The Associated Press
Barry Wilner
HOUSTON–They looked old and outmanned. Their star quarterback was frazzled; their stingy defence was a sieve.
So what? Tom Brady and the New England Patriots shrugged and did what they always seem to do: win the Super Bowl.
Brady led one of the greatest comebacks in sports history highlighted by a Julian Edelman catch that was almost beyond belief.
The Patriots pulled themselves out of a 25-point hole against the Atlanta Falcons to a 34-28 win last night for New England’s fifth NFL championship.
It was the first Super Bowl decided in overtime.
“There were a lot of plays that coach talks about; you never know which one is going to be the Super Bowl winner,” noted Brady, who earned a record fourth MVP award and a fifth Super Bowl ring–the most for a quarterback.
“There were probably 30 of those plays tonight and [if] any one of those were different, the outcome could have been different.”
But down 28-3 in the third quarter, Tom?
“It’s hard to imagine us winning,” the 39-year-old Brady conceded.
“It took a lot of great plays and that’s why you play to the end.”
The Patriots scored 19 points in the final quarter, including a pair of two-point conversions, then marched relentlessly to James White’s two-yard touchdown run in overtime after winning the coin toss.
White scored three touchdowns and a two-pointer.
“We knew we had a shot the whole game,” White stressed.
“It was an amazing comeback by our team.
“It’s surreal right now,” he added. “You couldn’t write this script.”
Brady guided the Patriots (17-2) through a tiring Atlanta defence for fourth-quarter touchdowns on a six-yard pass to Danny Amendola and a one-yard run by White, which came with 57 seconds remaining in regulation time.
White ran for the first two-pointer and Amendola did the deed with a reception on the second one.
Brady finished 43-for-62–the most attempts in Super Bowl history–for 466 yards (also a record) and two touchdowns.
Before the stunning rally (New England already held the biggest comeback in the final period when it turned around a 10-point deficit to beat Seattle two years ago), the Falcons appeared poised to capture their first NFL championship in 51 seasons.
Having never been in such a pressurized environment, their previously staunch pass rush disappeared, they stumbled on offence, and Brady tore them apart.
“There’s nothing you can really say,” said Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan.
“That’s a tough loss, obviously very disappointing,” he noted. “Very close to getting done what we wanted to get done.”
It wasn’t difficult for Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft as he accepted the Lombardi Trophy from Commissioner Roger Goodell, who naturally drew a flood of boos from New England fans on hand.
Yes, “Deflategate” might be far behind Kraft and Brady, but it’s not forgotten.
“Two years ago, we won our fourth Super Bowl down in Arizona and I told our fans that was the sweetest one of all,” Kraft said.
“But a lot has transpired over the last two years and I don’t think that needs any explanation.
“I want to say to our fans, our brilliant coaching staff, our amazing players who were so spectacular, this is unequivocally the sweetest.”
Brady and coach Bill Belichick won their 25th post-season game–by far a record.
Belichick became the first coach with five Super Bowl crowns.
The Patriots won the coin toss for overtime, and by then it was no contest. Brady completed six passes against an overmatched Falcons’ secondary.
A pass interference call took the ball to the two-yard line, and White scooted to his right and barely over the goal line.
