CBS announcer Andrew Catalon made the most unnecessary 28-3 joke to Matt Ryan at halftime

Actually disrespectful.

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is getting his broadcasting career started this season with CBS, and play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon didn’t exactly give his new broadcast partner the friendliest treatment in Week 1.

He hit Ryan with a 28-3 joke out of nowhere … in a tie game.

During the CBS broadcast of the Buccaneers’ 20-17 win over the Vikings, Catalon was discussing the tied score at half and wanted to make the point that the game felt more lopsided than the actual score. But to do so, he chose an interesting score line, and it didn’t seem like Ryan saw it coming (or appreciated the joke).

Catalon said:

“This game feels like it should be 28-3 in favor of Minnesota. Why is it still 10-10?”

You could see how Ryan nearly started to shake his head in disappointment before smiling off the joke and answering the question. He handled it well. But man, that was so unnecessary. Ryan doesn’t need to be reminded of that game at his place of work. Trust me: He’s not forgetting about it.

NFL fans couldn’t believe that his own colleague made that joke to his face.

Dolphins beat Texans with 28-3 score at Houston’s NRG Stadium, where Falcons blew Super Bowl lead

A 28-3 score happened in Houston again. Of course NFL fans made Falcons jokes.

Atlanta Falcons fans trying to enjoy their Saturday evening felt a cruel chill go down their spine as the Miami Dolphins beat the Houston Texans in preseason football.

The game had absolutely nothing to do with the Falcons, but the final score and location certainly did. The Dolphins beat the Texans at Houston’s NRG Stadium with a 28-3 score. Yes, 28-3, we know, but it gets worse.

The Falcons blew that ill-fated 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium back in 2017. So the score found itself right back to the stadium where the constant source of Falcons misery originated.

This is just brutal if you cheer on the Dirty Birds. Just like in 2017 with the Patriots, the Falcons couldn’t do anything to stop the jokes from coming.

Almost like a signal in the sky, NFL fans rallied together to partake in more 28-3 humor at the Falcons’ expense because that’s apparently just what you do nowadays.

Don’t feel too bad for your Falcons fan friend, however. While the sting of Super Bowl 51 will always linger, having Bijan Robinson could heal a lot of wounds.

An annoyed Falcons fan shut down a 28-3 joke after announcing a draft pick

This Falcons fan was NOT HAVING somebody making a 28-3 joke at the NFL Draft.

Atlanta Falcons fans have heard plenty of 28-3 jokes in the last six years.

Ever since the Falcons, yes, blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51, Atlanta has been the brunt of countless jokes.

Some of them have been pretty inspired; some of them have been incredibly corny.

Nonetheless, Falcons fans have had to develop incredibly thick skin as their football team has fallen into the NFL’s basement amidst a cruel wave of Super Bowl jokes.

Well, one very brave Falcons fan caught wind of a stray 28-3 joke during the 2023 NFL Draft’s third day while announcing a seventh-round draft pick.

He just wasn’t having it.

Like, c’mon, even if you’re not a Falcons fan, you have to respect this guy for standing up for his favorite team with an absolutely inspired wisecrack.

Falcons fans know 28-3 jokes are never going anywhere. Even if the team does win a Super Bowl one day, you can’t erase the worst blown lead in football history.

Since the jokes will continue, the Falcon fan must follow the example of this fellow. Just shrug it off in the most hilarious way possible.

Cowboys DC Dan Quinn finally got some revenge on Tom Brady for that 28-3 Super Bowl debacle

Good for Dan Quinn!

Nearly six years after suffering one of the worst losses in NFL history to Tom Brady, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn finally got even.

On top of a superstar performance from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Quinn’s vaunted Cowboys defense absolutely smothered Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on their home turf.

The Falcons finally (technically) got their first franchise win against Brady to close the 2022 regular season. Now it’s Quinn who got his dose of 28-3  revenge.

In what’s probably the worst performance Brady has ever had in his multi-decade playoff career, Quinn’s Cowboys defense held Brady’s Bucs offense to 13 points and forced Brady to 66 passing attempts as the Tampa Bay run game sputtered.

In the quick view of things, Quinn’s defense helped Dallas in part advance to the next round of the NFC playoffs. It also helped boost Quinn’s credentials to land another head coaching job after being let go by the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

In the long view, however, Quinn finally shook off Brady after the latter snatched a Super Bowl win from the Falcons back in 2017. You know, that one.

Yes, it was that fateful February Sunday six years ago that Brady and the New England Patriots rallied back from a 28-3 deficit in the second half to win Super Bowl 51 in overtime.

The game salted what was the best season in Atlanta Falcons history, and a season that sent Quinn from one of the league’s emerging head coaches to the guy whose team blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl. Quinn went from a rising star to an internet meme. His team never fully recovered.

The Falcons started their slow descent into the NFL’s basement, while Quinn saw his Seattle-style defense decay in Atlanta as draft and free agency whiffs started to mesh with uninspired play calling. The Falcons have never been known as a defensive heavyweight, but Quinn came to Flowery Branch as a defensive mastermind and left a relative pariah.

In Dallas, Quinn returned to the booth and revitalized his defensive scheme and inherited a much better defensive roster than what he ever had in Atlanta. He helped the Cowboys reemerge as a factor in the NFC. With 2021 first-round pick Micah Parsons the missing piece to a giant, the Cowboys had a buzzsaw defense that nobody in the NFL wanted to play.

However, Quinn was always going to carry 28-3 with him in his attempt to get back to being an NFL head coach. He was going to need some sort of achievement to prove to teams that, indeed, he could get past it and lead an NFL team again. On Monday night, Quinn finally got Brady back after the latter robbed him of a Lombardi.

Brady shredded that Falcons defense to a fine powder during Super Bowl 51, but Quinn did the exact same thing to Brady during Monday night’s Wild Card blowout.

It remains to be seen how far the Cowboys will go in the NFC playoffs, but Quinn’s defense will certainly have the San Francisco 49ers offensive staff staying a little later at the office this week to prepare. That defense is so good that it could launch Dallas to a Super Bowl berth. If Prescott keeps playing like this, the sky’s the limit for America’s Team.

At the very least, Quinn won’t just be known anymore as one of the NFL’s most friendly, player-first coaches. He’ll be known as the guy was able to finally get Brady back after 28-3. That might be enough to get Quinn a spot back on an NFL sideline sooner than later.

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Poor Matt Ryan somehow fell victim to yet another historic blown lead in Colts’ disastrous loss

Not like this, Matt Ryan. Not like this.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan found himself on the losing end of yet another historic NFL comeback on Saturday.

This time, his Colts blew a 33-0 halftime lead to the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s the second time a largely innocent Ryan has gotten stuck in such a terrible position. As you know, the Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51, the most meme’d football game of all time.

To add insult to injury, Indy lost this stomach-churning 39-36 decision to Minnesota in overtime. Super Bowl 51 went to overtime, too.

It’s hard to really solely blame Ryan for Saturday’s loss, though the quarterback only threw for 182 yards and a touchdown. He played much, much, much better during the Super Bowl fiasco.

Ryan has been an exceptional, borderline-Hall-of-Fame quarterback for most of his career, winning an MVP honor for the 2016 season and guiding the Falcons through the best era of that franchise’s history.

However, his stint with the Colts has gone off the rails for a number of reasons. If you’d like to pick one, just blame Jeff Saturday and call it an afternoon.

At the very least, Ryan can say he’s now at the top of a very rare list. He just really needs to stop before describing exactly what that list entails.

In all seriousness, Ryan handled the loss like he has everything else in his career, with a lot of class. He’s a Hall of Famer for showing character, even if he never gets a (very well deserved) gold jacket. Maybe he still will one day.

App State blew a 28-3 lead to James Madison, and of course college football fans had jokes

Obviously.

Appalachian State fans found out what happens when your team blow a 28-3 lead… jokes, embarrassment and lots of references to the Atlanta Falcons.

Despite wearing fancy helmets Saturday against James Madison, the Mountaineers went scoreless in the second half to the Dukes and lost 32-28.

App State had James Madison toasted, you guessed it, 28-3 in the first half before leading 28-10 at the break. Though, the Mountaineers, like the Atlanta Falcons who immortalized the 28-3 blown lead, forgot that you have to score points in the second half to win the game. James Madison certainly did not, rallying for a 22-point comeback to keep its perfect record.

The now 3-0 Dukes entered the day as a popular underdog at +6.5 on the betting lines, meaning that they covered the spread and then some.

Falcons Twitter reacts to Sunday’s 31-27 loss to Rams

Falcons Twitter reacts to Sunday’s 31-27 loss to the Rams.

The Falcons came unbelievably close to pulling off a comeback that was reminiscent of their Super Bowl 51 loss. Trailing 28-3 to the Rams in the second half Sunday, Atlanta came roaring back and nearly won the game.

The team returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and forced a fumble that gave the offense a chance to take the lead in the final minute. Then, as any true Falcons fan would expect, Marcus Mariota threw a crushing interception in the end zone to seal a victory for the Rams.

Here’s how Falcons fans responded after the game on Twitter.

A 3-hour, 28-minute lunar eclipse will occur after the Patriots and Falcons play because of course

The stars are aligning, literally, for this game.

Atlanta Falcons fans will forever have to wear the burden that is 28-3. Even the universe won’t let them forget at this point.

As you may know, the Falcons will be playing the New England Patriots on Thursday — a game in which you can bet on whether the scoreline will end at 28-3 no less — in a rematch of Super Bowl LI. Back in 2017, the Falcons held a 28-3 lead over Tom Brady’s Patriots halfway through the third quarter, but ultimately gave up the next 31 points en route to a 34-28 loss.

The scoreline of 28-3 is still a punchline years later, and now even the universe is getting in on the joke as there is set to be a lunar eclipse on Friday which is set to last… over three hours and 28 minutes.

Yes, really!

According to NPR, this near-total lunar eclipse will be the longest partial eclipse in 580 years! NASA has stated that you’ll be able to see this eclipse — weather permitting — in North America, as well as parts of South America, eastern Australia and northeastern Asia, and Polynesia.

For those who want to stay up to see the eclipse, it will be at its peak around 4:03 a.m. ET on Friday morning.

Talk about a hilarious — and somewhat painful, if you’re a Falcons fan — coincidence, and a fitting one all the same.

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You can actually bet on whether the Falcons and Patriots will have a 28-3 score again

Super Bowl LI may be in the past, but people (and sportsbooks) don’t forget

The New England Patriots technically won Super Bowl LI 34-28, but the only score anyone needs to remember is 28-3.

That’s the infamous lead the Atlanta Falcons held over Tom Brady & Co. with 8:31 left in the third quarter. You know the rest. New England scored the next 31 points, Julio Jones made the catch of the night, Julian Edelman made a better one and the Pats claimed their fifth championship in franchise history.

The two clubs will meet again on Thursday night in Atlanta and those who believe the ghosts of 28-3 are very much alive and well will have a perfect chance to profit off them.

Tipico Sportsbook is offering boosted odds on the score of Thursday’s game reaching 28-3 regardless of which team is leading. If at any point either the Falcons or Patriots go up 28-3, Tipico bettors will make some serious bank. The odds are listed at +15283 (bet $100 to win $15,283), up from +14000.

Considering the Patriots are merely averaging 27.5 points per game this season, the prop may seem like a reach, however New England recently won 45-7 over the Cleveland Browns and 54-13 over the New York Jets.

The Falcons, meanwhile, are coming off a 43-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week.

Another 28-3 lead isn’t an easy target, but the Football Gods have done more outlandish things. Besides, the bet doesn’t say anything about blowing a 25-point lead, though if 28-3 does happen, a live moneyline bet on the losing team might not be the worst idea.

Especially if its the Falcons jumping out ahead again.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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Atlanta Falcons’ social media team delivers the winning tweet

The Atlanta Falcons’ social media team was on the spot with a 28-3 tweet

The Atlanta Falcons’ social media team knows the score is a nightmare that will never go away. So, they are embracing it.

When the Arizona Cardinals went up 28-3 on the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, the Falcons were prepared for the onslaught of tweets to remind them of blowing a lead by that score in Super Bowl LI.