FOXBORO, Mass. — It sounds like Julio Jones didn’t pay much attention in science class during his school years.
Jones and the Atlanta Falcons fell to the New England Patriots 23-7 on Sunday night at an incredibly foggy Gillette Stadium. While the fog was relatively mild early in the contest, it became increasingly thicker as the game progressed and became a major hindrance for fans in attendance and those watching on television.
After the Week 7 loss, Jones wouldn’t admit the fog impacted the Falcons’ offense, but the star wideout’s idea of how the fog developed truly was remarkable.
“No, it didn’t affect me,” Jones said after the game. “It’s crazy, though. They score and they shoot fireworks off and then it sits up and sits high kind of in the stadium. So, it’s kind of hard, if you do get behind, how can you throw deep balls and things like that because it’s foggy? It didn’t affect us at all, though. They were the better team tonight.”
Yes, the Patriots’ “end zone militia” does fire off a round after every touchdown scored at Gillette, and one could argue the resulting smoke lingered a bit longer in Sunday night’s dense fog. But how does one possibly think that firework smoke can hang around for multiple hours after the fact?
New England only scored two touchdowns in the game, the second coming with 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Ironically enough, the fog wasn’t that bad in the first half, as it didn’t reach its overwhelming state until the final two quarters.
Jones clearly underestimates the power of Mother Nature and dramatizes the strength of pyrotechnics.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
