The spell has been lifted. The Atlanta Falcons are no longer incapable of scoring against the New England Patriots.
In last season's Super Bowl, the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to the Patriots by giving up 31 unanswered points. In Sunday night's rematch, the Falcons trailed 23-0 in the fourth quarter, which means they allowed 54 unanswered points to the Patriots. The Falcons finally broke through, scoring a meaningless touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday's blowout.
For what it's worth, it was a pretty awesome touchdown, as Julio Jones went all Randy Moss on Malcolm Butler by stealing away a sure pick for a Falcons touchdown.
MOSSED. 😳@juliojones_11 rips the ball away for the TD! #ATLvsNE #InBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/9GLvP9tfe2
— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2017
I mean, look at this:
"MINE" pic.twitter.com/JmZP8NTkYW
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 23, 2017
As NBC's broadcast pointed out, that touchdown was the first time the Falcons had scored in their last 91:30 of game action after getting shut out by the Dolphins in the second half last week. Also of note: That was Jones' first touchdown of the season.
One final note: The Falcons are now 3-3 after putting up seven points against the league's third-worst defense by points allowed.