It is hard to imagine that the Atlanta Falcons will ever get over their Super Bowl 51 loss to the New England Patriots. Leading the Patriots 28-3, the Falcons blew a lead with a mix of bad play calling, over-commitment to the pass, and bad clock management.
Atlanta’s offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan can wipe his hands clean of the situation by being the new head coach of the San Francisco 49ers this year. However, the rest of the Falcons will deal with the what-if’s, as they wonder if they can ever get back to the Super Bowl. Fortunately, the Falcons may be able to get some revenge on October 22, 2017.
Atlanta will travel to the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium for a Sunday night game that is bound to be a grudge match. Can Matt Ryan and Julio Jones even the score?
Worst Super Bowl loss
Super Bowl 49 was known as one of the worst losses. Sitting at the one-yard line with rusher Marshawn Lynch in his back pocket, Pete Carroll decided to tell Russell Wilson to throw the ball. The Seattle Seahawks still had a timeout at their disposal, which made the pass even more confusing. Wilson was picked off by Malcolm Butler, and the Patriots won the game. Now, that game seems a distant memory, as football fans are still processing the Atlanta Falcons’ loss.
Instead of running the ball for the remainder of the game and kicking a field goal, which would have out Atlanta up by 11 points, the Falcons continued to pass the ball.
A sack on Matt Ryan and some more errors helped the Patriots get the ball and come back to tie the game. They won in overtime. The Atlanta collapse is still being discussed on sports shows and among fans and may consider it the worse Super Bowl loss. Matt Ryan may have been the league MVP last year, but Tom Brady is now called the G.O.A.T.
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, at 8:30 p.m. on NBC
The game between the Falcons and Patriots is sure to be a ratings booster. It could be a high passing game or a ground and pound where Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman have much success against the Patriots’ defense. Coleman and Freeman broke down New England’s defense in super bowl 51.
Wide receiver Julio Jones had a great Super Bowl. His four receptions for 87 yards ended with a 27- yard catch that showed his athleticism. Jones leaped up to snag the ball, landed on one foot, and then kept his second foot inbounds for a 22-yard catch. Bad play calling resulted in Tom Brady getting the ball and performing his magic to win his fifth Super Bowl.
It should be an exciting NFL season for both teams.
