The parade culminating their Super Bowl celebration is over. The Lombardi Trophy is encased with their other four. By now, unless you’ve won money on the game, everyone here is tired of hearing about the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick, Deflategate and Patriot’s boy wonder, Trump supporter, quarterback Tom Brady.
As a fan of New York and New Jersey—Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders and Devils—you’re taught early on to dislike (hate) all things Boston. And you just possibly may, but being honest, all politics aside, you know unequivocally, without doubt that New England’s second half performance, their heart, their focus, their ability to make adjustments to tally 25 points in 30 minutes during the second half, 19 in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 51st Super Bowl, noted as the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, and the first requiring overtime, is what you want from a team that you root for.
Before Lady Gaga and her team of androgynous dancers hit the stage at halftime in an attempt to distract you from refreshing drinks and the pizza and wing buffet platters, the Patriots had only scored a field goal, but given up three touchdowns. Holding penalties against their opponents, the Atlanta Falcons, extended New England’s attempts to score, kept the Brady offense on the field, but he couldn’t connect with his receivers consistently enough to get into the end zone.
Brady was sacked twice. LeGarrette Blunt fumbled on a run play. Brady threw an interception. Both resulted into Falcon touchdowns. It’s 21-3 watching Gaga dance, pondering a Patriot loss.
A pass from Brady to receiver Danny Amendola at 6:04 on the clock for 17 yards on a gambled fourth-down play set it all off for New England in the third. From Atlanta’s 37-yard line, the Bradys grind this possession out for their first touchdown. The missed extra point by kicker Stephen Gostkowski actually gives Atlanta life. The one point would have made the game 29-28 New England at the end of the fourth quarter, eliminating the need for an over time, although that’s an “if.” We’ll never really know.
What we do know is that sacks by defensive lineman, Trey (Robert) Flowers on Falcon quarterback Matt Ryan was another pivotal play in New England’s victory. So was the sack he shared with Kyle Van Noy for a nine-yard loss. So was the sack by Dont’a Hightower in the fourth that caused a Ryan fumble—a Patriot takeaway.
Each team holds the other to one touchdown in the third. They go into the fourth quarter 28-9. This quarter is when the respect for the Brady’s kick in. Offensive and defensive plays result in 19 points. Two 8-point gains stun a stagnant Atlanta Falcons team. Belichick obviously learned from others’ mistakes. He had James White run the ball the way Marshawn Lynch should have at the end of the Super Bowl in 2015—a Patriot defeat of the Seattle Seahawks.
“We’ve got great players,” said Belichick. “They’re tough, and they can compete.” Ironically, Seattle’s defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, is now Atlanta’s head coach.
Down by eight, it’s first and 10 on their 36-yard line. Brady throws a pass to another receiver, Julian Edelman, that’s tipped, and seems to slowly descend as Edelman fights for the ball while falling to the ground with three Falcon defenders on him. The ball appears to hit the turf, but the review determines that it’s a catch.
“It was one of the greatest catches I’ve ever seen,” said Brady, whose two Super Bowl losses were the result of an opponent’s miraculous catches. “I don’t know how the hell he caught it. I don’t think he does.”
Leading through most of the game, the Falcons were as stunned by New England’s second half-play as Ryan was when sacked, as Edelman was by his miraculous catch. The Falcons didn’t see it coming.
