The New England Patriots dynasty rolls on.
For the fifth time in franchise history — all five coming under head coach Bill Belichick — the Patriots are Super Bowl champions, having carried out a historic comeback in a 34-28 overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons.
With the win, Tom Brady has established himself as the greatest quarterback of all-time, and Belichick has forever aligned himself with Vince Lombardi. But those are all topics for the days ahead.
For right now, it’s time to examine how they got the job done on Sunday.
Here’s a look at the five biggest reasons why the Patriots are once again Super Bowl champions.
5. Quickness of wide receivers pays dividend
Coming into the game, the Patriots had what appeared to be a clear advantage due to the speed and quickness of their receivers. And while Atlanta did a great job neutralizing that for much of the game, it did factor heavily into the outcome.
Not only did the Patriots’ receivers generate three defensive holding penalties that resulted in first downs, but their speed and quickness also gassed the Falcons defenders late in the game, and especially in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Atlanta’s defensive backs had their hands on their hips, which left several receivers open on crossing and slant routes, allowing Brady to pick and choose his targets like shooting fish in a barrel.
Despite their many struggles throughout the game, the receivers held tough and made their presence felt in the end. They deserve as much of a pat on the back for their resiliency as anyone else on the team. Their rebound was essential to the victory.
4. A David Tyree-like moment of their own
In Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots watched helplessly as Eli Manning launched a pass over the middle of the field on a third-and-5. It was infamously hauled in by wide receiver David Tyree despite safety Rodney Harrison being draped all over him.
Four plays later, the Giants would score and go on to win the game. It was heartbreaking for Tom Brady & Co. And while it may not have been revenge on the Giants, the Patriots were on the opposite end of a similar play in Super Bowl LI.
With time winding down in the fourth quarter and the Falcons leading by eight, Brady put up a pass into traffic that appeared destined to be intercepted, which would have sealed an Atlanta victory. Instead, wide receiver Julian Edelman went up to battle for the ball and as the tangled web of players fell to the ground, he positioned his hand underneath and came away with the miraculous reception (video here).
After review, the call stood and a few short plays later the Patriots drove it into the end zone, scored the two-point conversion and sent the game into overtime. The rest, as they say, is history.
3. Third down defense
As dominant as the Falcons offense was on Sunday night, the Patriots defense came up big on third down. In fact, only once did Atlanta convert on third down in the game (1/7). And then mid-way through the fourth quarter, a ferocious pass rush forced a Matt Ryan fumble, which breathed new life into New England.
The turnover was Atlanta’s first in the postseason. They were also held to a three-and-out earlier in the game, which was their first in 21 offensive possessions.
As bad as every other number may look, it was New England’s third down defense that prevented things from getting completely out of hand and allowed the offense to slowly work their way back into things and, as history will chronicle, complete the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.
2. Tom Brady comes up big in the end
It was not an ideal day for Tom Brady. Not only was he repeatedly hammered by a relentless Falcons pass rush, but Brady dealt with some uncharacteristic inconsistencies with his wide receivers.
At any given time, there appeared to be some miscommunication on routes which was only compounded by a series of drops from nearly every receiver on the field. But Brady hung in and reminded everyone why he’s the GOAT in crunch time.
He rallied his team from a 25-point deficit, which is the largest comeback in Super Bowl history by a remarkable 15 points, to push the game into overtime. And then, with one last hurrah, drove them down the field again for the game-winning touchdown. Atlanta never got a chance of their own.
It was a remarkable Brady-led comeback that will be marveled for the rest of history.
1. They did their job
If you’ve ever found yourself around the Patriots, you’ve probably heard head coach Bill Belichick telling his players “do your job.” As simple and mundane as that seems, it’s a key mantra in New England and for good reason.
In order to find success in the NFL, a team must be firing on all cylinders. And for that to be the case, each player must responsible for themselves and responsible to every single one of their teammates. Like a stack of dominoes, each piece is only as important as the one next to it. If one tips, they all go down.
On Sunday night, the Patriots didn’t tip. Rather, each player stayed true to the gameplan, weathered the storm, did their job and as a result, the organization now gets to add a fifth Lombardi Trophy to its case.
It’s that sort of camaraderie that fuels this current Patriots dynasty, and it’s why they’ll be dangerous for the foreseeable future. And it’s also why they are Super Bowl LI champions.
