One year after suffering an AFC championship loss to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots found themselves back in familiar territory–the Super Bowl.
While the Patriots were expected to make it to the Big game, their opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, were one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 season. Season MVP, Matt Ryan led the Falcons high powered offense alongside superstar wide receiver Julio Jones and dynamic running back Devonta Freeman.
Their offense overwhelmed the Pats in the first half, heading into the third quarter with a 21-3 lead. They would extend the lead to 28-3 early on in the third quarter and it seemed like they were in the driver’s seat and that they were on their way to their first ever Super Bowl ring.
As many football fans know, you can never be too certain with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick on the other side. Late in the third quarter, a rushing touchdown by James White and a missed PAT by Stephen Gostkowski cut the lead to 28-9. The fourth quarter is when Brady began to work his magic. A field goal, a touchdown pass to Danny Amendola and a 2 point conversion by James White suddenly cut the lead to 28-20 with 5 minutes to go. On the final drive, Brady did what he does and drove New England down the field, capping off the drive with another James White rushing touchdown and a 2 point conversion pass to Danny Amendola, tying the game with less than a minute to go in regulation.
In overtime, the Patriots completed the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history with none other than another James White rushing touchdown.
In spite of White’s fantastic performance, Brady was awarded Super Bowl MVP and the Pats won their 5th Super Bowl ring in the 2000s.