Matt Ryan, Dan Quinn Comment on Falcons' Loss vs. Patriots in Super Bowl 51

Any Super Bowl loss is crushing, but quarterback Matt Ryan, head coach Dan Quinn and the rest of the Atlanta Falcons experienced a stunning heartbreaker during their Super Bowl LI battle with the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Atlanta held a 28-3 lead in the second half before New England reeled off 31 unanswered points to win 34-28 in overtime. Afterward, Ryan reflected on the unexpected loss.

"That's a tough loss," Ryan said, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "Obviously very disappointed, very close to getting done what we wanted to get done, hard to find words."

Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star shared more of Ryan's comments:

Quinn talked about the difficulty of losing after opening such a commanding lead, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today: "There's never going to be a way to get over the loss, but what it does have is, some of that toughness that you have to go through, it does make you stronger."

While it's likely little consolation for the Falcons coach, he impressed former NFL coach Brian Billick and Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated and CBS with his composure:

It wasn't supposed to be like this for the Falcons, who appeared to be fully in control for the majority of the game.

Atlanta running back Devonta Freeman opened the scoring in the second quarter with a touchdown before Ryan found Austin Hooper to create some breathing room. Robert Alford then extended the lead with a pick-six when the Patriots were driving deep into Atlanta territory.

New England's field goal to cut the halftime deficit to 21-3 seemed harmless after Tevin Coleman caught a touchdown in the third quarter.

From there, the comeback started. Brady found James White to trim the lead to 28-9 before a field goal and two New England touchdowns in the fourth quarter forced overtime. White's two-yard run—his third score of the game—completed the dramatic comeback.

It is hard to blame Ryan—who was just named league MVP on Saturday—for the loss. He finished 17-of-23 for 284 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, although his critical fumble in the fourth quarter with a 28-12 lead was costly.

Dont'a Hightower's strip-sack of Ryan gave the Patriots the ball at Atlanta's 25-yard line, which they turned into eight points via a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Ryan couldn't outduel Tom Brady, who won his fifth Super Bowl ring and fourth Super Bowl MVP with 466 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Losing to Brady like this is nothing new for Quinn, who was the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line to preserve a Super Bowl XLIX victory for the Patriots.

Tony Massarotti of 98.5 The Sports Hub reflected on Quinn's tortured Super Bowl history against New England:

Brady has broken plenty of NFL hearts during his incredible career. Ryan can now add his name to that list alongside his head coach.