This is a week late because I was on vacation the last 12 days. I could have written something about it while I was away, but honestly I wanted to think about the game as little as possible once it ended at 4:30 am Barcelona time. I had the Falcons plus three, the Falcons -7.5 at +335 and Matt Ryan at +180 for MVP.
(Apple cider barrel at Petritegi Cider House outside San Sebastian, Spain. Above, ski slopes at Grau Roig, Andorra.)
• The Falcons were the better team and should have won the game. Even after the sack fumble that resulted in a score to bring the Patriots within eight, the Falcons had a first down at the Patriots 22 up eight with five minutes left. They could have run the ball three times into the line - or even knelt on it - to chew clock and kick the field goal to go up 11. Instead, they took a sack and a holding penalty and punted it back to Tom Brady without scoring.
• Even though Brady was gifted a chance for a comeback, he still had to make it happen, and he was in a ridiculous zone in the second half. When the Falcons lost the toss in overtime, I knew they were never getting the ball back, and New England would not only win but cover the spread.
• Julio Jones is a top-five all-time receiver. With Rob Gronkowski out, the Patriots don't have a top-20 current receiver on their roster (Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan are nice players, but neither are game-breakers, Hogan's game against the Steelers notwithstanding.) As such, the Falcons were able to strike quickly, while the Patriots were forced to get their yards in smaller chunks, something that should have made a 25-point comeback impossible.
• The Falcons quick-strike offense (and their pick six in the first half) kept their defense on the field most of the game. It shouldn't have mattered given the size of their lead, but once the wheels came off, they had no chance against a zoning Brady.
• James White sure showed up. He'll be in a timeshare again next year, but that performance cemented his status in Brady's and Bill Belichick's circle of trust.
• Kyle Shanahan's aggressiveness as a play caller worked for the Falcons all year, and he did a great job in the Super Bowl until the end when he lost sight of the situation.
• The Super Bowl both underscored the arbitrariness of the NFL (Falcons had it all game, but lost) and the greatness of the Patriots/Brady who took advantage. The Patriots have won two of the last three Super Bowls after basically being dead to rights.
• I probably should have won about $850 but lost $520 instead, plus a drink in Vegas to Ken Crites.
I'll end with this:
@Chris_Liss How did that work out for you? #TomBradyishandsome
— Dalton Del Don (@daltondeldon) February 6, 2017
Delete your account, and by "your account" I mean your life: https://t.co/goZlgN3acZ
— Christopher Liss (@Chris_Liss) February 6, 2017