20 NFL Games That Were Utterly Unwatchable

Football is America’s most popular sport. Whether it’s playing it or sitting back and watching a game with some wings and a beer, this game brings joy to many people’s lives. However, not every display is brilliant. Some games are totally unwatchable for a number of reasons. After the global health crisis decimated the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, their game against the Steelers was pathetic.

But there are many reasons behind unwatchable games. Firstly, sometimes teams don’t show up and just play incredibly badly. Then, there are rare occasions when freak weather affects the game. These occasions can be entertaining because of the novelty factor but visibility and playing quality can be poor. Meanwhile, poor officiating also ruins games. The possibilities are endless. We looked at 20 NFL games that were just unwatchable for one reason or another. Check out the list below via Liveabout.com.

20. New Orleans Saints vs. Miami Dolphins – 2017:

It was a rainy Saturday evening at Wembley Stadium in London and the

NFL was on tour. Almost 100,000 fans packed into the arena because of the novelty factor. However, the Saints and Dolphins totally let them down with a dismal, almost unwatchable performance. Maybe it was jet lag, but whatever it was, the two teams took an age to ignite and totally disappointed the masses.

In the end, the Saints defeated the Dolphins 20-0 but all of their

points came in the second half. At least the overseas fans saw a few scores, but it wasn’t great by any means. Adam Gase called the Dolphins’ offense ‘garbage’ because they were. When the NFL goes to another country it’s all about the spectacle, but neither of these teams was able to live up to the occasion.

19. Ravens vs. Steelers – 2020:

Baltimore and Pittsburgh finally played after multiple reschedulings because of the global health

crisis. However, the game definitely wasn’t worth the wait because the Ravens lost half of their starters before it. Star quarterback Lamar Jackson, wide receiver Willie Snead, tight end Mark Andrews, and running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram all missed out and left the Ravens’ offense toothless.

This was an ugly game of football because neither team played well. Pittsburgh,

undefeated after 10 games, couldn’t take advantage of Baltimore’s depleted state. In the end, they did win but they almost threw the game away. The Steelers wasted several opportunities to score while and also almost blew a 12-point advantage. Results are all that matter but this wasn’t a good game at all, albeit in bizarre circumstances.

18. Lions vs. Cowboys -1970:

There have only been three 5-0 games in NFL history. This fact might

make this game feel like something special, but that’s only true for sports historians. There is no good reason for this result because the weather was perfectly mild and both teams had their strongest players available. However, the two starting quarterbacks must have made a pregame agreement that they’d try to play worse than the other.

The game’s only offensive score came from a 26-yard field goal before the

Cowboys sacked Detroit QB Greg Landry in the endzone. That was enough for the game’s infamous low-score result which looks as weird today as it did back then. This frustrating game must have been unwatchable for fans because their players made so many ridiculous unforced errors. The postseason has definitely had better games, but this is typical of the Detroit Lions.