Is this team over the Super Bowl loss?
The question has been asked countless times since Feb. 5, 2017.
More times than Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan probably cares to think about, too.
And to Ryan's credit, he's answered it every time he's been asked – never dodging it.
"We're on to 2017," Ryan said earlier this month following organized team activities. "You know, you learn from it, like we did. You deal with it, like we did. And then you move forward and you start preparing to try and be the best football team that this group can be. And that's where we're at."
And, apparently, you make TV commercials about it, too.
Gatorade released a new ad campaign Tuesday – "Make Defeat Your Fuel" – featuring athletes who have turned gut-wrenching failures into some of their greatest victories. The spot includes Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Serena Williams and … yes, Matt Ryan.
Take a look.
The second half of the spot shows Ryan walking off the field following the Falcons' loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI back in February before staring into the camera and saying, "Defeat." And after drinking some Gatorade, Ryan is shown grinding it out in the Falcons' practice facility, obviously motivated by that defeat.
Ryan also tweeted a link to the commercial and wrote: "You can let defeat destroy you or let it fuel you. #MakeDefeatYourFuel #WinFromWithin"
