New England Patriots

The Patriots-Falcons rematch in 15 tweets (and one Instagram)

Adam Butler sacks Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

By Nicole Yang

2 minutes to read

There was no improbable 25-point, second-half comeback, but the Super Bowl LI rematch still offered plenty of its own excitement on Sunday. Here’s how it all went down on Twitter:

Pre-game

Over 400 cancer survivors and their caregivers were honored before kick-off, as part of the NFL’s Crucial Catch campaign. Among the Patriots’ family members that were honored include wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea’s mother, offensive tackle Nate Solder’s son, former offensive guard Joe Andruzzi, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon’s wife, and quarterback Tom Brady’s mother.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/922424112483651585

A pair of Boston College Eagles also met up before the game. Although he’s a Patriots fan, Pete Frates knows maroon and gold runs deep and posed for a photo with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on the field. The pair overlapped for four years at BC, where they both were student athletes.

Advertisement:

Thanks to a suggestion from their long snapper — and longtime active member of the navy — Joe Cardona, New England donated 200 tickets to members of the military. Players greeted the servicemen and women during warmups.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/922253773703208961

Highlights

Sunday night’s contest featured a number of memorable moments, including defensive tackle Adam Butler’s first career sack and two touchdown passes from Brady. The special teams squad got things started early, however, with a blocked field goal by Cassius Marsh. Following the game, the 25-year-old said he cherishes those positive moments, which led to another one: a high-five with head coach Bill Belichick.

Advertisement:

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/922268439162392576

In the second quarter, Rob Gronkowski and Brandin Cooks teamed up for the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game. What started with a “hot potato” pass from Brady to Cooks finished in the end zone thanks to some Gronk blocks.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/922272303274016768

And in the fourth quarter, linebacker Kyle Van Noy erupted off the line of scrimmage with a huge tackle on 4th & goal to preserve his team’s 20-0 shutout.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/922302277624328192

The fog

Due to the tremendous amount of fog in Foxborough, it may have been difficult to make out some of the highlights as they happened. While the Patriots maintained that the haze did not affect them on the ground level, the fans’ television-viewing experience left a bit to be desired. Many expressed their frustration through humor:

https://twitter.com/KofieYeboah/status/922285562110840833

A few conspiracies theories rolled in as well.

28-3

Of course no Patriots-Falcons game is complete without references to Atlanta’s blown third-quarter lead from Super Bowl LI. Fans were proudly flaunting scoreboard banners throughout the stadium, as a reminder of New England’s historic comeback.

Even the Celtics jumped in on the fun.

Postgame

The locker room sentiment was certainly upbeat, as the Patriots improved to 5-2. Belichick expressed his satisfaction in his postgame press conference, which he wore flip flops to.

Advertisement:

And without fail, the latest TB Times comic is out.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bak1XByhzql/?taken-by=tombrady