Class Exercises
Super Bowl 51: The Game that Modified NFL History
Super Bowl 51 had a good variety of aspects that has everyone still buzzing about it. It had two teams that ranked in the top 5 in the league on offense and defense. In a postgame press conference, Super Bowl LI MVP and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said it himself: "a game that we will remember for the rest of our lives." Records were being broken left and right, good and bad. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this may be one of the greatest Super Bowls, both record-wise and stat-wise.
The stats will always be there, like Brady throwing for 466 yards (a Super Bowl record), while completing 43 of his 62 passes (another Super Bowl record), throwing two touchdowns and the interception from Robert Alford that was returned for 89 yards for the touchdown to put the Falcons up 21-0 late in the second quarter. With the win, Brady now has 5 Super Bowl wins, the most by any quarterback in league history (another record). There were many more records set last night, like most career passing yards (2,071 yards), completions (207 completions), and games (7 games), but Brady wasn't the only one changing the books. Bill Belichick passed Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll for the most Super Bowl wins in the Super Bowl era with the win last night. Belichick also has the most Super Bowl appearances, with last night being his 10th. The Patriots also own the largest comeback in the game's history, but that's one that will haunt Atlanta for years to come.
The Atlanta Falcons had everything that was needed. They were able to hold the Patriots to 3 points, which is something you don't see in a game like this, and were able to contain Brady from time to time. The Patriots got a win from this, but what did the Falcons get from it? They got the opposite end of the largest comeback with the biggest lead blown in Super Bowl history (a 25-point lead) and a missed opportunity to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Atlanta. On the bright side, Matt Ryan didn't have a bad game, finishing 17 of 23 for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Even though the main story is how the Atlanta Falcons manage to blow a 25-point lead in the second half, this game was able to deliver something that hasn't been seen often: two teams going at it to claim the top of the mountain. In the end, the Patriots and the Falcons share one stat: they played in the first Super Bowl that went to overtime, and what a thrill that was. There is a lot that both teams to work on in the offseason, but rest assured that both teams gave their reason on why they deserved to be there.