HOUSTON — Maybe Tom Brady was already the greatest quarterback in history before Super Bowl LI, maybe he wasn’t.
He most certainly is now.
After being ravaged by the Atlanta pass rush, after throwing a head-scratching pick-six that put his team in a three-score hole, a battered Brady engineered a comeback for the ages, mounting a game-tying 91-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by a sensational Julian Edelman tip-drill catch that will rival the Helmet Catch in history, to cap the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and force overtime for the first time in game history, before winning the thing in the extra period, stunning the Falcons, 34-28 at NRG Stadium.
The title is Brady’s fifth Super Bowl win, making him the only starting quarterback in NFL history to win five Super Bowls. Patriots coach Bill Belichick is now the first coach in league history to win five Super Bowls.
The Falcons, who will go down as having perpetrated an all-time choke job on the sport’s biggest stage, led 21-0 in the first half and stretched it to 28-3 early in the second half. They failed in their attempt to win the first title in the franchise’s 51-year history.
James White scored on a 2-yard run 4:47 into overtime to win the game.
The Patriots’ 25-point comeback is the greatest in Super Bowl history. Given the dominance the Falcons exhibited in the first half, New England’s rally makes the 2004 Red Sox’s 3-0 ALCS rally against the Yankees look like a breeze.
They blew it: Atlanta jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first half and coasted from there thanks to a sensational defensive effort, not its high-flying offense. Atlanta forced two New England turnovers in the first half, and both led to touchdowns.
The Falcons’ pass rush also battered Brady in an effort reminiscent of the Giants’ dominant defensive performances against the Patriots in their Super Bowl XLII and XLVI wins. Atlanta sacked Brady five times and also had 12 quarterback hits in regulation, dominating the Patriots’ offensive line.
Robert Alford had a fumble recovery to set up Atlanta’s first touchdown, and then ran back a Brady interception 82 yards to give the Falcons a three touchdown lead.
Brady kept getting up, though, despite the barrage of hits. And after a 6-yard touchdown catch by Tevin Coleman with 8:36 left in the third quarter, the Falcons stopped scoring. An Atlanta turnover gave the Patriots a short field and allowed New England to pull within 28-20 with about six minutes to go. Atlanta then punted on its ensuing drive, setting up the game-tying drive.
Turning point: What was the Falcons offensive coordinator/soon-to-be 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan thinking having Ryan drop back to go deep on third-and-1, up 16 points, with eight minutes to go? Ryan was strip-sacked by Dont’a Hightower, the Patriots recovered on the Atlanta 25, and scored moments later to make it a one-score game. Jed York, the Niners’ owner, needs to ask his new coach about that call.
MVP curse lives: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who was named MVP on Saturday night at NFL Honors, failed to become the first league MVP to win the Super Bowl since 2000. Kurt Warner, who was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, was the last MVP to win the Super Bowl in the same season. He led the Rams to a Super Bowl XXXIV title in 1999.
Still searching for Super: The Falcons remain one of 13 of the NFL’s 32 franchises that have not won a Super Bowl. In alphabetical order, the teams still seeking a Super Bowl win are the Bengals, Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Chargers, Eagles, Jaguars, Lions, Panthers, Texans, Titans and Vikings. The Browns, Cardinals, Eagles and Lions did win NFL titles prior to the NFL-AFL merger; the Bills, Chargers and Titans (then the Oilers) won AFL championships.
James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.
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