A quarter-century is ample time for things to go wrong.
While New York’s teams have enjoyed varying degrees of success over the past two and a half decades, they’ve also endured their share of disappointments — sometimes in excruciating fashion.
As 2025 comes to an end, here is a look back at the biggest lowlights in New York sports since 2000.
BUTT FUMBLE
Nothing symbolizes the state of the Jets better than the “Butt Fumble,” which lives on in glorious infamy more than a decade after it happened.
Playing in front of a national audience on Thanksgiving 2012, then-Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez scrambled on a broken play and sprinted directly into the backside of teammate Brandon Moore, causing him to fumble.
New England Patriots safety Steve Gregory scooped up the loose ball and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown, padding the Pats’ lead in an eventual 49-19 rout.
The inscrutable blooper achieved instantaneous viral status, and the Daily News commemorated the miscue the next day with a backpage that read, “BUTT HEADS: Mark, Jets hit bottom against Pats in Turkey Day rout.”
JONES TUMBLE
Typically an 80-yard run is anything but embarrassing, but Daniel Jones’ career-best scamper also went down in infamy.
That’s because Jones had a clear runway to the end zone during a 2020 game in Philadelphia before he simply tripped and fell at the Eagles’ 8-yard line.
That stumble denied Jones an 88-yard touchdown run, though the Giants ended up scoring on that drive anyway on a one-yard plunge by Wayne Gallman.
BOAT TRIP
But while Jones’ tumble was ultimately harmless, the Giants’ next entry on this list was quite costly.
In the days before a 2017 playoff game in Green Bay, then-Giants wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard celebrated with a boat outing in Miami.
A shirtless photo from the trip went viral, sparking controversy about the star trio’s focus.
The Giants were then blown out, 38-13, by the Packers, and a frustrated Beckham reportedly punched a hole in the wall at Lambeau Field.
PLAXICO BURRESS
The Giants’ Super Bowl defense was going great until Burress, their top receiver, suffered an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound at a New York City nightclub.
That spelled the end of Burress’ season, as he was charged with criminal possession of a handgun and, later on, served 20 months in prison.
The Giants, meanwhile, were 10-1 before the Burress incident but finished 12-4 and were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs.
CLOSE TO CURRY
The ultimate “what if” in New York sports revolves around Stephen Curry, whom the Knicks planned to select with the No. 8 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Curry’s camp wanted him to land in New York, too, but the Golden State Warriors drafted the sharp-shooting guard out of Davidson with the No. 7 pick anyway.
The rest is history. Curry has won four championships with the Warriors, while the Knicks used that No. 8 pick on forward Jordan Hill.
Hill appeared in only 24 games with the Knicks.
No. 8 proved to be a cursed draft slot for the Knicks, as that’s where Phil Jackson selected Frank Ntilikina in 2017 — over Donovan Mitchell.
2004 ALCS
An MLB team had never come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series.
Not until 2004, when the Boston Red Sox pulled off the ultimate comeback with four consecutive victories against the rival Yankees.
Mariano Rivera blew saves in Games 4 and 5 — accounting for half of Rivera’s blown saves over his entire incredible postseason career.
The comeback solidified Dave Roberts, Curt Schilling and David Ortiz as Yankee villains and propelled the Red Sox to their first World Series championship in 86 years.
FIFTH INNING OF GAME 5
The other Yankees entry on this list occurred just over a year ago.
The Yankees led Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, 5-0, before committing three defensive miscues during a five-run fifth inning by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Aaron Judge dropped a fly ball, Anthony Volpe committed a throwing error and Gerrit Cole didn’t cover first base on an infield single as the Dodgers tied the game in the Bronx.
The Dodgers went on to win that game, 7-6, to clinch the championship.
METS MELTDOWNS
In 2007, the Mets blew a seven-game lead in the National League East with 17 games remaining and missed the playoffs.
In 2008, the Mets blew a 3½-game division lead with 17 games remaining and, again, missed the playoffs.
And in 2025, the Mets boasted baseball’s best record at 45-24 in mid-June, only to go 38-55 the rest of the way and, once again, miss the playoffs.
The most recent collapse played out more slowly than the previous two, but with three NL wild card spots now — instead of just one in 2007 and 2008 — the 2025 Mets had more opportunities to make the postseason.
HAUNTING HARVEY
Matt Harvey had just delivered the performance of his life, hurling eight shutout innings over 102 pitches in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series.
But as it turned out, Harvey’s night wasn’t done.
With the Mets clinging to a 2-0 lead, Harvey convinced manager Terry Collins to let him pitch the ninth, rather than turn to closer Jeurys Familia as he planned.
It immediately backfired, as Harvey walked Lorenzo Cain and surrendered an RBI double to Eric Hosmer before being lifted for Familia.
The Kansas City Royals went on to force extra innings, then won Game 5 in the 12th to clinch the World Series.
“I just trusted him,” Collins would say afterward. “I said, ‘You got it. You’ve earned this. So go get ’em.’ So it’s my fault. It’s not his.”
