There is no love lost between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, as exemplified by the front page of The Times-Picayune this morning. However, when the Falcons went to New Orleans for their Christmas Eve showdown, the Saints took things too far.
According to The New Orleans Advocate, the Falcons complained to the NFL about the litany of pregame mockery the Saints dished out at the Falcons expense.
The Saints used the 28-3 meme as the Falcons defining moment in their “Us vs. Them” promotional video the team runs before each home game. The Saints self-proclaimed defining moment was a Steve Gleason blocked punt against the Falcons in the Saints’ return to the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina in 2006.
The Falcons took offense to the Saints' use of a MARTA bus on the video board, which blocked the Falcons entry onto the field during introductions. The joke was a callback to The Weather Channel's live feed of the November 2017 implosion of the Georgia Dome being blocked by an Atlanta bus.
Atlanta also didn’t appreciate the New Orleans’ halftime show where the 610 Stompers, a New Orleans all-male dance team, spelled out 28-3 during their routine.
The Saints won the game 23-13. This report appeared the day after Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he was "pissed off" about the New England Patriots Super Bowl rings containing exactly 283 diamonds.
