New England Patriots beat Atlanta Falcons 34-28 after stunning comeback in Super Bowl LI
The first Super Bowl to go into overtime in history took a thrilling turn in the fourth quarter as the New England Patriots came back from a 25-point deficit and a particularly poor performance in the first three quarters to win Super Bowl LI over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Patriots won the coin toss going into the historic overtime and running back James White scored the winning touchdown to give the Patriots their fifth Lombardi Trophy with a final score of 34-28.
The first quarter was scoreless, but the Falcons were first to put points on the board as running back Devonta Freeman scored a touchdown two and a half minutes into the second quarter.
The Falcons ended the first half up 21-3 after three touchdowns, including one from cornerback Robert Alford that came from quarterback Tom Brady's only interception of his postseason career.
Brady was even teased for his poor performance, and one particularly bad tackle attempt, becoming a viral meme as Lady Gaga began her halftime show.
The Falcons went into the game as slight underdogs, but had a 94 percent chance of winning, according to ESPN's "win probability" as the second half began.
But the Patriots came back determined in the second half, but only managed one touchdown and missed a field goal to bring the score to 28-9 as the fourth quarter began.
But the tone of the game shifted back in the Patriots favor in the fourth quarter as the New England team began to rack up a series of touchdowns and two-point conversions, bringing the score to 28-28 with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter.
White's thrilling final touchdown sealed the deal for the Patriots, who have now won five Super Bowls -- all since 2002.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was named the league's Most Valuable Player of the year the day before the game, but it was Brady who was named the MVP of the Super Bowl.
"We all brought each other back," Brady said. "We never felt out of it."
The win officially makes Brady the most decorated quarterback in modern football history, having surpassed his own idol Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw who each had four Super Bowl wins.
