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Tom Brady wouldn’t be denied, a man determined to deliver a masterful performance for the ages as he manufactured the most dramatic and biggest comeback victory in Super Bowl history.
Calmly rifling precise spirals and maintaining his poise and accuracy despite being under heavy duress from the Atlanta Falcons’ pass rushers, the legendary New England Patriots quarterback engineered an improbable 34-28 overtime victory in Super Bowl LI on Sunday night at NRG Stadium.
The seemingly ageless 39-year-old with the ultra-disciplined diet and workout regimen was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player for an NFL-record fourth time. In doing so, Brady cemented his legacy as the winningest starting quarterback in NFL Super Bowl history as he earned an unprecedented fifth Vince Lombardi trophy. Brady has now surpassed Joe Montana, his childhood idol, and Terry Bradshaw with this stellar performance to establish a new gold standard in the NFL.
Brady set Super Bowl records with 43 completions, 62 attempts and 466 passing yards for two touchdowns and one interception for a 95.2 passer rating.
Brady simply refused to quit, never yielding despite a seemingly insurmountable 28-3 Falcons lead in the third quarter.
“Tom is an assassin,” Patriots defensive end Chris Long said after the first overtime game in Super Bowl history. “He tore their hearts out.”
Embarrassed and angry at being suspended for four games by commissioner Roger Goodell to start the regular season for his involvement in Deflategate, Brady attacked this season and the Super Bowl with a vengeance. Brady took the high road when asked if he felt a sense of redemption moments after Goodell handed over the Vince Lombardi trophy to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who’s been sharply critical of the NFL’s top executive and how he handled this high-profile situation.
“This is all positive,” said Brady after boosting his NFL record playoff victory total with his 25th postseason win. “This is unbelievable. I’m going to go see my family.”
After falling behind 28-3 in the third quarter, Brady led the Patriots back with a torrid second half as they scored 31 unanswered points.
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