Fog provides dramatic backdrop but has little overall impact on Patriots' win

FOXBOROUGH — The fog started late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game.

Looking for all the world like smoke leftover from a pregame fireworks display, it thickened as halftime went on, and visibility started to get worse as the third quarter continued. It made for some dramatic television — and made it tough for those in the press box to get a sense of what was going on when it came to the action at the far end of the field. (On Kyle Van Noy’s fourth-down stop of the Falcons’ jet sweep, the roar of the crowd helped let the media know just what had happened.)

But those on the field said it didn’t really impact the game.

“That fog was pretty crazy,” said tight end Rob Gronkowski. “I mean, I’ve never seen anything like that or played in anything like that. A deep ball up in the air was definitely more difficult (to see than if there was no fog). But it didn’t change anything in the game.”



“That was crazy. I have never seen that,” said quarterback Tom Brady. “The fog had no place to go. I don’t think it affected much, really, at the end of the day. I’m sure it looked cool on TV, though.”

“You know what? It wasn’t bad on the field,” said Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. “I think it was worse when you kind of got off and you tried to look into the stands or anything like that. You realized you couldn’t see that far. But I mean, on the field it wasn’t bad.”

Fog events are nothing new in Foxborough — the last one took place just over 20 years ago in an AFC divisional playoff game between the Patriots and Steelers. Falcons running back Devonta Freeman said he played in a foggy game in his high school national championship game a few years ago. And Bill Belichick was used to it — after the game, he referenced a contest he was part of when he was a member of the Colts coaching staff in 1975 where they had the same sort of situation. But it played a role in creating a far more dramatic finish than what we saw Sunday night.

“In my first year in the league in Baltimore in '75, when we beat Miami to -- I don't think clinch the playoffs but it put us pretty close -- in Baltimore. The final kick came down to (Colts kicker) Toni Linhart. It was about a 40-yard field goal, and you could see the line of scrimmage, you could see the two teams line up for the field goal,” he recalled. “But once the ball left his foot, you had no idea whether it was good or not good, so I had to wait for the officials' signal. That's the first year, haven't had anything that bad since."

This time around, the fog didn’t provide the backdrop for a dramatic finish.

"It was tough to see from up on top," Belichick said of Sunday’s conditions. "I would say it wasn't that bad on the field. I mean, it wasn't clear. I don't think it changed anything."