Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rival Atlanta Falcons Unintentionally Troll Themselves On Social Media
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rival Atlanta Falcons Unintentionally Troll Themselves On Social Media originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Divisional rivalries in the NFL can often be brutal, with one team sometimes trolling the others in the division after big wins or unfortunate losses. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons are no exception.
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But sometimes, just sometimes, a team can troll itself without even knowing it.
Super Bowl LI in Houston, which wrapped up the 2016 NFL season, was one for the ages. And one that Falcons fans won't ever forget, no matter how much they want to.
On Tuesday, if any of them had forgotten, they were reminded by the Falcons' social media team.
During Atlanta's voluntary OTAs, the Falcons' social media team posted a photo of safety Jessie Bates III standing next to corner Mike Ford on the field. While that sounds innocent enough, the photo itself speaks to the opposite.
Bates wears No. 3 and Ford wears No. 28. For Falcons fans, seeing 28 and 3 together brings back horrific memories of that Super Bowl.
Fans saw what the Falcons didn't, and quickly responded, asking the team to remove the photo.
As a reminder ... and I'll apologize now to Falcons fans for re-hashing this ... Atlanta was up on New England late in the third quarter by a score of 28-3 in Super Bowl LI. As fans were cheering what would be the franchise's first Super Bowl, Tom Brady and the Patriots mounted a comeback for the ages, and won the game 34-28 in overtime.
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That occasion has even turned into a national holiday outside of the state of Georgia, as Brady often posts, "Happy 3/28 day!" on March 28.
While it's a tough reminder "what might've been" for Falcons fans, it's also a reminder that sometimes a photo of a harmless moment isn't what it seems.
Be better, Falcons.
Related: Bucs Star Defender Reveals Hardest Offensive Coaches to Game Plan Against
Related: Buccaneers Offensive Star Ranked Near Top of NFL
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
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