It’s the harsh reality of being a star professional athlete: You’re expected to always perform well, and quite often, you don’t get the credit you deserve. But any time your team falls short? Well, the fans and media waste no time pointing the finger at you.
Even though most sports are a team game, several clubs have one star who is always the center of criticism when their squad falls short.
Here are 10 such athletes who are always unfairly receiving the blame for their team.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Few things bring sports fans together like watching the Dallas Cowboys miss out on the Super Bowl. It’s been an annual tradition since 1996!
The easy thing to do is hate on the Cowboys’ starting QB and place the blame on him. It was the case with Tony Romo for a decade, and it’s the case now for his successor in Dak Prescott.
What a pity! It’s too bad Prescott is the entire reason the Cowboys fall short of the Super Bowl every year. He totally should have stopped Aaron Rodgers’ miracle catch to Jared Cook along the sidelines that set up Mason Crosby’s game-winning field goal in that 2016 playoff loss.
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He totally should have stopped the Los Angeles Rams from rushing for 273 yards on 48 carries in the Cowboys’ 2018 playoff loss. He shouldn’t have taken five sacks nor allowed 169 rushing yards to the San Francisco 49ers in their 2021 wild card round loss.
It gets more fun: Through the 2022 season, Prescott had a career postseason passer rating of 92.3. That number, by the way, is higher than those of the GOAT in Tom Brady, Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Steve Young, Ben Roethlisberger and John Elway!
On top of that, Prescott’s 259.8 passing yards per postseason game were higher than those of Montana, Roethlisberger, Elway, Dan Marino, Russell Wilson, Donovan McNabb and Jim Kelly!
Did you get all the math down? Good. Here’s what we’re telling you: Prescott has held up his end of the bargain for the Cowboys in the big games. His coaching staff, defense and o-line haven’t more often than not.
So please stop acting like Prescott is the sole issue for the Cowboys’ annual postseason shortcomings.
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
No team has underperformed in the NBA postseason more than the Philadelphia 76ers dating back to 2018. Despite the talents of Embiid, James Harden, Tobias Harris and ex-76ers stars
like Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons, the 76ers can’t get past the second round to save their lives.
And yet, the heat always seems to unfairly fall on the guy who, quite frankly, is the reason the 76ers went from NBA basement to contention in the first place.
What if we told you that Embiid’s average of 24 points per game in the postseason are higher than Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Isaiah Thomas, Wilt Chamberlain and Tim Duncan? Nobody that people called chokers.
Since losing Butler in 2019 free agency, the 76ers have failed to supply Embiid with a third bonafide superstar. They had Simmons before flipping him to the Brooklyn Nets for Harden, Lo and behold, Embiid won MVP honors in his first full year with Harden as his teammate.
What if the 76ers put Embiid in a situation that LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Giannis Anteteounmkpo have enjoyed? Having two All-Star teammates instead of just one!
Or what if Embiid’s prime wasn’t wasted by Brett Brown and the all-time Game 7 choke artist in Doc Rivers? Giving Embiid the right coach to help his team get over the hump would be great.
Or, y’know, just go ahead and keep blaming Embiid for the 76ers’ shortcomings when he’s clearly not the problem.
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
It’s an unofficial rule where if you’re the star player in a hockey-crazy market like Toronto or Montreal, you’ll always be the scapegoat any year your team doesn’t win the Stanley Cup.
Toronto Maple Leafs’ superstar Auston Matthews has learned this the hard way. His 22 career postseason goals and 44 points in 50 postseason games are no joke.
But yet, the hate always falls on Matthews — and Toronto’s other top forwards in John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander — any time the Maple Leafs falter in the postseason. Well, that’s odd.
Imagine if the Leafs had quality bottom-six forwards, an All-Star-level defenseman, three above-average blueliners and a goalie that actually showed up big in the postseason. Frederik Anderson, Jack Campbell and Ilysa Samsonov (SAM-SOE-NAWV) sure didn’t cut it.
The Leafs haven’t missed the playoffs once since Matthews’ 2016-17 rookie year. Something tells us he’s a key reason why they’re an annual championship contender and no longer the NHL’s laughingstock?
Poor guy could score five goals in a playoff game, his team would lose, and everyone would still place the blame on him. Sorry Auston, it’s just the harsh reality of being the franchise star in this type of market.
Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
Westbrook carried the Oklahoma City Thunder on his back following Kevin Durant’s departure in 2016 and kept them in consistent playoff contention. Not his fault KD bailed and took the easy way to championship glory.
Not his fault that despite a stellar one-year run with James Harden together in Houston, the Rockets commenced a rebuild by dumping him to the Washington Wizards. Oh sure, just overlook that Westbrook carried an awful Wizards team to the postseason in his lone year there.
And then be sure to hate on him for his disappointing run with the Los Angeles Lakers. Nevermind that Anthony Davis and LeBron James played a combined 96 games in 2022-23.
And nevermind that their roster consisted of Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Isaiah Thomas and DeAndre Jordan — guys who would have been nice additions like five or 10 years ago!
Once Westbrook left the ball-hog that is LeBron James, he found a nice new home with the Clippers and performed well as a third scoring option behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Soooo…maybe the future Hall of Famer just had to play in an offense that didn’t run through James and Davis?
Aside from his ugly one-and-a-half-year-run with the Lakers, Westbrook consistently performed and took his team — whether it be OKC, Houston, Washington and the Clippers — to the postseason. Don’t fall for all that Skip Bayless’ “Westbrick” talk.
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
The 2010s and early 2020s Los Angeles Dodgers are up there with the ‘90s Atlanta Braves: They had unprecedented regular season success and deep playoff runs, but they’ll always feel like underachievers.
Those star-studded Braves won just one World Series. The Dodgers, the annual NL West division winners since 2013, also have just one world championship to show for it. They’ve lost in the World Series twice and in the NLCS three times since 2013. That stings.
It’s been all too easy to blame the face of the Dodgers’ franchise for all those playoff disappointments. No, the 4.22 ERA isn’t pretty — we’ll admit that. But he’s still 13-and-12 as a postseason starter with 213 strikeouts in 194 postseason innings pitched.
Let’s not forget Dave Roberts’ MANY head-scratching decisions in the Dodgers’ MANY heartbreaking playoff losses. Or Kenley Jansen’s shaky play in the 2018 World Series. Or the fact that LA’s top offensive players seem to go quiet every postseason (Googles 2022 NLDS).
Oh, and if the Houston Astros didn’t commit the sign-stealing scandal in 2017, the Dodgers would have two World Series titles with Kershaw! Doesn’t sound like a choker to us!
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Do the Arizona Cardinals have buyer’s remorse over giving Kyler Murray a five-year extension worth $230.5 million? Maybe, but that’s not a reflection on him being the problem.
The Cardinals were a joke when they took Murray first overall in 2019. He’s been inconsistent, sure, but in two his first three healthy seasons, Murray was a two-time Pro Bowler who led Arizona to its first playoff berth in six years.
Everyone knows about the Cardinals’ late-season collapses under former head coach Kliff Kingsbury…and Murray’s lackluster numbers when All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins wasn’t on the sidelines.
But hmm…maybe put the blame for the Cardinals’ annual second-half chokejobs on the coach? Oh, Murray isn’t the same without Hopkins? How many QBs are better without their top wideout again? And maybe the Cardinals should’ve helped Murray by finding him better receiver depth?
Arizona’s o-line has been a mess since Murray broke into the league. Their defense, under Kingsbury, never finished top-10 in yards or points.
Murray has been let down by inept coaching, ownership and pathetic management since entering the NFL. Blame the Cardinals — not Murray — for this team’s constant shortcomings. It’s not like this team has a long winning culture under the Bidwill family ownership.
Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
Through the first four years of the PG13 and Kawhi Leonard era, the Los Angeles Clippers have three postseason series wins and zero trips to the NBA Finals. Not ideal for a team that was supposed to have celebrated its first championship by now.
The Clippers’ disappointments always seem to be pointed in the direction of George. I guess when Leonard’s a two-time NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP, it makes him immune to criticism.
Now, what if we told you that PG13 averaged 24.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for the Clippers over the 2020 and 2021 postseasons? Those numbers are even higher
than his career regular season averages, suggesting that George has actually ELEVATED his play for the Clippers in the postseason instead of DECLINE.
Oh, and let’s not forget that the Clippers didn’t have Leonard for their 2021 Western Conference Finals and series loss to the Phoenix Suns. Or that they didn’t have Leonard for the entire 2021-22 season. Or that George and Leonard played a combined 108 games in 2022-23….and that the former missed the entire postseason with an injury.
So George and Leonard not being on the court together in the postseason means that George is a choke artist? Heh. Look at the numbers, folks. And maybe consider that the Clippers play in a gauntlet of a Western Conference — so it’s unfair to label George and his club as “chokers” when they’re never at 100 percent.
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
The hype around Harper skyrocketed when Sports Illustrated magazine placed him on the cover of a 2009 issue. To many, Harper is overrated and isn’t worthy of all the hype that Mike Trout garners for the Los Angeles Angels.
Harper isn’t as good as Trout, but quite frankly, NO ONE is. Also, it’s hard to deem Harper overrated when he’s a two-time NL MVP winner.
Oh, but the Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019, the year Harper left? Yeah, because that Washington team sure sucked with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Brian Dozier and Adam Eaton!
He doesn’t show up in big games? Funny. That .273 batting average, .963 OPS and 11 homers in 36 postseason games — through the 2022 campaign! — tell us otherwise.
Did we mention that Harper led the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2022 World Series appearance in his fourth year with the team despite missing 63 regular season games? Yeah, he’s the problem wherever he goes alright.
Stop playing Bryce Harper for his team’s problems. The guy is a winner who moves the needle more than 99.9 percent of MLB players. Got it? Good.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Basketball is funny. Through Jayson Tatum’s first six seasons, his Boston Celtics went to four Eastern Conference Finals’ and one NBA Finals series. And yet, there are already questions about if he’s “the guy” who can take his team to championship glory?
Let’s totally disregard that aside from the weird two-year run with Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown is the only other true All-Star that Tatum has played with since turning pro. So the fact Tatum
consistently takes his C’s on deep playoff runs with only Brown — who is by no means a top-15 player in the game — is awfully impressive.
And to think Tatum has gone on all these runs with not one, and not two, but three different head coaches! Now just consider in his last four playoff tournaments, Tatum has averaged over 25 points per game.
Keep focusing on the negative if you want. Totally go ahead and disregard his 51-point outing in Game 7 of the conference semis against the 76ers in 2023. As long as the Celtics won’t win a championship, Tatum deserves all the blame in Boston. Got it!
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Cousins’ well-documented struggles against winning teams can’t be ignored. But if the Minnesota Vikings didn’t have him, they’d be a bottom-10 team every single year.
Also, just how have the Washington Commanders fared since letting Cousins walk in 2018 free agency again? Oh yeah, zero winning seasons and a QB carousel every year! I guess the guy did move the needle more than the Commanders thought…
Since 2018, Cousins has the fourth-most passing yards, the fourth-best completion percentage and the fourth-most passing touchdowns. Hey, don’t you need great QB production to win in today’s NFL?
Unfortunately for Cousins, the Vikings’ D has ranked inside the bottom-10 over each of the last three years. And it’s totally his fault that a) he didn’t commit a turnover and b) his D couldn’t stop a nosebleed against the New York Giants in the 2022 Divisional Round, right? Shame on you, Kirk. Tsk tsk.
Maybe Cousins isn’t an elite QB, but it’s totally unfair to blame him for the Vikings problems. He’s given this team true stability at QB for the first time in ages. The offense is always a top-10 unit. Give him a defense, and maybe his Vikings wouldn’t consistently fall short in crunch time.
