Two things happened in Super Bowl that never occurred in the Super Bowl before. No Super Bowl has ever gone to overtime, and no team has ever overcome a 14 point deficit in a Super Bowl, let alone a 25 point one. The Patriots were a part of both and sealed it all with a 34-28 win.
There are many storylines that will be discussed surrounding this game going into the offseason. The Tom Brady and Bill Belichick duo cement their legacy as the greatest coach and quarterback combination of all time. The Falcons offense stalled at the most inconvenient time, allowing the Patriots to score 31 unanswered points to end the game. The regular season NFL MVP is still cursed. And of course, the legacy of the Patriots white jerseys lives on. Some may call this the greatest Super Bowl of all time, depending on which fans you ask.
Super Bowl 51 was a tale of two halves. Going into halftime, the Patriots were down 20-3, and the Falcons would receive the football in the second half and would continue to inflict damage. Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman were tearing up New England’s defense in the first half, and it had some Falcons fans possibly a little too confident.
After scoring in the third quarter, the Falcons were up 28-3, and all hope seemed lost for the New England Patriots. But Tom Brady led the charge and the Pats strapped in and scored 31 unanswered points. Brady hit his old reliable receivers in Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman on multiple occasions but also found James White a ton during the game as the pass catching running back set the Super Bowl record for most catches. In what was arguably the most exciting Super Bowl ever, Brady and Belichick solidified their resumés as the greatest’s of all times at their respective positions.
This game included everything a fan could ask for. Great throws by elite quarterbacks, insane acrobatic catches by spectacular athletes, punishing hits by pursuing defenders, and what every fan loves; a comeback. The New England Patriots never led in the football game until they won it in overtime, completing the greatest comeback in NFL history and capping off a win in the first overtime in Super Bowl history.
Here are a few eye-opening statistics about the game:
Totals Offensive Plays:
Patriots: 93
Falcons: 46
This Falcons defense was gassed, but they never gave up a play bigger than 28 yards:
Pats had 546 of offense but their longest play was just 28 yards.
— michael lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) February 6, 2017
Total Offensive Yards:
Patriots: 546
Falcons: 344
1st Downs:
Patriots: 37
Falcons: 17
Time of Possession:
Patriots: 40:31
Falcons: 23:27
Pass Attempts:
Patriots: 63
Falcons: 23
And to cap it all off here’s a nice graph to sum up the wild game.
A look at the dramatic turn in win probability in the Patriots' Super Bowl win pic.twitter.com/1SYGxRBuEK
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 6, 2017
The bottom line is the New England Patriots are a great franchise; maybe the best one the NFL has ever seen. They add Super Bowl 51 to their trophy case. Belichick and Brady add Super Bowl number five. This comeback was one for the record books as it is unlikely to be topped.
