Throwback to the Future
CATEGORY - OSINT
TL;DR
What date was Anthony McConnolly's "throwback" photo taken? After researching his X (Twitter) account, performing a reverse image search, and identifying key details, I concluded that the photo was taken during a game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on October 22, 2023.
Solution
Step 1: Investigating the Challenge
Since the challenge is about Anthony McConnolly, I decided to browse through his X (Twitter) account Anthony McConnolly (@antmcconn) / X to find the throwback photo. After a bit of scrolling, I came across this post:
Step 2: Analyzing the Photo
After finding the tweet with the photo, I looked closely at the caption. It said:
"#throwback to the 2023 season. The MVP still can’t beat us when we’re at home."
The use of "2023" clearly indicates that the photo was taken in that year.
The word "season" suggested that it was a football game, not just an exhibition.
Next, I performed a reverse image search to see if the photo was used elsewhere on the internet. Here are the results:
Although the reverse image search didn’t yield any exact matches, I noticed some related search terms that might be useful: "Gillette Stadium" and "New England Patriots." I saved these names for later reference.
Step 3: Identifying Clues in the Photo
Upon closer inspection of the photo, I noticed another clue:
It seemed to feature another team logo, so I decided to look it up. After searching for the name visible on the uniform, I discovered the second team: Buffalo Bills.
Step 4: Confirming the Teams
To confirm that these were indeed the correct teams, I did some cross-referencing. I examined the uniforms of both teams. The Buffalo Bills usually wear white uniforms, while the New England Patriots wear darker ones.
Note: I am not sure about who the players are in this photo, as I was mainly trying to match the uniforms to confirm the team identities. If I made any mistakes regarding the players, I apologize.
Step 5: Finding the Game Date
Note for the image above: I’m not entirely sure who the players are currently wearing these uniforms. I’m just trying to match the uniforms to see if the designs align with the photo I was given. If I got the players wrong, my apologies!
With the teams confirmed as the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills, I searched for more details. I typed "Patriots vs Bills Gillette Stadium 2023" into Google and found the game took place on October 22, 2023.
Here is the search result:
Step 6: Converting the Date to MM/DD/YYYY Format
The date of the game was October 22, 2023. In the required format, this becomes:
10/22/2023
I submitted this as the flag, and it was accepted.
Final Flag
Notes
Always check related searches in reverse image search for location and teams.
Verifying uniform designs helps confirm team identities and season.
Image captions can provide immediate year or event clues.
Last updated