Pats-Falcons stirs bad memories
ATLANTA — Tom Brady has moved on to win a seventh championship at Tampa Bay.
Only a handful of Atlanta players remain from that fateful night in Houston.
Yet memories of the greatest comeback — and flop — in Super Bowl history still linger, especially when the Falcons are facing the New England Patriots.
The teams meet Thursday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, almost five years since the Bradyled Patriots rallied from a 28-3 deficit to beat the Falcons 34-28 in overtime at the 51st Super Bowl.
Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, one of only a handful of players left from the team that couldn’t hold a 25-point lead, said he’s long since put that miserable evening in the rearview mirror.
“I’m not worried about what happened in the winter of 2017,” he said. “You can’t go back and win that game.”
Brady captured one more championship with the Patriots — at a Super Bowl played in Atlanta, no less — before signing in 2020 with the Buccaneers, who face the Falcons twice a year as a divisional rival.
Rubbing a bit more salt in the wound, Brady has won three more games against Atlanta with his new team.
None of that matters to Ryan, who is more concerned about these Falcons (4-5) and how poorly he played in an ugly 43-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday.
New England (6-4) is one of the league’s hottest teams, winning four straight games and five of the past six. The Patriots are coming off their most impressive showing of the season, a 45-7 rout of the Cleveland Browns.
Just 10 games into his career, Jones has already established himself as a leader in the Patriots locker room.
“I think that just happens naturally,” he said. “Really good leaders, they’re themselves.”
PACKERS: Green Bay’s imperfect offense hasn’t been getting the practice it needs. And it might not get it this week, either.
Reigning MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who missed a game because of COVID-19 and didn’t rejoin the team until the day before Sunday’s 17-0 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, wasn’t on the practice field Wednesday because of an injured toe.
“I’m not sure what my status will be tomorrow or Friday, but I’d like to get out there if I’m feeling good enough,” Rodgers said.
“But it’s definitely a better week than last week being separated, being able to go through all the meetings. I plan on being at practice on the field tomorrow. Not sure how much involvement I’ll do, though.”
VIRUS UPDATE: The NFL is requiring players and staff to wear masks inside team facilities regardless of vaccination status for a week starting on Thanksgiving, and they must be tested twice for COVID-19 after the holiday.
The league’s protocols were updated as a result of increasing rates of COVID-19 across the country.
Rodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger each missed a game in consecutive weeks because of COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, 94.3% of NFL players and nearly 100% of NFL personnel are vaccinated. Overall, 30 of the league’s 32 teams have an overall vaccination rate of 95% or higher.
JETS: The Mike White era is over almost as quickly as it began.
Joe Flacco, 36, will start at QB for New York on Sunday at home against Miami, a surprising decision by the 2-7 team that will be without injured starter Zach Wilson for the fourth straight game.
White started the past three games in Wilson’s place, but the Jets decided to go with Flacco this week against the Dolphins’ aggressive defense.