The Atlanta Falcons lost one of the most heart-breaking games in NFL history on Sunday, blowing a 28-3 lead en route to a 34-28 loss to the New England Patriots. They had Super Bowl 51 all but locked up, with a chance to put it away, and they came up short.
There will be endless issues to debate with how the Falcons played with a 28-3 lead. After four quarters and overtime, the Patriots beat them in time of possession 40:31 to 23:27. Somehow the Falcons led this game at one point 28-3, and ran the ball a grand total of 18 times. I realize they have a dynamic passing attack, but the game plan during that collapse was a little baffling at times. At the same time, Matt Ryan made some bad passes, and they blew through their second half timeouts way too quickly.
Of course, now, San Francisco 49ers fans await the final word on Kyle Shanahan’s status. He is expected to be announced as the 49ers next head coach in short order. More than likely we will hear something on Monday with official word.
In light of how the game ended, there are already plenty of criticisms about Shanahan. I think there is plenty of blame to go around, but if this game has you second-guessing the likely hiring of Kyle Shanahan, it should not. There will be plenty of ups and downs with the 49ers offense under Kyle Shanahan. There will likely be more downs than ups in 2017, and probably for the near future.
We’ll need patience through the rebuilding process, and it starts for those that might be losing their minds tonight after the Falcons brutal loss.