A Comeback for the Ages

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John Gaccione '18, Staff Writer

Super Bowl LI may be remembered as the greatest comeback in the modern era with football fanatics talking about it for years to come. Many people had chosen the almighty Patriots as the clear choice in the weeks leading to the big game. This was the safe choice, as the Patriots have been to the mountaintop six times already during the Tom Brady Era, coming out victorious in four of those contests. To further support the argument for those who picked the Patriots, the Falcons had not been made it to this point since 1998 where they fell short to the Denver Broncos. While experience is always beneficial, the boys from Atlanta were too much for Bill Belichick and Co. to handle — or so we thought. Midway through the third quarter, with Atlanta leading 28-3, it appeared as if the Falcons would inevitably hoist its first Lombardi Trophy. Leading the Patriots to the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, and possibly in all of professional sports, Tom Brady emerged on full display for all of America to see.

Both teams matched up evenly on paper with their respective strengths evident; from a statistical point of view, this game featured the best offense (Falcons) against the best defense (Patriots). The Patriots offense ranked third during the regular season, while the Falcons defense was mediocre at best ranking 23rd. However, for the first two and a half quarters of the contest, Atlanta heavily outperformed New England, holding them to three points while scoring 28 of its own. Even the Falcon’s defense was providing offense, as Robert Alford returned an interception 82 yards to outrun a diving Tom Brady. Atlanta fans began a premature celebration, and New England fans looked devastated with such little time left. However, the outcome of the game serves as a testament to the famous quotation of the late Yankee legend Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” With numerous comebacks in the past year of sports, both the Cavaliers and Cubs coming back from 3-1 series’ deficits to capture championships, people should have been conditioned to expect the unexpected.

Tom Brady, now solidified as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), never seemed to display any sign of surrender, but rather had a determined look on his face, one that serves as a testament to both his character and leadership. However, and not to detract from such an impressive comeback, Atlanta essentially beat itself. First and foremost, a Matt Ryan fumble following a Patriots’ touchdown, put the opposition in a great position to cut the lead to a one-score game. Furthermore, coming well within field goal range following an incredible catch by Julio Jones, the Falcons failed to make it a two-possession game, with a sack and a holding penalty forcing them to punt. Even after all of this, Atlanta just had to master one final stand to simply keep New England out of the endzone and, in the event that it was incapable of doing that, still had the opportunity to stop a two-point conversion! Dan Quinn’s team was not able to do either, meaning that the contest would require overtime to determine a win: the first time in any Super Bowl. With New England winning the coin toss, it elected to receive the ball since the first team to score a touchdown would win the game. With all the momentum shifted towards the Patriots, Tom Brady effortlessly exploited Atlanta’s defense during this drive and as they say, “The rest is history.”