It has been more than four and a half months since the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, and in that time, most of the players in Atlanta have been able to put the loss behind them.
Reigning NFL MVP Matt Ryan said the team was able to put the 34-28 overtime loss behind them a few months ago.
"When we started as a team in April, we got together before that as players down in Miami. It was time to move on. It was time to look forward," Ryan said recently, via AJC.com. "Anytime that we kind of dwell on that is wasted time. We have to focus on trying to become the best football team that this group can be."
Unfortunately for the Falcons, it doesn't seem that Devonta Freeman got the team memo that it's time to move on from the Super Bowl loss because he's still talking about it.
During an interview with SiriusXM Blitz on Tuesday, the Falcons running back said that someone not named Tom Brady was supposed to win the MVP of Super Bowl LI.
"I hate to go there, but I was supposed to be the MVP this year of the Super Bowl, but it's all good, we got another shot," Freeman said, via ESPN.com.
Freeman then took a subtle shot at former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan by pointing out that it would've been an easy Atlanta win if the Falcons had kept running the ball.
"Let's [say] it like this: If I would have kept getting the ball, if I would have stayed in the game, I don't know why I got out of the game actually," Freeman said. "But if I would have stayed in the game, I would have got MVP. I'm looking at my stats and I see my numbers didn't lie. Look at my numbers."
If you do look at Freeman's numbers, you'll see that he rushed for 75 yards on just 11 carries. However, like most of his team, Freeman did nearly all of his damage in the first half. After carrying the ball six times for 71 yards in the first half, Freeman was limited to 4 yards on five carries in the second half.
Not to mention, you could actually make the argument that Freeman was the LVP (Least Valuable Player) in the game.
One of the key plays in the Patriots' comeback came in the fourth quarter when Matt Ryan got drilled by Dont'a Hightower. With 8:31 to go and the Falcons leading 28-12, Ryan dropped back to pass and fumbled after getting hit by Hightower.
The Patriots recovered the fumble and scored a touchdown five plays later to cut the Falcons' lead to 28-20. If you're wondering how this relates to Freeman, well, let's just say he kind of missed his block on Hightower, which led to a free hit on Ryan.
Basically, the guy who made one of the biggest blunders in the game said he should've been MVP and he would've been if he had gotten the ball more late in the game, even though he only averaged 0.8 yards per carry in the second half.
Freeman is expected to get a contract extension soon, so you might think he would just take Ryan's advice and move on from the loss as a way to keep peace in the locker room. However, it doesn't look like that's going to happen.
"It's hard to move on from something like that," Freeman said of the Super Bowl loss. "I don't think I'll ever move on from something like that. To be honest, I think it'll always play in the back of my head."
The good news for Freeman is that it sounds like he expects the Falcons to return to the Super Bowl, which means he can get his MVP award next season.
"I feel like we're going to get a Super Bowl this year," Freeman said. "And I feel like this could have been two [Super Bowl wins in a row]. I could have been close to Tom Brady, you know what I mean? It'll always play in the back of my head and the back of my mind."
For the Falcons, the road to Super Bowl LII starts on July 26 when the team reports for training camp.
