Most Atlanta Falcons fans wanted to move on from their 28-3 Super Bowl collapse as quickly as possible but Jeopardy! had other ideas.
Super Bowl LI was an event to forget for the Atlanta Falcons. Generally, however, most people have moved on. Others, like Jeopardy! (apparently), are still talking about the collapse. On the Friday, July 30 episode guest-hosted by LeVar Burton, the category “Fowl Balls” was on the board.
And this clue came up: This NFC South Team blew a 25-pt lead and lost Super Bowl LI in 2017.
Who are the Atlanta Falcons?
As you can imagine, fans of the longtime running show and football fans took to social media to discuss the clue.
Dawg, the Atlanta Falcons’ loss in the 2017 Super Bowl was a clue in tonight’s “Jeopardy,” and I IMMEDIATELY knew the answer because of @crissles. 😂😂
— Ashley (@AshleyRTrawick) July 30, 2021
No matter how many years go by, the Atlanta Falcons may never get over their Super Bowl LI collapse.
It doesn’t take a game show to tell us what all happened. We saw it for ourselves, and it’s undeniably hard not to think about considering the circumstances.
The Falcons entered the game with one of the best offenses in the league headlined by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, who just two weeks earlier put on a show against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. Moreover, the defense, albeit young for the most part, had come alive and was playing at a high level.
In the first half against New England, it seemed like the Falcons were poised to take control. DeVonta Freeman scored a touchdown, and then-rookie Austin Hooper made a great grab to extend the lead to 14-0. Robert Alford’s pick-six off Tom Brady secured a 21-3 lead at halftime, and Tevin Coleman’s score in the third quarter made it 28-3.
28-3. That’s where it all collapsed. Aided by Julian Edelman’s incredible grab off the shoe of a Falcons defender, New England scored 25 straight points after the deficit to tie the game before James White sealed the victory in overtime and had the Falcons walking back to the locker room in absolute disbelief.
The years will go by, Jeopardy will create more clues, and the Atlanta Falcons will still exist and compete. However, the disaster in Houston will forever sting fans of the ATL. Unless, of course, the Falcons get back to the Super Bowl and finish the job.