If you’re looking for an epic Super Bowl rewatch, start with the 2017 Super Bowl LI, Patriots vs. Falcons. In this game, sports history was made for several reasons. First, Super Bowl LI features the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. Second, it’s the first Super Bowl that was decided in overtime. By the time the game was over, at least 30 records had been broken or matched by individual players or teams. How’s that for epic?
This game started off wobbly for the New England Patriots. Famous quarterback Tom Brady wasn’t playing well, and the team fell into a huge hole behind the Atlanta Falcons. But it’s also thanks to Brady that the team recovered, leading the team on five scoring drives in a row to make the score 34-28, Falcons still leading.
After Lady Gaga played at halftime, and when the score was tied, CBS sports observed, “The Falcons’ sideline looked like they were on the business end of a zombie apocalypse.”
It’s worth pointing out how well the Falcons’ defense did at shutting out the Patriots in the first half of the game. Most commentators and fans were focused only on the Patriots’ offensive skills. But to ignore the Atlanta team’s clever and determined defense would overlook an essential element of gameplay.
For instance, Falcons linebacker Deion Jones wrestled the ball away from the Patriots’ running back, showing incredible fortitude. Atlanta’s defense, including Courtney Upshaw and Grady Jarrett, kept the pressure up on Brady, and they each recorded sacks.
Watch a replay of the epic comeback and you’ll see what we mean. The New York Times called this game “a comeback for the ages” with a message that’s entirely relevant to our current times: “And they won, just as they thought they would all along, even if they never could have conjured how they did it.”