Six years ago, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan piloted his squad to a 28-3 lead at halftime of the game of a lifetime. It seemed all but assured that Atlanta would defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Unfortunately, the Pats had other ideas, and that led to a heartbreaking loss. So heartbreaking, that Ryan continues to be reminded of that score to this day. He even got the same razzing from his broadcast partner as he manned the microphone on Sunday.
Matt Ryan with the Falcons | California Sports Labs – YouTube
Matt Ryan made his debut as a color commentator for CBS in the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As the broadcast team was breaking down things at halftime, his fellow announcer Andrew Catalon took his own jab at the Falcons’ immortal implosion.
“We were just chopping some burgers at halftime, saying this game feels like it should be 28-3 in favor of Minnesota,” Catalon said. “Why is it still 10-10?”
Referencing ’28-3′ may have been an easy dig, but it worked. The third man in the booth, Tiki Barber, got a chuckle out of it. Meanwhile, Matt Ryan himself just sighed and rolled his eyes. It’s a joke that has followed around for years now, and it likely will forever.
Matty Ice was probably planning to be playing in a game this weekend, instead of talking about one. He’s still technically a free agent and not officially retired. However, the former Pro Bowler drew very little interest after a disastrous move from Atlanta to Indianapolis.
Despite the reputation of being a ‘choke job artist’ for losing The Big Game, Matt Ryan had a long and productive career in the NFL. Playing his glory years for the Dirty Birds, the gunslinger threw for 62,792 yards and 381 touchdowns with 183 interceptions over a 15-year career. He was named the NFL MVP in 2016.
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