The entire sickening sequence had played out for Matt Ryan – the sprint to the right, the realization that his best receiver and his only option on the play was covered, the backpedaling, the feathered pass that fell incomplete – and there was nothing left for him to do but scowl, shake his head, and turn his eyes to an ink-black sky.
A second consecutive season had ended in the worst of ways. Last year, it was the most gobsmacking loss in Super Bowl history, the evaporation of a 25-point lead and an overtime loss to the New England Patriots.