Whenever the phrase “28-3” is mentioned to any Atlanta Falcons supporter, a flood of unpleasant memories is inevitable.
It was February 5, 2017. The Falcons were participating in their second-ever Super Bowl, dominating the New England Patriots and securing a commanding 28-3 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter. However, Tom Brady and the Patriots orchestrated a historic comeback, eventually clinching a 34-28 victory in overtime, snatching another title and causing unimaginable heartache for Falcons fans.
Seven years later, the Falcons’ Super Bowl catastrophe remains a stain on the franchise, and one could argue that they have yet to fully recover.
With the Apple TV documentary “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” highlighting the team’s dominance over the 21st century, it was inevitable that Super Bowl LI would be revisited. In the documentary, former Falcons assistant general manager Scott Pioli reflected on the agony of witnessing his team’s collapse in real-time.
Pioli recounted, “I’m watching the game, we had a suite for the entire personnel department. All the folks I’m working with, they’re high-fiving… it’s you know out of control. But I was a mess. I felt this nervousness. And as I’m sitting there someone slaps me on the back and says, ‘C’mon Scott lighten up, you’ve gotta enjoy this moment!’ And I just erupted. And I whipped around and I said, ‘You effin’ people don’t get it. That guy No. 12 across the field, is Freddy effin’ Kruger. He’s comin’ back, and he’s gonna get a bunch of us. I just hope he doesn’t get us all.’”
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