Morgan Beard
Staff Writer
Tom Brady led the New England Patriots in the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history on Feb. 5 to defeat the Atlanta Flacons 34-28 in overtime. The game, played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, was a classic no one will soon forget.
Super Bowl 51 was the Patriot’s record setting 9th Super Bowl appearance; their second in three years, and their seventh under the leadership of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Brady. The Falcons entered the game trying to win their first Super Bowl title, having lost their previous appearance in Super Bowl 33.
The Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit, breaking the record for the largest deficit overcome, to win the Super Bowl after trailing the Falcons 28-3 with 2:07 left in the third quarter.
Patriot’s quarterback Brady, who completed 43 passes on 62 attempts for 466 yards, a Super Bowl record, was named Super Bowl LI MVP for a record fourth time. Patriot’s running back James White had 14 receptions and 20 points scored, another Super Bowl record.
The Patriot’s victory was their 5th all-time, moving them into a three-way tie with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers for second place on the all-time Super Bowl wins list, trailing only the Pittsburgh Steelers who have six Super Bowl victories.
The first quarter of the Super Bowl would be a scoreless defensive match with each team punting twice. The longest play from scrimmage was a 37-yard carry by Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, which did not lead to any points.
Atlanta would score the first touchdown after Deion Jones forced a fumble from Patriots LeGarette Blount that led to a Freeman five-yard touchdown scored 7-0. Then on Atlanta’s second drive on 3rd and 9, Matt Ryan threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Austin Hooper, giving the Falcons a 14-0 lead. It was the largest deficit Brady had ever faced in his seven Super Bowl appearances, and it would soon get larger.
On New England’s next drive, Brady would throw a interception by Robert Alford that was returned 82 yards for a touchdown, making the score 21-0. The return was the second longest interception return in Super Bowl history. The Patriots would respond with a Stephen Gostkowski field goal with two seconds left on the clock going into halftime 21-3.
At the start of the second half, New England had an early third scoring opportunity when Edelman returned a punt 26 yards to the Pats 47-yard line, but they could not gain a first down on the drive. Following the Patriot’s punt, the Falcons started their drive on their 15-yard line. Four plays later, he finished the 85 yard drive with a 6 yard touchdown pass to running back Tevin Coleman, giving the Falcons a 28-3 lead with 8:31 left in the third quarter.
New England would fight back and score 25 unanswered points to tie the game 28-28. The keys to the Patriot’s victory were the turnovers caused by the defense. The holding calls on the Falcon’s defense and the time of possession.
This was also the first time the Super Bowl has ever gone into overtime. New England won the coin toss to start overtime, and elected to receive the ball. Starting at their 25-yard line after a touchback, Brady completed passes to White, Amendola, and Hogan for gains of 6, 14, and 18 yards, respectively.
On the last play of the game, White took a pitch and ran to the right. He was hit by Falcons defenders at the 1-yard line, but managed to stretch forward and just barely get the ball across the goal line before his knee it the ground, scoring a touchdown to give the Patriots the 34-28 victory.
The victory would tie Brady’s victory with NFL hall of Famer Charles Haley, but put him ahead of quarterback Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. Brady also became the first player to win five Super Bowls with the same NFL organization.
According to ESPN, Patriot’s special teams captain Matthew Slater explained, “No panic, we practiced in pads on Super Bowl week. We are squatting 80 percent of our maxes on Super Bowl week. Our bodies and minds were ready, and we just kept believing in one another.”
With the season over for both fans and players, what will the next season have in store for fans?
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