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Before you could even blink, the game felt like it was over. But little did we know, with the Falcons up 28-3, it was just beginning.
Although the Falcons were already up 14-0 at the point, the key play of the game appeared to come with under three minutes to go in the first half. With the Patriots driving, QB Tom Brady’s third down pass was picked off and returned 82 yards by CB Robert Alford, making it a 21-0 game. New England tacked on a field goal to end the half to make it 21-3.
On Atlanta’s second drive of the second half, WR Taylor Gabriel had a couple of big catches to help set up a 6-yard touchdown run by RB Tevin Coleman to go up 28-3. The Patriots responded on their next drive with their first touchdown of the game, a 5-yard run by RB James White. However, they took their time, eating up 6:25 of clock and basically doing the Falcons a favor. K Stephen Gostkowski missed the extra point too, making it a 28-9 game.
After missing an onside kick, the Patriots’ defense got a quick stop to force a punt. New England had to settle for a field goal with 9:44 to go, making it a 28-12 game. Since they were 16 points down, it was a two-score game, but still seemingly far from reach.
On the Falcons’ next drive, though, QB Matt Ryan fumbled on 3rd-and-1, setting up a short field for the Patriots. Brady found WR Danny Amendola for a 6-yard touchdown pass, and then the direct snap to RB James White on the two-point try made it a 28-20 game with under six minutes to go.
And then, it happened. New England got the ball back and drove the length of the field on a drive that included a ridiculous catch by WR Julian Edelman. The drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from White, and then the two point try was converted with a pass to Amendola, tying it at 28-28 with 0:57 to go.
New England won the coin toss in overtime and marched right down the field. On 2nd-and-goal from the 2 yard line, White punched in the game-winner as the Patriots won Super Bowl LI by a score of 34-28.
Words can’t describe the comeback the Patriots had. The largest comeback in Super Bowl history was ten points. New England was down by 25 points in the second half, and they won. Holy smokes. Brady wins his fifth Super Bowl, cementing himself as the greatest quarterback of all time.