In what started out to be a very dull game,
Super Bowl 51 ended as one of the greatest sporting events of all time. The New
England Patriots came out as the winners, 34-28, but it took a lot for them to
get there. The Falcons were able to strike first, and it looked like it would
stay that way for the rest of the game. As the second half wound down, Tom
Brady, already facing a 14-0 deficit, threw a very ugly interception that was
returned for a touchdown by Atlanta’s Robert Alford. At this point, it was 21-3
at halftime and it looked like the Pats were doomed for another crushing Super
Bowl defeat. The third quarter did not give Patriots fans much hope either. The
Falcons added another touchdown, while the Patriots could only muster one score
which was pretty much negated by Stephen Gostkowski’s missed extra point. The
fourth quarter was predicted to be a snooze fest, as the Falcons lead 28-9.
But if
anyone knows Coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots, they know that they never
go down without a fight. New England began to chip away at the hefty lead,
play-by-play and drive-by-drive. Somehow, someway, the Patriots were able to
convert a field goal and two touchdowns (along with two 2-point conversions)
and erase what was once a 25 point Falcon lead! Tom Brady had once again
achieved the impossible and tied up the game. We were heading for overtime, the
first overtime game in Super Bowl history. The Patriots won the overtime coin
toss, and elected to take the ball first, because a touchdown would win the
game. The entire world saw this moment coming: in less than 4 minutes, the
Patriots marched down the field and scored the game winning touchdown when
running back James White plunged toward the end zone and got the football just
inches across the goal line. It was an unfathomable moment. The Patriots had
lead in the game for exactly 0:00, and still won (since they took the lead on
the last play of the game). Previously, the largest point deficit overcome in a
Super Bowl was 10. New England had just overcome a 25 point deficit. 31
unanswered points. 19 points in the fourth quarter (15 minutes). Arguably the
greatest comeback in sports history.
As
great as the Patriots’ comeback was, the Falcons did their part to allow this
lead to slip out of their hands. The Falcons offense, led by coordinator Kyle
Shanahan, made several questionable play calls with the ball that allowed the
Patriots to get back in the game. Throughout the fourth quarter, Atlanta
continued to call pass plays, forcing quarterback Matt Ryan to have to scramble
with the ball and force throws. A prime example of this was Dont’a Hightower’s
strip sack of Ryan. The Falcons had the ball on 3rd down and 1 (Why not run the ball with that
lead?!) and elected to pass. As Ryan attempted to throw, he was tackled by
Hightower; the Patriots recovered the loose football which lead to a touchdown.
This play was the ultimate momentum shift in the Patriots favor. The Falcons
had a sizeable lead with not much time left in the game- why didn’t they call
more running plays to run down the clock? Another factor that contributed to
the Patriots’ win was the play of the Falcons defense at the end of the game.
It seemed that since the Falcons had played such aggressive defense in the
first half, they had run out of gas by the time the fourth quarter came around
and could no longer stop the Pats’ offense.
With this
victory, quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick have cemented
their legacies. This was Brady’s 5th Super Bowl victory, the most
all time by a quarterback. He also earned his 4th Super Bowl MVP,
also most all time. In Super Bowl 51 he threw for the most yards ever in a
single Super Bowl. He has these and several other statistical records to go
along with the most wins ever by a quarterback: 208. Brady deserves to be
considered the greatest quarterback to ever play. This is also Belichick’s 5th
Super Bowl win as a head coach, the most all time. He has made 10 super bowl
appearances (most all time) and holds the record for all time playoff wins as a
head coach (26). Belichick is arguably the greatest head coach in NFL history,
and maybe even all of sports history. Together, Brady and Belichick have won 5
Super Bowls, which is the most all time by a quarterback-coach duo. These two
formed the greatest head coaching-player tandem ever. Who would have known that
when Brady and Belichick came together on the Patriots, it would be the
greatest moment in New England sports history?
-Cam
Rogers ‘18
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