PHOENIX — Yes, it was a small sample size, but I stood for about 10 minutes Sunday afternoon pre-game near a beer stand in the upper concourse of University of Phoenix Stadium and counted 88 people in Seahawks gear to three in Patriots gear. It was weird. It was the Clink with a tan.
The vendor selling beers at $12 a bottle did nothing but yell, “Beast Mode Bud! Beast Mode Bud!” No Brady Brew. No Gronk-ahol.
Maybe Pats fans were in civilian clothes. Maybe they were late. Maybe they never made it out of the blizzards of the Northeast. But their numbers here seem, well, deflated.
As was seen all over the Valley of the Sun this week, the 12s came strong. Gov. Jay Inslee, making the meet-and-greet rounds at the stadium before the game, was astonished.
“If we get these 12s to vote in Arizona, we would get another Democrat elected in the Senate,” he said, laughing. “Unbelievable.”
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Wasn’t at the game but via television the cheering sounded pretty even. I thought between Deflategate and how Belichick and Brady would avoid questions would cause fans to be more subdued in their support for New England.