Coming into Super Bowl LI Tom Brady had already cemented his place as the greatest quarterback in the history of the league.
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Coming into Super Bowl LI Tom Brady had already cemented his place as the greatest quarterback in the history of the league.
On Sunday night, he essentially became immortal.
The best part about Sunday night’s game is that the world got to see one of the best performances of all time, as it was Brady’s incredible grit and determination that played a big role as the Patriots fought their way back from 25-points down to a historic 34-28 come-from-behind victory for the ages to win their fifth Super Bowl Championship.
Brady finished the game 43-of-62 for 466 yards and two touchdowns, one of which came with 8:24 left in the game to pull them to within eight points at 28-20 and gave them the confidence to pull off the win.
Brady rallied the team and caught fire. He finished 26-33 for 283 yards as the Patriots scored on their last five possessions in regulation and overtime.
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Sorry World, we all know you are sick of seeing the Patriots win but you’ve got to put up with another Super Bowl win. And this one was one for the ages.
After being down 21-0 and 28-3, Tom Brady led an epic comeback to push the Patriots to an overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in what had to be one of the best Super Bowls in the 51-year history of the game. James White ran the ball in from the 2-yard line with just over 11 minutes left in OT, his third TD of the game to finish the most improbable of comebacks.
The Patriots seemed dead in the water late in the third quarter, the Falcons had everything going their way, the high-flying offense was clicking and their young, fast and athletic defense was all over the field and doing a tremendous job of disrupting the timing of the NE-wide receivers. Tom Brady was being hit, more and more often as the Patriots had to abandon the running game.
Brady Incredible 4th Qtr/OT: But Tom Brady has the heart of a lion and he never quit, never got frustrated and kept grinding. His fourth quarter was one for the ages. The drive to send the game to extra time was a Brady classic, a 91-yard drive in 10 plays in 2:33 followed by a two-point conversion, a pass from Brady to Danny Amendola to tie things up.
The Patriots won the toss in OT and promptly drove down the field 75 yards in 8 plays where White sent New England home with its fifth Lombardi Trophy.
Brady finished 43-62 for an NFL record 466 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. After his fourth-quarter heroics in the Super Bowl two years ago against Seattle, I thought his place in NFL history was cemented. But this one was even bigger, this was a comeback for all time greatness and even his harshest critics will be left scrambling for answers now. He stands alone with 5 SB wins, 4 SB MVPs and IS the greatest QB of all time.
With the game seemingly lost, Brady rallied the team and caught fire. He finished 26-33 for 283 yards as the Patriots scored on their last five possessions in regulation and overtime combined.
In so many areas, the Patriots have left no doubt.
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Where do you begin. Bill Belichick wins fifth Super Bowl. Tom Brady wins fourth Super Bowl MVP. Patriots win fifth Super Bowl in team history. Patriots set Super Bowl record for biggest comeback win. First overtime game in Super Bowl history, and the Patriots win it with a first possession touchdown.
The Patriots are the greatest team in NFL history. And they won the greatest Super Bowl game in history. It may also have been the greatest game ever in NFL history.
The NFL formed in 1920, and it may never have authored a game better than this one. Many sages still like the 1958 NFL Championship Game, also an overtime game. This one will give it a run for its money.
James White scored on a two-yard touchdown run on the first possession of overtime, giving the Patriots a 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. It culminated one of the biggest momentum changes you have perhaps ever seen. The Patriots trailed at one point, 28-3. The Patriots wound up scoring the last 31 points of the game. This sort of thing simply doesn’t happen, but it did on Sunday night at NRG Stadium in Houston.
There isn’t enough space in this article to fit in all the nuances of this game, how Atlanta built its big lead, how the Patriots engineered the comeback, how Brady finished it off with what could perhaps be his career valedictory. As bad as the Patriots played when they trailed by 25, they played that well as they were chipping away at the Falcons’ lead. What is even more amazing is that Stephen Gostkowski missed another extra point, and the game was heading towards a Denver finish last year with a 2-point loss on a missed conversion.
A sack by Kyle Van Noy of Ryan on the final play of the third quarter ended the ensuing Falcons drive, and Brady got the ball back at the Patriot 13. He managed to drive the Patriots to the Atlanta 7, but Grady Jarrett sacked Brady twice (he had three sacks overall) to force a 33-yard field goal by Gostkowski. That made it a two-score game at 28-12. Two touchdowns, two two-point conversions still needed.
But your team has Brady. As Kevin Garnett once said, “Anything is possible!”
On the third play of the next drive, Dont’a Hightower strip-sacked Ryan. Alan Branch recovered the fumble at the Atlanta 25. Five plays later, Brady hit Danny Amendola from seven yards out to make it 28-18. Amendola became only the third Patriot to score his second career Super Bowl touchdown. Someone else would become the fourth later on.
But a two-point conversion was needed. Bringing back an old play from yesterday, Brady faked a snap and David Andrews snapped the ball to Lewis, who ran it in for the conversion and a 28-20 deficit. That was the old Kevin Faulk play, and Faulk pulled off that play in the last Super Bowl the Patriots played in Houston.
Atlanta got the ball back at their own 10, but Devonta Freeman hauled in a 39-yard pass to begin the next drive. Julio Jones caught an unreal 28-yard pass two plays later despite great defense by Eric Rowe. It was first and ten at the Patriot 22, and a field goal perhaps ends it right there. But a holding call on Jake Matthews and a sack of Ryan by Trey Flowers put the Falcons out of field goal range. The Patriots got the ball back at their own 9, with plenty of time to tie the game.
On third and ten, Brady hit Hogan for 16 yards. Two plays later, he hit Malcolm Mitchell for 11 yards. The next play will literally remove David Tyree, Mario Manningham and Jevon Kearse from the New England vernacular when Super Bowls are discussed.
Brady took the ball at his 36, dropped back and heaved one over the middle towards Julian Edelman. He collided with two defenders, the ball popped up in the air, bounced off the leg of one of them, and landed into the hands of Edelman. Replay confirmed the call. It was the catch of the year, never mind the game. For once, a crazy play went the way of the Patriots, and seemed to portend what was to come.
Amendola caught an 18-yard pass on the next play, then White took a slant pass to the Atlanta 8. Two plays later, White ran it in from one yard out to become the fourth Patriot player to score his second Super Bowl touchdown. It was 28-26 with 52 seconds left.
But another two-point conversion was needed. Unlike Denver last year, Brady was able to hit Amendola for the conversion to tie the game.
