It wasn’t some crazy fever dream. The New England Patriots seriously won Super Bowl LI after trailing the Atlanta Falcons 28-3 midway through the third quarter.
So, how exactly did they get there? Let’s go through the key plays that led to the Patriots winning their fifth Super Bowl title.
The Patriots’ first touchdown of the game finally came when they got the ball with 8:31 left in the third quarter and slowly moved down the field until they got to the 5-yard line with 2:12 remaining in the third.
The Patriots were criticized for taking too long, but the other option was to panic and have Brady start throwing bombs downfield. That’s usually not a winning formula.
THIRD QUARTER, 2:12, 2ND and 5
Tom Brady pass short left to James White for 5 yards, touchdown
The Patriots were in 11 personnel with Martellus Bennett, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan and White on offense. White swung out to his left out of the backfield.
The Patriots attempted an onside kick but were penalized for illegal touching, giving the Falcons the ball on the Patriots’ 46-yard line. Through negative plays and penalties, the Falcons lost yards and punted the ball away.
The Patriots got the ball on their 13-yard line and drove down the field until they faced fourth and goal at the Falcons’ 15-yard line. They kicked a field goal to get within two scores at 28-12.
FOURTH QUARTER, 8:31, 3RD and 1
Matt Ryan sacked for -11 yards by Dont’a Hightower. Fumbles. Recovered by Alan Branch.
The Falcons faced third and 1 after two carries for 9 yards. Running back Tevin Coleman suffered an injury on the previous play, forcing Devonta Freeman into the game.
FOURTH QUARTER, 6:00, 2ND and 2
Tom Brady pass short left to Danny Amendola for 6 yards, touchdown
Brady pushed Amendola over slightly before the snap.
TWO-POINT CONVERSION
The Patriots motioned White into the backfield before the snap.
White took a direct snap from center David Andrews.
And the interior line did the rest of the work, pushing the Falcons’ defensive line forward as White plowed into the end zone. The Patriots were within eight points at 28-20 with 5:56 left.
The Falcons got the ball at their own 10-yard line after a fantastic kick by Stephen Gostkowski. The Patriots then immediately let up a 39-yard catch and run to Freeman. A 27-yard catch by Julio Jones put Atlanta at New England’s 22-yard line and in field goal range.
Freeman then carried the ball for a 1-yard loss.
FOURTH QUARTER, 3:56, 2ND AND 11
Matt Ryan sacked for -12 yards by Trey Flowers
Flowers lined up at defensive tackle as the Falcons faced second and long.
Flowers escaped from Mack and kept his balance as he was being pushed back.
Because the Falcons still were near midfield, they were able to pit the Patriots inside their own 9-yard line on a punt. They backed out of their own end zone on 16- and 11-yard completions.
FOURTH QUARTER, 2:28, 1ST AND 10
Tom Brady pass deep middle to Julian Edelman
Then Brady got lucky on a deep pass to Edelman.
FOURTH QUARTER, 1:00, 2ND AND 1
James White, right guard for 1 yard, touchdown
TWO-POINT CONVERSION
The Patriots designed a screen for Amendola for the two-point conversion.
It’s been speculated that Edelman or Hogan committed pass interference on the play, but the ball was out of Brady’s hand here, Edelman still was on the line, and Hogan hadn’t made contact with his defender yet.
Amendola barely got into the end zone for the conversion, which tied the game at 28-28.
The Patriots halted the Falcons’ offense with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter then won the coin toss in overtime.
Brady drove the Patriots 73 yards down the field while going 5-of-6 for 63 yards.
OVERTIME, 11:08, 2ND AND 2
James White right end for 2 yards, touchdown
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images