On Sunday, the Falcons found another way to blow a big lead. They did it in a way that made history.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Falcons are the first team to lose when scoring 39 or more points and allowing no turnovers.
Before Sunday, teams with 39 or more points and no turnovers had been 440-0 since 1933, the first year the NFL began keeping track of turnovers.
It’s just the latest defeat-from-jaws-of-victory moment for a team that has become identified in recent years with blown leads. And it’s a dynamic that predates Super Bowl LI.
In situations like this, the history of blown leads can make more blown leads likely, given the psychological “here we go again” mindset that begins to creep in as a margin shrinks. That history also helps the opponent, which can gain confidence from the perception/reality that the team in the lead has a habit of losing leads.