What Changed?

[SlowGettingUp]

So we saw two very different games last night - the depressing first two-thirds and the exhilarating last third.

So what changed? How come they could run on us at the outset, but not at the end? How come Brady could do nothing at the outset and everything at the end?

Here's one analysis on their collapsing defense:

But the game’s biggest factor wasn’t that Atlanta’s offense was off the field. It was that Atlanta’s defense was on it. A lot. For 93 snaps, to be exact. Naturally, fatigue set in. And that’s the biggest reason why the Falcons suffered the greatest collapse in Super Bowl history.​

Why the Falcons Defense Collapsed in Super Bowl 51 | The MMQB with Peter King

Of course there were some coaching errors on their part too - not simply running the ball and taking their field goal to ice the game comes to mind immediately:

The Pats’ Comeback Was Incredible — Even If You Think The Falcons Blew It

Notice one thing that didn't change - we pretty much never heard Sanu's name. Jones got his catches by dint of him being spectacular, but not much in the way of YAC by him or the other receivers.

Here are the win expectancies - from a low of an astounding 0.2%

Anatomy of a miracle: How the Patriots came back from the dead