The Atlanta Falcons really needed to have Sunday night's game against the Washington Commanders. If they won they'd simply have to take care of Carolina in Week 18 to win the NFC South. If they lose they'd need to also hope that the floundering New Orleans Saints can go into Tampa Bay and upset the Buccaneers. So a ton was riding on Riley Patterson's 56-yard field goal attempt with two seconds remaining in regulation and the score knotted 24-24.
Patterson calibrated his aim correctly and the ball appeared to be headed through for three points right off the foot. And for assembled Falcons fans at a watering hole, this is all they needed to see as the group erupted in celebratory cheer—completely oblivious to the fact that the attempt did not have the juice and harmlessly fell several yards short of the uprights.
Falcons fans had no idea Riley Patterson’s FG was several yards short
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 30, 2024
pic.twitter.com/vsOL2vV0ty
Eventually they would realize that Atlanta had not, in fact, won the game and taken a giant step in securing a postseason berth. It had to be a sobering realization that got much worse as Jayden Daniels drove Washington down the field on the first possession of overtime for a game-winning touchdown.
Tough, tough scene. Though to be fair, the kick did look pretty good and the final play of a game at a bar is not the ideal place to do split-second calculations regarding the temperature and dew point affecting potential distance of a boot.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bar Full of Falcons Fans Celebrated Riley Patterson's Missed Field Goal Way Too Early.
