The New England Patriots delivered the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history Sunday, rallying from a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime.
Time to hand out awards from what turned out to be an epic Super Bowl LI.
Biggest head-scratcher: The Falcons' aggressiveness after Julio Jones' spectacular grab.
This
is the sequence that will haunt Falcons fans for years. Jones'
ridiculous 27-yard catch near the sideline set Atlanta up with a
first-and-10 from New England's 22-yard line with 4:40 left.
The
Falcons held a 28-20 lead at the time, and a field goal would have made
it a two-possession game. But Atlanta decided to stay aggressive, and
the results were disastrous.
On second-and-11, Matt Ryan was sacked for a loss of 12 yards. And on third-and-23, left tackle Jake Matthews was called for holding, knocking the Falcons out of field goal range.
Granted,
Atlanta ran the ball better in the first half than the second, but the
Falcons averaged 5.8 yards per carry for the game. Had they kept it on
the ground, they would have forced the Patriots to use their timeouts,
and Atlanta would have been well positioned for a field goal.
Matt Bryant
was 28-for-29 from inside 50 yards on the season. But he never got on
the field. Instead, Atlanta punted, and the Patriots got the ball back
with 3:30 left and two timeouts for the game-tying drive.
The GOAT: Tom Brady.
He
threw for 466 yards and caught fire after halftime, leading the
Patriots on five scoring drives (four touchdowns, one field goal).
Brady
absorbed five sacks and eight quarterback hits. In the first three
quarters, the Falcons pressured him on 45 percent of his dropbacks. But
in the fourth quarter and overtime, as Atlanta's defense wore down, that
number dropped to 20 percent, per ESPN Stats & Information.
This
wasn't even Brady's best game. The pressure affected him at times, and
he missed some throws. But down the stretch, when protection held up, he
continuously fit the ball into tight windows against Atlanta's man
coverage.
At 39, Brady has his fifth Super Bowl title and is
showing no signs of slowing down. The Patriots were 14-1 in games he
started this season.
The goat: The Falcons' offense.
The
defense fatigued and fell apart down the stretch. But the Falcons knew
going in their offense would have to lead the way. It's been that way
all season.
And for the first three quarters, Ryan & Co. did
what they've been doing for the last five months. But the Falcons' final
four drives resulted in three punts and a fumble. Three of those drives
lasted four plays or fewer.
Atlanta went 1-for-8 on third down and ran 46 plays, compared to 93 for the Patriots. The 47-play discrepancy was the biggest in NFL postseason history, per Elias.
The
Falcons were the more explosive team, averaging 7.5 yards per play. But
they knew they weren't going to be able to stop Brady for an entire
game. Atlanta's offense had several opportunities to put the game away
and didn't do it.
Most uncomfortable experience for viewers: The Arthur Blank shots.
The
Falcons owner and his wife received a lot of camera time. Never in
Super Bowl history has one couple's emotional roller-coaster been on
full display for an entire nation to witness.
First they were in
the box, celebrating, dancing awkwardly and preparing for a postgame
celebration. Then they were on the sideline, clutching each others'
hands in sheer terror, watching the greatest collapse in Super Bowl
history. It's difficult to feel badly for a man who is worth $3.3
billion, but this was almost too much to handle.
Honorable mention here has to be the Gisele Bundchen selfie celebration after the Patriots scored the winning touchdown.
Tweet of the night:
Never before has one band so effectively captured the feelings of an entire nation.
Honorable mention here:
This really would have been an all-timer had the Falcons held on to win.
Most memorable play: The Julian Edelman miraculous grab.
Words can't really do it justice. Twenty years from now, this will be the one play everyone remembers from Super Bowl LI.
And
how about the officials? They get crushed when they screw up, so it's
only right to give them credit here. They somehow ruled it a catch on
the field right away. How could they possibly have figured that out so
quickly? Were they just guessing and hoping for the best? If there is an
officiating Hall of Fame, that call deserves to go in.
Quickest exit: Roger Goodell.
He
spoke through the boos, handed the Lombardi Trophy to Robert Kraft and
got off the stage faster than you could say, "Ideal gas law." It was
almost like Lady Gaga disappearing into the earth as soon as her set was
over.
Perhaps the Patriots' victory will close the book on one of
the strangest controversies -- Deflategate -- in NFL history. Maybe
Goodell will even get invited to Gillette Stadium for the opener next
season.
Then again, maybe not.
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