Headache in a Suitcase said:
no one or two plays ever make or break a game...
I've seen it happen, especially with a series of phantom holding calls that take a team out of scoring range and change the momentum of the game.
Did you see the 1995-96 Colts-Steelers AFC Championship game?
I forget the names now but I have it on tape if I can find it. I wish I could make screen caps! These 2 calls changed the game:
A Steeler caught the ball with both feet on the white strip at the back of the end zone. It was ruled a touchdown, though even the announcers were horrified. There was no instant replay challenge that year (I think it had a hand in bringing it back)
Late in the game, with the Steelers behind, a reciever caught a long pass at the 2 though he clearly came down out of bounds- again even the announcers were appalled at the call. Sure enough the Steelers scored a touchdown that proved to be the game winner.
Both those plays were showed over and over and there was no doubt they were wrong. The game was of course in Pittsburgh. For years, every time I mentioned to someone I was a Colts fan the first thing they'd say was, 'oh, man, remember that Championship game, that was the worst bullshit officiating I've ever seen, you guys were totally robbed!' These people were not even Colts fans but it stuck out in their minds because it was so bad. It is legendary.
After all that in the end the Colts had one more chance with a Hail Mary. It landed on the stomach of Aaron Bailey and if he had touched it perhaps they'd have called a game winning touchdown. But he let it roll off! This leads people I know to refer to that as the 'Wonderwall' play, 'today was gonna be the day but they'll never throw it back to you...'
One other notable game- in the '75 Dallas-Minnesota Championship game, Drew Pearson blatantly pushed off on his run to the game winning touchdown. Vikings players and coaches on the bench said it was so bad when they saw him catch and run they weren't even concerned because they were so sure it would be called back! I also wonder how much of Dallas' '90's 'glory' might not have been there had officials called Michael Irvin for his many many pushoffs!
Bad calls CAN and do cost teams games, but the one thing that I never thought was fair was blaming the kicker for a miss in the last seconds. It's not all his fault, had the offense scored a touchdown he wouldn't have had to be called on, if the defense had stopped the other team once when they scored there would be no need for the kick, losing is a team effort just like winning. Yet the kicker bears the stigma for life.