In a game as big as Super Bowl LI, there are always going to be some players who can look back with pride after doing themselves justice in the biggest moments of their career. There will also, inevitably, be others who will rue what went down and feel they could have contributed more. After the astonishing comeback by the New England Patriots and the shocking capitulation by the Atlanta Falcons, that’s even more true. Here are a few heroes and goats from Super Bowl LI.
Heroes
1) Tom Brady
It’s really easy to say, but it’s the truth. Brady’s fifth Super Bowl victory was probably his most remarkable, as he led his team back from 25 points down in the second half to win the game in overtime. He attempted a remarkable 62 passes, completing 43 of them, and threw for an astonishing 466 yards to go with two touchdowns.
This may well end up being Brady’s signature moment as the quarterback of the New England Patriots. Beyond getting the last laugh in Deflategate, he put together a performance to remember in a comeback for the ages. Few other quarterbacks, if any, would have so coolly led their teams back to win a game in which they were down 28-3 in the second half, and Brady even did it despite his receivers being plagued with drops and being put under constant pressure by a robust Atlanta pass rush. Those who believe he is the greatest of all time just got a huge talking point in their favor.
2) Julian Edelman
For the first three quarters, Edelman, Brady’s favorite target, was simply out of sync with his quarterback. The statistics will show he had a good, but not great game – five catches, 87 yards, no touchdowns. However, there is a strong argument to be made that the Patriots do not tie and eventually win the game without his astonishing fourth-quarter catch. It was a pass that probably should have been intercepted, and Edelman managed to keep it from hitting the ground and falling into the arms of a Falcons defender. It was the biggest play of the game, and from that moment on, it felt like the tide had turned and New England was going to find a way to win.
3) The New England defense
Yes, the league’s best defense gave up 28 points, and they spent a good part of the first two and a half quarters being comprehensively shredded by Matt Ryan and the Falcons. When they needed to step up, though, they did. Atlanta scored their 28th point with 8:31 remaining in the third quarter. If the New England defense had given up any more points, the comeback the offense made would have been impossible, but they kept the league’s best offense off the board for a full quarter and a half to end the game. They began putting Ryan under pressure, sacking him five times and hitting him on twelve separate occasions, as well as forcing a key fumble that helped spur the Patriots comeback. A late sack in the fourth quarter was a key in taking the Falcons out of field goal range, keeping it a one score game. Many units would have been demoralized and let things get further out of hand. New England’s defensive unit simply settled in, buckled down, and allowed their offense to come back.
Goats
1) Atlanta’s defense
This is a touch harsh, given it was a pick six that gave Atlanta their three touchdown lead in the first half, and the pass rush was able to keep the heat on Brady for much of the game. In fact, had the Falcons held on to their lead, there was a strong case to be made that the Atlanta rush would have been among the heroes of the victory. The problem, however, came in the second half, when Brady began surgically picking them apart. When you have a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl with a quarter and a half to go, you simply have to close things out. Brady ended up putting 466 yards on the board against them, and when it came time to buckle down and stop the comeback, they failed to keep the Patriots out of the end zone and let them follow a pair of touchdowns with successful two-point conversions as well. The secondary, in particular, was unable to keep the likes of Edelman, James White, and Danny Amendola under wraps. They’ll be haunted by this one.
2) Jake Matthews
Atlanta’s collapse cannot be blamed on one person. That said, the holding penalty Matthews committed with 3:50 left and the Falcons up 8 took his team out of field goal range. Said field goal likely would have made it impossible for the Patriots to finish the comeback, and the story would be entirely different. It was a hold, and it negated a reception that would have set Matt Bryant up comfortably to make it a two-score game. There were other culprits, of course – Matt Ryan took a very bad sack the play before, and it was somewhat strange that Kyle Shanahan was still trying to throw at that point in the first place – but if Matthews doesn’t commit a foul there, Atlanta probably goes up 31-20, and with so little time left, it’s probably game over. That call will haunt him for quite some time.
It was a remarkable game, and there were a number of reasons the Patriots pulled it out. There are also a number of Falcons players who will be replaying this one in their heads for the rest of their lives.
