Tom Brady Thought A 'Firework Celebration' Caused Strange Foxboro Fog

Julio Jones might take some grief for his hot fog take, but he wasn’t the only one confused by the strange weather at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.

The New England Patriots’ win over the Atlanta Falcons (literally) was overshadowed by a thick fog that rolled through Foxboro, Mass., limiting visibility for both fans and players. Jones posited after the game that the haze was caused by fireworks displays after Patriots touchdowns, and while we now know that’s not the case, Tom Brady apparently had a similar theory.

“It was pretty foggy out there,” Brady said Monday morning during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “Kirk & Callahan.” “… I actually did think — was there kind of a firework celebration at halftime? When we came out at halftime, I don’t know if it was anything (the stadium) did, but I thought it was more foggy when we came out in the second half. I wasn’t sure if it was a big celebration at halftime and everything just kind of sat there.”

There is a precedent here: Pregame or halftime ceremonies involving fireworks occasionally have enveloped Gillette Stadium in a fog — particularly during Patriots night games — although the air usually clears after a few plays. The stadium set off fireworks before Sunday’s game, too, so it’s possible the resulting smoke lingered a bit longer in the odd conditions.

All that said, Mother Nature — and not fireworks or gun smoke from the Patriots’ “end zone militia”– was the primary cause of Sunday night’s heavy fog; New England didn’t score a touchdown in the second half, when the fog was at its worst.

“Obviously, it just stayed foggy,” Brady added. “That was one of the crazier games I’ve ever been at. I’ve never seen the fog like that at Foxboro. We’ve had some practices like that, but never a game. That was pretty cool.”

The Falcons likely don’t agree: They managed just seven points on offense in their third consecutive loss, a 23-7 defeat.