It’s tough to blow a late 19-point lead

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How in the world did Atlanta blow a 19-point fourth quarter lead and lose last Sunday’s Super Bowl in OT to New England?

Terrible play-calling, that’s how.

Just when the Falcons should have been running the ball to burn the clock, they were trying to pass.

The result – a strip sack of quarterback Matt Ryan that led to a quick New England touchdown, and a sack of Ryan later in the final quarter that put the Falcons out of field goal range while leading by eight points. All the Falcons had to do was run the ball up the middle a few times at that point and kick what would have been a 40-yard field goal that would have sealed the victory.

Instead, the sack and a holding call on the next play forced Atlanta to punt, and of course, All-World New England quarterback Tom Brady led his team on a game-tying touchdown drive in the final seconds. It reminded me of Joe Montana leading the 49ers to the winning TD against the Bengals in the final three minutes of Super Bowl XXIII.

Atlanta’s offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was “punished” for his botched second-half game plan by being named the new head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

Wait a minute, that really is punishment based on how incompetent the Niners’ front office is – since San Francisco foolishly let Jim Harbaugh get away after the 2014 season, the team has gone 7-25 and fired two head coaches.

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Trivia Time – Don McCafferty, the winning coach in Super Bowl V, played one season in the NFL for the New York Giants.

This week’s question – Kyle Shanahan was an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns during which season?

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By Steve Stout

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Reach Steve Stout at 652-1331 (ext. 1776) or on Twitter @udcstout

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