Conundrum

So, I don't know if you're a sports fan, but a football game got me to thinking today. Bear with me, it's not all sports related.

The Miami Dolphins lost Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-22. Popular opinion is that the Dolphins are a an average to slightly above average team. The Steelers are a great team. Their defense is in the top 3 in the league. Today, though, the Dolphins were in it for the entire game. 22 points is the most anyone has scored on Pittsburgh all season long. And, if it weren't for a controversial call by a referee at the end of the game (and, let's not kid ourselves, it was the wrong call) the Dolphins would have won the game.
 On the other side of that coin, the Dolphins beat the Buffalo Bills the first week of the season 15-10.  The Bills have yet to win a game this season in six attempts.
I point this out because it got me to thinking: Is it possible to feel better about something in defeat than in victory? I was happier with the way the Fins played against Pittsburgh in a loss than in Buffalo in a win. Is that something that can be applied to my everyday existence? I feel like, with a few exceptions, nothing is going right lately in any aspect of my life. I'm not saying I don't want things to get better, but is there a corollary here? Are there defeats that can be looked at in life and be able to take solace in effort or proximity to success?
Part of me wants to believe that. But, at the end of the day, a win is a win, no matter how sloppy it looks.
Thoughts?