Steven Tyler is no stranger to singing the 'Star-Spangled Banner' -- he's done it before the World Series, the Indianapolis 500 and at least one NHL hockey game -- so you'd think he has the words down by now. But when he took the field today (Jan. 22) to bust it out before the Baltimore Ravens / New England Patriots AFC title game, the Aerosmith singer had a teleprompter handy just in case -- and even with that crutch, his performance left much to be desired.

To put it bluntly, it kinda sucked.

Perhaps he was worried about a replay of that NHL performance, which took place when the Washington Capitals were in Boston to take on his beloved Bruins for the 2010 season opener. That version was widely and fiercely panned -- not for him forgetting the words per se, but for mispronouncing them. It's certainly an amusing thing to watch, if for no other reason than to witness his impressive mix of tone deafness and mumbling.

Early reviews of today's performance were not much better, with one football fan taking to Twitter with this post: "Steven Tyler's national anthem before the Patriots/Ravens game couldn't have been any worse if John Madden farted it through a harmonica." Ouch! And trust us, there's plenty more where that came from. Check out more on the Twitterverse's reaction to Tyler's flub here.

What did you think of Tyler's national anthem? Was it "delicious," to use a term he throws around on 'American Idol,' or does it make you want to back a recent U.S. House of Representatives bill that would impose a small fine on singers who deviate from acceptable national anthem performance standards.

Regardless, we still love you, Steven!

Steven Tyler Sings the National Anthem Before the AFC Championship Game:

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