Super Bowl LI: Patriots Stun Falcons in OT with Largest SB Comeback

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

There's a first time for everything, and after 50 Super Bowls lasted the usual 60 minutes of regulation, Super Bowl LI took extra time.

And the only reason it did was because of an epic comeback by the New England Patriots.

The Patriots had their backs against the wall, facing a 21-3 deficit at halftime and a 28-3 deficit halfway through the third quarter, only to erase the 25-point margin and finish things off in overtime for a 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons roared out to a commanding lead, scoring 21 points in the second half.

A New England fumble set up a scoring drive for the Falcons, who took the ball 71 yards on five plays, capped off by a five-yard touchdown run by Devonta Freeman.

After a three-and-out for New England, another five-play drive ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Austin Hooper. 

The Patriots started to drive looking to cut the deficit in half as the first half started to wind down, but with the ball on the Atlanta 23, Tom Brady's pass was intercepted by Robert Alford and returned 82 yards for a touchdown, putting Atlanta up 21-0.

The Patriots managed to drive down the field again for a 41-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski before the half.

Both teams punted on their first possessions of the second half. Then the Falcons again charged down the field.

An eight-play, 85-yard drive was capped by a six-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Tevin Coleman and with 8:31 left in the third quarter, the Falcons had a 28-3 lead.

That's when the comeback began for New England.

A drive that lasted 6:25 and 13 plays got the Patriots on the board with a touchdown, Brady connecting with James White for a five-yard touchdown, but Gostkowski's extra point hit the right upright and was no good. The ensuing onside kick also failed, leaving the Patriots down by 19 as the fourth quarter began.

The Patriots used the first five minutes of the final quarter to drive down field only to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Gostkowski, keeping the margin at 16 with 9:44 to play.

But the Falcons fumbled on their third play of the next drive and New England recovered, taking over at the Atlanta 25. Five plays later, Brady found Danny Amendola in the endzone for a six-yard touchdown. White ran up the middle for the two-point conversion, making it a one-score game at eight points with 5:56 to play.

The Falcons appeared to have the game on ice on the ensuing drive. Freeman picked up 39 yards on a screen play to move to midfield. Julio Jones hauled in a remarkable catch on the sidelines two plays later for a gain of 22, putting the ball at the New England 22 with 4:40 to play. But Ryan was sacked for a loss of 12 yards on 2nd and 11 at the Patriots 23 and an offensive holding penalty pushed the Falcons back another 10 yards to the Patriots 45. They punted after an incomplete pass on third down, giving the Patriots the ball at their own nine yard line with 3:38 to play.

Brady only needed 2:33 of that. The Patriots marched down the field for the 91 yards with White driving into the endzone from one yard out to cut the lead to two. On the two-point conversion, Brady connected with Amendola to tie the game at 28.

That would force overtime for the first time in Super Bowl history. 

The Patriots won the toss for overtime, meaning a touchdown would win the game. They needed eight plays and just under four minutes to finish off their fifth Super Bowl title.

Brady completed five passes to move the Patriots to the Atlanta 25. White gained 10 more on the ground to move the ball to the 15. A pass interference call moved the ball to the two, setting up White's game-winning touchdown run.

Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for the fourth time in his career, the most all-time, going 43-for-62 for 466 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. White had 29 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and added 110 yards on 14 catches and one touchdown. Amendola also had a touchdown and 78 yards on eight catches.

The loss for the Falcons was certainly not on Matt Ryan, who was 17-for-23 for 284 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Freeman had 75 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Jones had four catches for 87 yards.

The win marks the fifth time Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have won the Super Bowl in New England, marking what has to be, without a doubt, the great coach and quarterback duo of all time.

Brady certainly cemented his place in NFL history as arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. No quarterback has won more Super Bowls or Super Bowl MVPs. 

And thus ends the football season. For the Patriots, the confetti falls (again). For the other 31 teams, until next year, right?