How many times in the last year did you hear something along the lines of… ‘In the championship game, no one has ever,’ and then it happened? In every single sport practically. LeBron brought a championship to Cleveland after beating the “unbeatable” Golden State Warriors, coming back from a 3-1 lead, something that had never done in the NBA Finals before. The Cleveland Indians held a 3-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs. The curse looked to continue until we were all of a sudden looking at an extra innings game seven and eventually, a Cubs World Series win. Then capping it all off, the underdog Atlanta Falcons held a 28-3 lead against Tom Brady and company. A team had never come back from a 10-point deficit, until a late night in Super Bowl 51.
The headline tomorrow will say how Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T. and how it was the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. But the narrative should be how the demise of the Atlanta Falcons offense led to the worst collapse in a championship game ever. While the 3-1 lead had never been blown in the NBA and the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series shook the sports world, no one has ever thrown away such an important game.
The Falcons dominated in every single way through almost three full quarters, and then the Pats snatched momentum and never looked back. Matt Ryan was sharp and smart, completing 17 of 23 passes for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns. Coleman and Freeman were effective, combining for 100+ rushing yards, 50+ receiving yards, and two touchdowns. Julio Jones showed everyone why many believe he is the number one wide receiver in the NFL, catching all 4 of his targets for 87 yards. On defense, the Falcons got in Brady’s face and had him sitting on the ground just as much as he was standing. Three Falcon defenders had over ten tackles. They forced Tom to make an uncharacteristically poor throw that let Robert Alford walk into the end zone for a pick-six. Grady Jarrett tied the record for most sacks in a Super Bowl of three. Everything that could’ve gone right for the Falcons came to fruition.
If you were able to hear Joe Buck say that the Patriots had no chance because it had never happened before I would hope you were smart enough to remember this is the year that every triumph ended with the team who was not supposed to win, winning.
While it was a part of the game that no one remembers now, a turning point was when Tevin Coleman went down with an ankle injury and was unable to come back into the game. Even though Coleman is not the starting running back, he provides a few different things that were taken away. First, Tevin offers Devonta Freeman a break without hurting the offense. Second, he brings a certain combination of speed and power to every play. The bigger back always has fresh legs and is a pain to cover out of the backfield. When Coleman was not able to come back in, Freeman was unable to get off the field without a considerate dip in talent.
With the Falcons offense unable to move the ball in the second half, their defense was on the field too much to be able to make tackles and keep up with the YAC the Patriots put up. New England was able to take advantage of every opportunity in the fourth quarter, and they needed every second on the clock. Brady threw the ball 62 times for 466 yards connecting with six receivers more than four times and 50+ yards a piece, including James White a record 14 times for 110 yards. When Matt Ryan fumbled, the Patriots were able to recover, and without it, they would have lost. They converted two-point conversions on two consecutive drives, one to tie the game at 28 with under a minute to go. Yes…name something that could’ve gone right for the Patriots in the 4th quarter, and it did. No one had ever been down 10 points and comeback in the Super Bowl, yet they were able to be down 19 going into the 4th quarter and still did.
This should not be the last time the Falcons are in the position to win the Super Bowl in the next few years. The defense has four rookies and numerous 2nd-year players. Matt Ryan and practically the entire offense is in their prime. The birds from Hotlanta will be in contention, no doubt.
One thing that almost every analyst was on about was that the game was a classic. It contained a catch that can compete for best in Super Bowl history. Records broken all over, including most receptions in a Super Bowl, the second longest interception return, most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback; most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback- coach duo and most Super Bowl MVPs by one player.
Although it was a comeback, the downfall of the Falcons in Super Bowl 51 is what should ultimately be remembered most.
