The Patriots’ 25-24 win over the Bills Monday night (fueled by an 11-point fourth-quarter comeback) will best be remembered for Leodis McKelvin‘s brain lock and fumble.
With the Bills’ special teams unit lined up in an onsides-kick prevent package, Pats kicker Stephen Gostkowski instead sent a booming kick down the middle of the field. McKelvin, with no blockers to lead the way, gathered the kick a few yards deep in the end zone. He inexplicably brought it out, reached the 30, was popped, and then fumbled the ball away. Three plays later, the Patriots were in the end zone.
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Game. Set. Match.
It brought back some fond Monday Night Football meltdown memories:
2000: Jets 40, Dolphins 37 » The mother of all meltdowns — depending who you ask. Miami led this one, 30-7, with 12 seconds left in the third quarter. Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler walked over to teammate Jason Taylor and told him the game was over. Bad move, Jay. The Jets reeled off 23 unanswered points, tied the game at 37 on a tackle eligible pass to Jumbo Elliott and won it on John Hall‘s 40-yard field goal in overtime.
2003: Cowboys 35, Giants 32 » The beginning of the end of the Jim Fassel era in New York. Matt Bryant‘s field goal gave the G-Men a 32-29 lead with 11 seconds left in regulation. Game over, right? Wrong. Bryant must have felt bad for the Cowboys, so he squibbed his ensuing kickoff out of bounds, giving Dallas the ball at the 40. A 25-yard pass and a 52-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff tied the game. Cundiff then blasted a 51-yarder in overtime to win it.
2007: Cowboys 25, Bills 24 » Poor Buffalo. The first Monday night game in the city in 13 years started well enough, with Tony Romo turning the ball over six times and the Bills leading, 24-13, at the start of the fourth quarter. Then Cinderella shattered her slipper. A Nick Folk field goal and an 80-yard touchdown march pulled the Cowboys to within two. Dallas then recovered an onsides kick and Folk drilled a 53-yarder as time expired.
