Saluting Tom Brady: His greatest comeback (Super Bowl LI in 2017)

 

Those of us who witnessed Tom Brady’s seemingly routine comebacks from deficits in his 20 years with the New England Patriots, both in the regular season and the playoffs, came to take them for granted.
But of all of Brady’s comebacks, his greatest one, on Feb. 5, 2017, in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, was one that no one except the most diehard of Patriots fans thought would happen. That’s because, after a lackluster first half during which the Pats trailed the Falcons 21-3, the deficit grew to 28-3 --- 25 points or FOUR scores (three TDs with two-point conversions and a field goal) --- with 8:31 left in the third quarter.
I spent most of that time listening to the game on radio, and like most fans, I was stunned by the score. But I had to write an editorial on the game for Tuesday’s edition, so I basically wrote one based on what I thought would be an embarrassing loss until I paused my writing after the Pats scored a TD to make it 28-9 (the extra point was missed).
I soon stopped writing the editorial based on a loss altogether after the Patriots further cut the deficit following a couple of forced takeaways by the Patriot defense. When the Pats pulled to within one score, I had to resume watching the game --- and the rest was history.
The comeback will always be Brady’s most improbable ever, and this editorial, written after Brady and coach Bill Belichick hoisted their fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy, tried to capture the frenetic ending to what was arguably the most dramatic Super Bowl win ever --- and still the only one that was decided in overtime.

This editorial was published in The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA, on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017:

“But a lot has transpired (this year). I don’t think that needs any explanation. … This is unequivocally the sweetest.”
-- Patriots owner Bob Kraft, speaking from the podium after receiving the Vince Lombardi trophy from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

Have you slept since Sunday night? If you haven’t, we don’t blame you, because Super Bowl LI was one for the record books -- in many improbable ways.
No one saw the Patriots stunning come-from-behind 34-28 victory in overtime, the first in Super Bowl history, coming except the most diehard of fans, because for the first three quarters, not much went right for the Patriots.
From the moment that the Patriots lost the coin toss, and the Falcons deferred, the Patriots’ ninth Super Bowl – and quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick’s seventh together – looked like it was going to be the team’s worst beating since getting blown out 46-10 by the Chicago Bears 31 years ago in the team’s first Super Bowl Jan. 26, 1986.
On the way to trailing 21-3 at halftime and 28-3 late in the third quarter, the Patriots committed several uncharacteristic miscues, including a fumble by running back LaGarrette Blount deep in Falcons’ territory, which led to a TD after a scoreless first quarter. Then, with the Falcons leading 14-0 and the Patriots driving down the field, Brady, under constant pressure by the Falcons’ defense, threw his first pick-6 of the year to give the Falcons a 21-0 lead.
It looked worse early in the third quarter, when, after the Falcons made it 28-3 with 8:13 left, the Pats scored near the end of the quarter to provide a glimmer of hope, only to have kicker Stephen Gostkowski miss an extra point, putting the Pats in a 28-9 hole at the start of the fourth quarter.
And then Brady – who won his fourth Super Bowl MVP award – took over. He drove the Pats to a first-and-goal early in the fourth, but after back-to-back sacks, Gostkowski redeemed himself with a 41-yard field goal to make it a two-touchdown game (with two 2-point conversions) with less than 10 minutes left.
That proved plenty of time for Brady, who went to work after the Patriots sacked Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and recovered a fumble on the 25. The Pats pulled to within eight, 28-20 with 5:36 left on a 6-yard TD pass to Danny Amendola and a 2-point conversion.
And then the fun really started. The Patriots let the Falcons get close to field goal territory before forcing a punt, leaving them 90 yards to go with just a few minutes left. Brady got the team moving, with the key play a catch that’s being compared to the David Tyree “Immaculate Reception” of the 2008 Super Bowl, only this time, the player pulling off the miracle was one of the good guys, Julian Edelman. The catch stood up to a review, James White scored the TD and Amendola got another 2-point conversion to do the unthinkable: tie the game at 28-28 to set up overtime.
When the OT coin toss went the Pats’ way and captain Matthew Slater emphatically said the team would take the ball, you knew Brady would drive them down the field to win his and Belichick’s fifth title, and that’s what happened, with White, having the game of his life, rushing the last 2 yards for the winning TD.
That was the Patriots’ only lead of the night, but it finished off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Now, it’s on to the duck boats – and even Belichick will be smiling.