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You might want to brace yourself if you haven't heard the news, but Fireman Ed has quit the Jets. No, he wasn't a member of the team. And no, he wasn't a life-long fan of the Jets (he was an admitted Miami Dolphins fan early in his life). Yet somehow, this was supposed to mean something to us. Whatever.
But Fireman Ed was so distraught about the Jets' loss to the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving, he couldn't stand it any longer. He quit. And after Rob McArthur made the suggestion via Twitter, I figured it was time to take a look at the six biggest, "I almost want to quit following my team" losses of the 2012 season.
Notice I did say "almost" want to quit, because unlike Fireman Ed, the rest of us don't have the disposition of a 12-year-old.
Here are some games which just missed, but all of them equally disconcerting.
Honorable mention: Lions at Texans; Bills vs. Cardinals; Titans vs. Lions; Panthers vs. Bears; Eagles vs. Cardinals.
And without further ado ...
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Eagles vs. Lions, Oct. 14
Not many things have gone right for the Eagles this season. To be honest, there were many games to choose from. But this one was especially painful according to our research maven, Bill "Sudsy" Sudell. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had struggled all day before he rallied his team to erase a 10-point deficit, and then led the team to the winning field goal in overtime.
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Browns vs. Cowboys, Nov. 18
The Browns are no stranger to heartbreak when you look at the history of the franchise. That doesn't make losing any easier. The Browns dominated this game for the most part, and looked like they were in command with a 13-0 lead at halftime. But then the Browns became, well, the Browns. They blew the lead, only to rally, only to lose it again. Even Tony Romo's gift fumble in overtime wasn't enough for the Browns to win.
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Ravens vs. Chargers, Nov. 25
Yes, the Chargers were brutal in the final minutes of regulation against the Ravens. Seriously, fourth-and-29 and you still can't hold on to the lead? But even for the San Diego Chargers, this wouldn't even be the worst loss of this list. Obviously, the fan base has become numb to this sort of thing. Well, almost.
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Packers vs. Seahawks, Sept. 24
Well, this wasn't so much an "I almost quit rooting for the Packers" loss. This was an "I almost quit watching the NFL" loss. At least that was the hyperbole on Twitter that night. Thankfully, cooler heads have prevailed since that time. Well, except for maybe Jim Schwartz in Detroit. For the most part, cooler heads have prevailed.
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Redskins at Giants, Oct. 21
The fans in our nation's capital haven't had much to cheer for sports wise. You would think Stephen Strasburg being shutdown for the postseason would be the worst thing that could happen to the area this season.You'd be wrong. The Redskins, who have Eli Manning's number, seemed to have beaten their rivals after Robert Griffin III's heroics. It was a brilliant start for RG3. Then the Redskins' secondary happened. Even for Redskins' fans, this was a new low.
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Broncos vs. Chargers, Oct. 15
The Chargers have clowned Peyton Manning for most of his career. If the Chargers weren't ending Peyton's bids for perfection, they were ending their season. When the Chargers rolled out to a 24-0 lead over the Broncos on Monday night, you figured some things would never change. Oh well, at least with Norv Turner, we learned some things would never change.
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