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As networks fill empty sports programming slots with some of the more memorable games of yesteryear, the rewatch of these games can be just as joyful or painful as the first time, depending on your rooting interests. For Atlanta Falcons fans, the replay of the Super Bowl loss against the New England Patriots still stings, and Tom Brady and the New Orleans Saints aren’t letting them forget about the epic meltdown years later.

Atlanta Falcons suffer greatest collapse in Super Bowl history

Super Bowl LI will go down as one of the most memorable games in NFL history. After a scoreless first quarter, the Atlanta Falcons came out hot in the second running off 21 unanswered points to take a commanding three-touchdown lead. The Patriots kicked a field goal just before half and trailed 21-3 at the break.

The Falcons appeared to be well on their way to the club’s first title early in the third after quarterback Matt Ryan found Tevin Coleman for a touchdown score capping off an 8-play, 85-yard drive. Atlanta held a 28-3 lead with a little more than half the third quarter remaining.

What everyone knows now, that lead set the stage for the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. 

Tom Brady has moved on to Tampa but still relishes watching the comeback

Since Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there have been numerous reports about Brady’s souring relationship with head coach Bill Belichick and his general unhappiness those last few seasons in New England.  

If Brady had troubles in New England, you wouldn’t have known it during the recent broadcast of Super Bowl LI. The new Tampa quarterback was all Patriots during the game’s rebroadcast and had a good time trolling Atlanta Falcons fans.

The best part is Brady waited for the key moments in the game to troll the hardest including one photo showing the Patriots receiving another kickoff after the Falcons had scored. Brady wrote — “Why am I NERVOUS?”

Brady’s fun at the expense of the Falcons and their fans was a license for others to join in. And they did.

Fans and other NFL teams have a little fun with Atlanta days later

Numerous fans took to Twitter posting a variety of memes, in most cases mimicking the response of Atlanta fans watching the collapse of their team.

It wasn’t just fans joining in on the fun, and it wasn’t just during the rebroadcast of the event. The New Orleans Saints offered up a not-so-discreet comment related to the Super Bowl loss in response to an Atlanta Falcons’ tweet posted this week.

The Saints’ reply to the Falcons’ tweet included the numbers 2, 8, and 3. Those combined numbers equal the now infamous 28-3 lead the Falcons held in the third quarter.

Even the NFL on Fox jumped in on the action.

It’s been three years since the Falcons suffered a massive second-half collapse in the Super Bowl, and the team and their fans still haven’t been able to live it down. Don’t expect it to end anytime soon, especially with replays as the only option for sports entertainment.

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Kyle Dalton

Kyle Dalton began covering sports in 1992 after he graduated from the University of Texas school of journalism. He published his book Burned Orange: Tom Penders and 10 Years at the University of Texas in 2000, and joined Sportscasting in 2020. Kyle expertly covers the NFL, NASCAR, and NCAA football.

Kyle finds inspiration in the unscripted drama of sports, the compelling journeys and life stories of the athletes who play the games, and he enjoys reading the work of Mitch Albom. He is a rabid consumer of all sports on all platforms: TV, Twitter, podcasts, live events, and more.