New England pulls off a miracle
NPAR | 9
Written by : Joe Drake Special to the NPAR
If you weren ’ t able to watch this Super Bowl live , I highly suggest you find a replay . It ’ s worth it -- even if you already know how it ends . The New England Patriots pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in football history and , quite possibly , the entire history of the sport . It really was that good .
Tom Brady and company overcame a 2nd half 25-point deficit to not only tie the game in the final minute but to win it all in overtime . And they did it on the biggest stage in the world . The Super Bowl is one of the mostwatched events in the world every year . As it turns out , no stage is too big for Tom Brady .
New England received the ball to begin the game , but for all intents and purposes , they dropped it . The Patriots struggled mightily in the first half on both sides of the ball , allowing Atlanta to take a 21-3 lead into halftime . The Falcons defense was ferocious and pressured Brady from all angles .
They forced errant throws , sacks and even a rare interception from Brady -- which was promptly returned for an Atlanta touchdown . That tenacious defense combined with what appeared to be an unstoppable offense gave Atlanta a 99.6 % chance of winning at the half . 99.6 %. That ’ s about as good as it gets at half time ! However , I suppose that ’ s why they play the game .
Atlanta continued their domination , scoring a touchdown on the opening drive of the 3rd quarter . However , the tide would change shortly after . In fact , that touchdown would be the last points Atlanta would score in the game . With Atlanta up 28-3 , the Patriots needed a combination of four different scores , including three touchdowns , to tie it . And that ’ s exactly what they got .
Suddenly , the New England defense was getting to Matt Ryan . The Patriots finished the night with five sacks on Ryan , one of which caused a fumble that was recovered by New England . Atlanta went from moving the ball up and down the field with ease in the first half to struggling to get 1st downs in the
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second half . Meanwhile , New England ’ s offense was heating up .
Tom Brady and the Patriots had been one the NFL ’ s best offenses all year long , so it was only a matter of time until they came to life . The offensive line regrouped in the second half , made adjustments and gave Brady more time in the pocket to make throws down the field . Brady began to string completions together , then first downs and then drives . Those drives led to points , and , suddenly , the Patriots had chipped away at the Atlanta lead and found themselves right back in the game .
After a few minutes and another James White touchdown , the game was tied and headed for overtime . By then , everyone in the stadium seemed to know that the game was over . New England had too much momentum for Atlanta to stand a chance . The Patriots won the coin toss , and in classic Tom Brady fashion , he drove them down the field for the game-winning score , securing his NFL record 5th Super Bowl ring and , eventually , his 4th Super Bowl MVP award .
Hollywood couldn ’ t have written a better script for Super Bowl LI . Sometimes real life is even better than anything the movies can dream up .