Patriots pull off greatest comeback in Super Bowl history
Tom Brady, overcome by emotion and physically spent, collapsed on the field at the end of Super Bowl LI. That’s where Bill Belichick found his quarterback, the Super Bowl MVP, with whom he shared a hug as well as history.
It was the Patriots’ fifth Super Bowl title, and the most improbable in their 15-year dynasty.
It took the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history and the first overtime game in Super Bowl history for the Patriots to escape with a 34-28 victory.
Down 25 points, it was hard to imagine us winning, but that’s why you play 60 minutes.
Patriots QB Tom Brady
“We all brought each other back,” Brady said. “We never felt out of it. It was a tough battle. They have a great team, and I give them a lot of credit. We just made a few more plays than them.”
The Falcons led 21-0 after Brady threw his first pick-six in 34 career postseason games, which cornerback Robert Alford took 82 yards for a touchdown. The Patriots cut it to 21-3 at halftime, but Matt Ryan threw his second touchdown pass with 8:31 left in the third quarter to give Atlanta a 28-3 lead and a 99.7 percent chance to win, according to ESPN. It wasn’t enough.
“Down 25 points, it was hard to imagine us winning, but that’s why you play 60 minutes,” Brady said.
No team ever had overcome more than a 10-point lead in a Super Bowl until Sunday, and no team had ever overcome a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit in any postseason game ever until Sunday.
Brady completed 26 of 34 for 285 yards and two touchdowns in the final 25:27, including overtime.
He directed a 91-yard scoring drive to get the Patriots within a 2-point conversion of a tie with 57 seconds left, threw a pass to Danny Amendola for the 2 points and then, after the Patriots won the coin toss in overtime, Brady drove New England another 75 yards. James White scored his third touchdown on a 2-yard run with 11:02 remaining in overtime, bringing down the confetti and crushing Atlanta’s upset hopes.
“He just willed us to another victory,” White said of Brady.
Brady set Super Bowl records for completions (43) and yards (466) in becoming the first quarterback in history with five Super Bowl titles and four Super Bowl MVP awards.
Patriots fans, still mad about Brady’s four-game Deflategate suspension to begin the season, drowned out NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as he handed the trophy to owner Robert Kraft.
“They’re all sweet,” Brady said. “They’re all different. This has been an incredible team. I’m just happy to be a part of it. We overcame a lot of different things, and it’s all worth it.”
Julian has great concentration and is a tremendous competitor. He does whatever it takes. … He made a tremendous play.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Julian Edelman’s catch
The Patriots needed some good luck as much as they needed their quarterback. They got it with a Trey Flowers sack of Ryan for a 12-yard loss after the Falcons reached the New England 22 with a chance to put the game away with less than 4 minutes left. A hold on left tackle Jake Matthews followed, pushing Atlanta out of field-goal range, forcing a punt.
Then, New England got one of the greatest catches in NFL history from Julian Edelman, who somehow hung onto a Brady pass for a 23-yard gain with 2:03 left. Alford tipped the ball in the air, and Edelman grabbed the ball off Alford’s leg before it hit the ground at the Atlanta 41. Four plays later, the Patriots were in the end zone.
“Julian has great concentration and is a tremendous competitor,” Belichick said. “He does whatever it takes. … He made a tremendous play. It’s not the first one he’s made, but that obviously was a big one, and we needed that.”
The Patriots needed a lot of things to go right to win. It did, and they did.
Charean Williams: 817-390-7760, @NFLCharean
This story was originally published February 5, 2017 at 10:50 PM with the headline "Patriots pull off greatest comeback in Super Bowl history."