Tag: 28-3

The 99-percenters: Nobody has ever blown leads like the Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons continue to defy statistics, probabilities, and all common sense in their ability to blow leads in historic fashion.

So, I just got done writing about how the Bills overcame the 28-3 jinx against the Rams, and beat their opponent, 35-32, in the final moments. “28-3” has been an NFL meme, of course, since the Falcons blew that very lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, losing 34-28 in overtime.

At one point in that game, the Falcons had a Win Probability of 99.6%, which is something you’d think would never happen again in the history of a franchise.

Aha. If you think that might never happen again in any franchise’s history, you don’t know these Atlanta Falcons.

Last week, in a 40-39 epic collapse to the Cowboys, Atlanta had a second-quarter lead of 26-7, and a fourth-quarter lead of 39-24. And at one point in the game, the Falcons once again had a Win Probability of over 99%.

So… two times in a few years. That’s not a trend, right? Well, maybe it is. Against the Bears on Sunday, the Falcons lost 30-26 despite a 16-3 second-quarter lead, a 26-10 third-quarter lead, and an opponent who benched starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky at one point. Backup Nick Foles nuked Atlanta’s defense for three fourth-quarter touchdown passes, and that was the ballgame.

What was the high Win Probability here? You guessed it.

Per Nate Tice, who does great football analysis on Twitter and for The Athletic, the chances of this happening in back-to-back weeks is infinitesimal.

Yeah, unless you’re the Falcons, in which case, the percentages just don’t matter. This team continues to defy statistics, probabilities, and all common sense in their ability to blow leads in historic fashion.

Josh Allen, Bills overcome 28-3 jinx to beat Rams in final moments

28-3. You never want to do it. But the Bills did, and somehow survived.

Never go up 28-3, kids. You know what I’m talking about, right? Yes, Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017, when the Atlanta Falcons had that lead against the Patriots and blew it in a 34-28 loss. Ever since then, everyone has known to avoid that score like the clear jinx it is.

Except for the Bills on Sunday when they played the Rams, and had to finagle some last-minute heroics from quarterback Josh Allen to avoid the same fate.

I don’t care if it’s in PeeWee League, high school, college, or professional football in any country, DO NOT GO UP 28-3. It’s never worth it. If you score your fourth touchdown of the game, and you’ve only allowed a field goal to your opponent, direct your kicker to shank the fourth extra point at a Mike Vanderjagt level, and go on to the big 27-3 win.

If you need instructions, here they are.

Because it’s clear that if you hold a 28-3 score, some evil celestial tumbler tumbles, and some sort of 12th century Estonian curse will befall you. Or something like that.

Want proof? At the exact moment I was typing the response to my original “Never go up 28-3” tweet earlier today, the Rams scored the go-ahead touchdown to take the lead against the Bills.

The score was then 32-28 against a Buffalo team that had opened up a lead of… what?

Yeah, you guessed it. The Bills upset the football gods, and all hell broke loose. What went wrong for the Bills after that score? What didn’t? Buffalo allowed four touchdowns in a little more than 15 clock minutes of football between the third and fourth quarters. Aaron Donald turned back in to Aaron Donald.

There was a really bad fumble call that went against Bills tight end Tyler Kroft (remember that name for later) that helped to swing things in the Rams’ favor…

…and all looked lost. But then, the Bills got the ball back with 4:30 left in the game, overcame a third-and-22 at one point, overcame a fourth-and-9 after Allen hit Stefon Diggs for a 17-yard catch to the Los Angeles 13-yard line, and were set up at the Los Angeles three-yard line with 21 seconds left in the game after Rams cornerback Darious Williams was called for a highly disputable pass interference penalty that put the ball three yards away from the winning score.

And then, Allen broke the 28-3 curse with this touchdown pass to that Tyler Kroft guy. Sometimes, things just work out the right way, the gods are somehow appeased, and you’re able to move on with your life.

The 35-32 win keeps the Bills undefeated and on top of the AFC East with a 3-0 record. The Rams fall to 2-1 on the season.

 

Tom Brady is practicing social distancing by rewatching the 28-3 Super Bowl comeback

Just what Brady wanted to watch.

The global coronavirus pandemic has essentially created a complete void in live sports television programming. There’s NASCAR iRacing and … well … nothing else.

So, even Tom Brady has looked for alternative viewing options to stay occupied and entertained while social distancing. And it just so happened that FOX came through with just the thing that the now-Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was looking for.

Just one day after March 28 — or 3-28, you know, the day to troll the Atlanta Falcons for their historic blown lead in Super Bowl LI — FOX decided to re-air the historic Patriots Super Bowl comeback in its entirety. Brady seemed pleased with that decision.

Brady shared on his Instagram Story that he was relaxing on his couch and spending his Sunday afternoon by rewatching his comeback in Super Bowl LI.

I’m not gonna lie, that’s a pretty solid way to spend a day if you’re Tom Brady. Why not relive the glory days on a huge TV?

There’s not much else going on.

[jwplayer levMmpwK-q2aasYxh]

Former Georgia WR Malcolm Mitchell pokes fun at Falcons fans on 3/28

Former Georgia football and New England Patriots WR Malcolm Mitchell poked fun at Atlanta Falcons on 3/28.

After blowing a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI, March 28th is a day that is dreaded by fans of the Atlanta Falcons.

I won’t go into great detail, but the Falcons had a 28-3 lead midway through the third. Then, Tom Brady became Tom Brady.

The Patriots won the game 34-28. Nothing screams “Georgia sports” more than this heartbreaking defeat.

But for one former Georgia Bulldog, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell, this day has a different affect on him than most out of the Peach State.

Mitchell, a Valdosta native, played for the Bulldogs from 2011-15. Taken in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Patriots, Mitchell was a key player in that Super Bowl as a rookie.

He caught six passes for 70 yards in the overtime win, including all five targets from Brady in the pivotal fourth quarter. He converted four of those five receptions into first downs.

As much as you may hate the Patriots or the date 3/28, it’s hard to dislike Mitchell, who has overcame so much to make a name for himself in the NFL.

We’ll let him this one.

View this post on Instagram

HAPPY 3.28

A post shared by Malcolm Mitchell (@money_mitch26) on

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Falcons fans are upset at Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garoppolo over 28-3 jokes

Falcons fans are in no mood for jokes.

Kyle Shanahan has done a pretty incredible job of handling all the questions he’s faced this week about the Atlanta Falcons’ historic collapse in Super Bowl 51 a few years ago in Houston.

Shanahan, of course, was Atlanta’s offensive coordinator in that game and a few different decisions might have led to the Falcons winning the game. Instead, they blew a 28-3 lead and lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots in overtime.

This week in Miami I asked Jimmy Garoppolo, who was a backup on the Patriots that year, if he and Shanahan have ever talked about 28-3. The 49ers QB said they have joked about it a few times and had some serious talks about it, too.

That all sounds normal to me – an athlete likely ribbing his coach over a historic moment that they both experienced together, albeit in totally different ways. And I’m all for Shanahan making jokes about it, too, because sometimes you need to joke about your lowest moments. It’s just healthy.

Here’s what Jimmy G had to say:

Many Falcons fans did not like that:

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Sportsbook levels ultimate prop bet zinger at Kyle Shanahan

A sportsbook is offering 100-1 odds if history repeats itself for Kyle Shanahan.

Kyle Shanahan has the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl Feb. 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, (Fl). That doesn’t mean the Niners’ coach is being allowed to forget his most recent experience in the big game, when the Atlanta Falcons coughed up a 28-3 lead in a 34-28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

The Super Bowl is the land of prop bets and one sportsbook has attempted to sting Shanahan with one.

Shanahan is 100-1 to blow another 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl, PointsBet. Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

Any  takers?