardinals
14/37, 144 passing yards, 4 INTs, 2 fumbles lost
The Cardinals head coach Dennis Green’s tirade following the game made this game legendary. It’s uncommon that the Chicago Bears won in spite of their quarterback play on this list. It wasn’t just a show statement: “They are who we thought they were, and we let ’em off the hook.” All other things being equal, the 2006 Bears made it to the Super Bowl.
5. Jim Hardy: Week 2, 1950 vs. Eagles
12/39, 193 passing yards, 1 TD, 8 INTs
A list such as this could not exist without the standalone record for the greatest number of interceptions in a game. Jim Hardy dropped back to pass 39 times during his busy Sunday at Comiskey Park. That is hardly an excuse for more than 20 percent of them to play for the opposition.
Entering their season opener against the Eagles, the Chicago Cardinals, now led by Curly Lambeau, were hoping to build on their 4-1-1 finish from 1949. Instead, they suffered a 45-7 home loss thanks to 12 turnovers. Who lost their four fumbles on the day is unknown, but at least two-thirds of Chicago’s mistakes were attributable to Hardy. He added no additional rushing yards to the contest.
6. Peyton Manning: Week 10, 2015 vs. Chiefs
5/20, 35 passing yards, 4 INTs
Peyton Manning attempted to play through an injury in Week 10 of his final season. It finished his regular season and resulted in an all-time clunker. The worst part is that in this game, Manning broke the NFL passing record and had a chance to set a record for career victories.
Manning’s quarterback rating against the Chiefs was 0.0 at the end. Halfway through the third quarter, the Denver Broncos pulled the plug, allowing Brock Osweiler to finish the game. By then, Manning’s health and the result of that game had already suffered irrevocable damage.
The game began and Manning threw his first interception in less than a minute. The following one happened in the first quarter’s last 20 seconds.
7. Ty Detmer: Week 2, 2001 vs. Browns
22/42, 212 passing yards, 1 TD, 7 INTs
Shaun O’Hara, the center, doesn’t have the most memorable play of the game, for whatever reason. QB Ty Detmer of the Detroit Lions wins the award for almost matching the record for most interceptions in a single game. He had thrown zero after the first quarter. On the opening drive of the second quarter, he also managed to escape one.
Almost all of Detroit’s drives between its fifth and thirteenth of the day finished the same way. At the end, five, six, and seven had interceptions. The Lions punted in the third quarter of the seventh game of the day. In order to give Cleveland a 17-7 lead, Detroit’s defense produced a pick-six and forced a stop to give the offense a chance.
8. Tim Hasselbeck: Week 15, 2003 vs. Cowboys
6/26, 56 passing yards, 4 INTs
By Week 15, Washington, who was playing under a different name at the time, had little left to gain. Still, pride ought to be at stake when the despised Dallas Cowboys visit the city. That was not the case in the 27-0 home defeat in 2003.
If one is attempting to determine why the offense failed to score, one need only examine the statistics of quarterback Tim Hasselbeck. Throughout his career, he only started five games, and it seems like there was excellent reason for that. Despite just taking one sack against the Cowboys, Hasselbeck only completed 23.1% of his throws.
9. Zeke Bratkowski: Week 2, 1960 vs. Colts
12/28, 178 passing yards, 1 TD, 7 INTs
The Chicago Bears appeared to be experimenting with the forward pass in a game that featured passing clinics by Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore, and Raymond Berry. The result was a defeat in Baltimore of 42–7.
In 1960, Zeke Bratkowski started just one game, and it wasn’t this one. Ed Brown, a two-time Pro Bowler, started at quarterback for Chicago. Bratkowski still attempted 28 passes, but only 42.9% of them were completed to the correct team.
In the humiliating loss, Bratkowski continued to throw picks, much like Hardy had eleven years previously. Of the eight turnovers committed by the squad, seven were his fault. In the fourth quarter, with the Colts leading 35-0, he scored his only touchdown.
10. Derek Anderson: Week 5, 2009 vs. Bills
2/17, 23 passing yards, 1 INT
The Cleveland Browns defeated the Bills 6-3 at the end of what may have been the most dreadful game on the list overall. Cleveland’s first victory brought their record against Buffalo to 1-4. Derek Anderson, the team’s quarterback, did not contribute anything at all.
Six of the 17 passes that Anderson attempted were meant for Mohamed Massaquoi. Only one made a 16-yard connection. Steve Heiden made a seven-yard catch with his lone target. Jerome Harrison and Joshua Cribbs were unable to bring either of their two targets within reach. This game served as an example of why you should never trust a quarterback who is unable to complete passes.
Compared to the previous games on the list, this one was superior since Anderson didn’t completely ruin his team’s chances of winning.
