Super Bowl LI was one for the ages when it comes to historic performances. The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons squared off in Houston in what became one of the greatest football games in NFL history. The Patriots never quit even while being down 25 points with 8:31 left in the third quarter. Most fans and possibly players would have given up hope when their team has a three-score deficit to overcome, but not the Pats with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and company.
Tom Brady orchestrated a 19-point comeback in the fourth quarter against an Atlanta defense that had his number in the first half, sacking him five times and causing two turnovers including a pick-six. This is hard to believe since the Patriots success is predicated on controlling time of possession and minimizing turnovers, considering Brady only had two interceptions during the regular season, but three in the postseason. He went on to throw for 466 yards and two touchdowns along with completing roughly 70 percent of his passes. The Michigan graduate has exemplified efficiency throughout his entire career and he put that on display Sunday night without a doubt. The Patriots quarterback now has five Super Bowl rings, which is the most all-time after breaking a tie with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.
On the other side, Matt Ryan and the Falcons started off the night strong but finished in the worst way possible, blowing a huge lead in the most pivotal game of the season. The Falcons were so close to capturing their first Super Bowl as a franchise and the second championship in the Atlanta area. However, they failed to execute and score to put the game out of reach. The momentum of the game changed drastically when Dont’a Hightower, a linebacker for the Patriots, caused a strip sack on the 2017 MVP QB.
After that, the Falcons could not do anything and that allowed the Patriots to have a glimmer of hope. Atlanta fans will have to wait at least another season to celebrate that first Lombardi Trophy ceremony.
There always has been discussion on who the best QB of all-time is and everyone has their own opinions whether it should be Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Joe Montana and so on. However, Sunday night proved something that everyone should agree on: that Tom Brady is unquestionably the best QB of all-time. There is no more dispute anymore because Brady now has the most Super Bowl wins, along with his four Super Bowl MVP awards. Additionally, he threw for the most passing yards in Super Bowl history with 466 yards. Teams that led the game by more than 19 points were 93-0 in NFL postseason history until Brady and the Pats ended that streak, which could very well be the most startling statistic. Brady commanded his team to an improbable comeback and he looked unstoppable while doing it. The 39-year-old does not look like he is slowing down anytime soon and with a contract extension looming, the Patriots fans are more than content with Brady leading the charge at least for a couple more years.
Leave a Reply