Super Bowl LI Recap and Review

In a game that will be remembered and dissected for a long, long time, the New England Patriots came all the way back from a 28-3 third quarter deficit to shock the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime to win Super Bowl LI. For most of three quarters, it looked like the Falcons were the better team and they played like it, but Atlanta left the door open enough, the Pats rallied behind Tom Brady and their resurgent defense, and then the Falcons collapsed at the end, the Patriots completed their epic comeback and the rest is history. There is so much to digest from this game from the perspective of the Patriots winning their 5th Super Bowl in the Brady-Belichick era, but also the other side of the coin: The Falcons meltdown in the final quarter of this game. That will be the indelible mark on this game for me as the years go by. Here are my thoughts and observations on one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time....

1) The Falcons started the game so well. They stuffed LaGarrette Blount on a 3rd and 1 on the fist drive by the Pats. Even though Atlanta didn't score on the first drive, they set the tone when Devonta Freeman busted it on a toss for a 37 yard run to the 45. Blount's fumble inside the 30 led to Freeman's 5-yard TD run to give Atlanta the 7-0 lead with 12:15 to go in the 2nd quarter. Then, Atlanta capitalized on their next drive when Matt Ryan hit Austin Hooper for a 19 yard TD to make it 14-0. You couldn't ask for a better start than the Falcons had in this game. Up 14-0 on the Pats early and they were rolling.

2) The story early in this game was the Falcons defense. They pressured Brady, sacked and harassed him, and made him uncomfortable. They tackled well, and the Pats were off the game with dropped passes. The Atlanta defense was completely dominating the Pats which culminated when Robert Alford picked off Brady and went the distance for a 82 yard interception return and a 21-0 lead. It looked like the Falcons were going to run away with the game and blow the Pats out like the Seahawks blew out the Broncos a few years ago in the Meadowlands. It was shocking and amazing how well the Falcons were playing at that point.

3) The Pats did manage to drive down and get a field goal right before the half to stop the bleeding and make it 21-3, but that was about one of the worst halves of football I have ever seen the Pats play in the Brady-Belichick era. Even though the Pats got a field goal, I still thought the Falcons were going to win the game and put it away in the second half.

4) After the teams traded punts to start the half, the Falcons go 85 yards on 8 plays in only 4 minutes and Ryan hit Tevin Coleman on a 6 yard TD pass in the flat to make it 28-3 with 8:31 left in the 3rd quarter. 28-3, midway through the 3rd quarter and the Falcons were in complete command of the game and finish line was in sight for their first Super Bowl in franchise history. It was right there for them.

5) At 28-3, I started thinking about how the Falcons and Matt Ryan might be starting their own run as a franchise after dominating the Pats in this Super Bowl, and how this loss affects Brady and Belichick's legacy with a blowout loss for their third Super Bowl defeat. Boy, was I was in for a surprise the rest of the way.

6) The Pats drove down to score on the next drive on a Brady to James White 5 yard TD pass with 2:06 left in the 3rd quarter to make it 28-9 when Stephen Gostkowski missed the extra point. It still looked like it just wasn't going to be the Pats night. The Pats converted a 4th and 3 from their own territory on the drive, and I wonder how many NFL head coaches would have punted there. Belichick made the right choice by going for it, and Brady completed a pass for a first down to keep the drive alive. Gutsy call and the right call by Belichick there. Atlanta was still in good shape and led the friggin Super Bowl 28-9 going into the 4th quarter.

7) I was surprised Belichick went for the onside kick that early after the score, and the Falcons recovered, and it seemed like a move of desperation at that point. He got bailed out by his defense with a 3rd down sack of Ryan, and the Pats got the ball back.

8) The Pats went 72 yards on 12 plays and they had to settle for a 33 yard field goal to make it 28-12 with 9:44 to go in the game. It was smart by Belichick to go for the field goal there because it still made it a two possession game with under 10 minutes to go, but the Pats still needed two TDs and two 2-point conversions to tie the game. There is no way in the world that the Pats were going to be able to get 2 TDs and 2 two-point conversions in the 4th quarter! No way that happens in the NFL. I was wrong once again.

9) What transpired next over the last 9 minutes of the game was one of the most mind-boggling endings to a game I have ever seen. The way the Falcons handled this last part of the game was just atrocious and about as bad as you can finish off a game. It was a meltdown from start to finish. The next drive, the Falcons decided to pass on a 3rd and 1 from their own 36 and Ryan got sacked by Donta Hightower, fumbled, and the Pats recovered at the Atlanta 25 with 8:31 to go. That was the break the Pats needed, and you could just see this comeback coming. Why are the Falcons throwing the ball on that 3rd and 1? Just run the ball and if you don't get it, then at least you take some time off the clock. I just don't get it.

10) Now, Brady is on fire, the Falcons defense is already gassed, and the Pats have all the momentum. Naturally, Brady brings them right down the field, and after a huge 14 yard completion to Malcolm Mitchell on a 3rd and 11, the Pats capped it off with Brady hitting Danny Amendola for a 6 yard TD to make it 28-18, and they then converted the first of their two 2-pointers with the direct snap run to James White on a play that the Pats have been running near the goaline for like 16 years going back to the Kevin Faulk days. 28-20 ATL with 5:56 to go in the game. Buckle your seatbelts. At this point, I really had a feeling the Pats were going to tie the game somehow and someway.

11) Smart move by Belichick to kick it short and make the Falcons return the kick. From their own 10, Ryan hits Freeman on a short throw and Freeman goes 39 yards to the ATL 49. That was a huge play for Atlanta. Two plays later, Julio Jones, who finished with 4 catches for 87 yards, made an unbelievable catch for 27 yards on the sideline to give them a first down at the NE 22 with only 4:40 to go in the game. All they need is a field goal to make it 31-20 and the game is over. What happened next was a travesty from a Falcons standpoint. Freeman lost a yard on the next run, and then Matt Ryan took a terrible sack on the next play and lost 12 yards. Why are you even throwing the ball there??? Why not just run it again? That was an awful job by Kyle Shanahan and Dan Quinn. Just awful. The next play, the Falcons got called for a holding call, which set up a 3rd and 33 at the Pats 45 and they called another pass and it was incomplete and they had to punt with 3:44 to go in the game. What an incredibly awful sequence of plays and events by the Falcons in that spot. Just incredible.

12) You knew Brady was going to go down the field and score. You could just feel it and sense it. They went 10 plays and 91 yards and it was aided by an incredible catch by Julian Edelman on a batted ball in between three Falcon defenders and he scooped it up before it hit the ground to the Falcons 41 for a gain of 23. Why did Dan Quinn challenge the play? It was called a catch on the field, but it was right before the 2 minute warning, and now the Falcons were out of timeouts. Just incredible. I can't even explain it. Brady just shreads the Falcons the rest of the way and James White plunges in from the 1 yard line to make it 28-26, and they naturally get the 2 point conversion to Amendola on a quick screen to tie it at 28 with only 57 seconds left in the game. It was just surreal to watch and expected all at the same time.

13) The Falcons had no timeouts, so they could only do so much on the next drive, and the game was going to overtime after the Falcons could only manage one first down on that series.

14) The first Super Bowl ever to go into overtime was over once the Pats won the coin toss, you knew this game was over and the Pats were going to win the game. The Pats went 75 yards on 8 plays in only 3:58 to win the game 34-28. Brady completed passes to Amendola for 14, Chris Hogan for 18, Edelman for 15, and a pass interference on Martellus Bennett that put the ball down to the ATL 2 yard line. After a near Brady interception on a fade to Bennett, James White finished the comeback off with a 2 yard TD run around right end to win the game and cap the comeback. Just unreal. Absolutely an amazing finish and one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

15) This game puts Brady over the top in the conversation of greatest QB ever. He won another Super Bowl MVP, finished with his 5th Super Bowl, and now he has the Super Bowl titles, the stats, the wins, and everything else. The argument and the debate is over. Brady is the greatest QB of all time and that's it. Belichick cemented his legacy as the greatest NFL coach next to Vince Lombardi with his 5th Super Bowl title, and he passed Chuck Noll for most wins in Super Bowl history. He deserves credit for always having his team prepared for any situation and he never melts down late in the game like other coaches do. The Pats never panicked, they kept grinding it out, they were mentally tough, and they pulled off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. It's hard to think that the Pats could top some of their other great wins in the Brady-Belichick era, but I think this game might top all of those other games. Just incredible.

16) On the flip side, this was the biggest collapse in NFL playoff history. Given the circumstances, the way the game played out, and just the percentages of the situation, the way the Falcons blew this game is just unreal and tragic all in one. Forget about the Oilers blowing that playoff game to the Bills in '92, this choke job by the Falcons takes the cake. The Falcons had a 99% probability of winning the game at 20 different points in the game. This game will stick with this team for a long, long time. Dan Quinn and Kyle Shanahan will have a hard time living this game down, and as much as you have to credit the Pats and Brady for the comeback, you have to look at the Falcons and their part that they played in this epic collapse. If I was a Falcons fan, I would be so devastated that I would not be able to go to work the next day or maybe for the rest of the week. At one point, I was thinking about how the Falcons might be at the start of their run after burying the Patriots, and then in a matter of moments they are viewed as one of the biggest chokers in NFL history. This could be the downfall for this team. If they never get back to the Super Bowl, this will be the game that everyone points to. I'll never forget the look in Arthur Blank's face as he was on the sideline near the end of the game watching this unfold in front of his eyes. Just gut-wrenching for Falcons fans.

17) It was the greatest Super Bowl ever, but it was definitely in the top 5 based on the comeback the Pats made. It certainly was one of the most exciting 4th quarter in the history of the NFL. The Pats ran 93 plays in the game. The Falcons defense was gassed in the second half, Brady got hot, and the rest is history. It was a tremendous game to watch, but it was like also watching a trainwreck before it actually happened. Thankfully, the NFL got one hell of a game to end what was a very lackluster postseason. It needed a memorable game and it got one. If you thought this game was great, it probably be the Thursday night opener in September when the Pats host the Falcons next year.