Falcons' near-comeback a reminder of blown 28-3 SB lead

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) is congratulated by tight end Kyle Pitts (8) after a touchdown catch in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons' near-comeback a reminder of blown 28-3 Super Bowl LI lead

By Cory Woodroof | Last updated 9/19/22

In Week 2 in Los Angeles, the Atlanta Falcons reminded their fans of an emotional scar when they nearly came back from a 28-3 deficit.

A comeback from 28-3 would have been a nifty way to push back against the continuing barrage of jokes and memes inspired by the team's Super Bowl LI collapse against New England. The Falcons led 28-3 in that game before losing in overtime, 34-28.

On Sunday, they fell to the Rams, 31-27.

Would be extremely funny for the Falcons to get their 28-3 redemption against the reigning Super Bowl champions but for it to happen in a non-divisional Week 2 game
— Arif Hasan, not a psyop ‍ (@ArifHasanNFL) September 18, 2022

If the Falcons break this 28-3 curse …
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) September 18, 2022

I am going to become a doomsday prepper if the Falcons overcome a 28-3 lead
— Danny Heifetz (@Danny_Heifetz) September 18, 2022

This website is going to EXPLODE if the Falcons come back from a 28-3 deficit
— Brandon Warne (@Brandon_Warne) September 18, 2022

According to the NGS win probability model, the Falcons had as low as a 0.3% chance of winning with 7:26 left in the third quarter, trailing 28-3.

If the Falcons had won, it would have been the most improbable comeback in the NGS era (since 2016).#ATLvsLAR | #DirtyBirds pic.twitter.com/FIPKBsu3S6
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 18, 2022

After losing in Week 1, the Falcons seem to be making incremental improvement. The stain of 28-3 and Super Bowl LI, however, won't vanish anytime soon.

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