Never go up 28-3, kids. You know what I’m talking about, right? Yes, Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017, when the Atlanta Falcons had that lead against the Patriots and blew it in a 34-28 loss. Ever since then, everyone has known to avoid that score like the clear jinx it is.
Except for the Bills on Sunday when they played the Rams, and had to finagle some last-minute heroics from quarterback Josh Allen to avoid the same fate.
I don’t care if it’s in PeeWee League, high school, college, or professional football in any country, DO NOT GO UP 28-3. It’s never worth it. If you score your fourth touchdown of the game, and you’ve only allowed a field goal to your opponent, direct your kicker to shank the fourth extra point at a Mike Vanderjagt level, and go on to the big 27-3 win.
If you need instructions, here they are.
Because it’s clear that if you hold a 28-3 score, some evil celestial tumbler tumbles, and some sort of 12th century Estonian curse will befall you. Or something like that.
Want proof? At the exact moment I was typing the response to my original “Never go up 28-3” tweet earlier today, the Rams scored the go-ahead touchdown to take the lead against the Bills.
Seriously. Just tank the extra point and win the damned game.
(As I was typing this, the Rams scored the go-ahead touchdown). https://t.co/R59riRd7MY
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) September 27, 2020
The score was then 32-28 against a Buffalo team that had opened up a lead of… what?
Yeah, you guessed it. The Bills upset the football gods, and all hell broke loose. What went wrong for the Bills after that score? What didn’t? Buffalo allowed four touchdowns in a little more than 15 clock minutes of football between the third and fourth quarters. Aaron Donald turned back in to Aaron Donald.
There was a really bad fumble call that went against Bills tight end Tyler Kroft (remember that name for later) that helped to swing things in the Rams’ favor…
In #LARvsBUF, it’s not clear and obvious that Bills TE Tyler Kroft maintained control through the process of the catch, so the ruling on the field stands as an interception. pic.twitter.com/yE5ONhqgfi
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) September 27, 2020
…and all looked lost. But then, the Bills got the ball back with 4:30 left in the game, overcame a third-and-22 at one point, overcame a fourth-and-9 after Allen hit Stefon Diggs for a 17-yard catch to the Los Angeles 13-yard line, and were set up at the Los Angeles three-yard line with 21 seconds left in the game after Rams cornerback Darious Williams was called for a highly disputable pass interference penalty that put the ball three yards away from the winning score.
And then, Allen broke the 28-3 curse with this touchdown pass to that Tyler Kroft guy. Sometimes, things just work out the right way, the gods are somehow appeased, and you’re able to move on with your life.
Josh Allen: ice in his veins 🧊
pic.twitter.com/w6W73ve0au— PFF (@PFF) September 27, 2020
The 35-32 win keeps the Bills undefeated and on top of the AFC East with a 3-0 record. The Rams fall to 2-1 on the season.
