On Sunday, February 5th, 2017, the New England Patriots took on the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL’s 51st Super Bowl! This was a game full of surprises, records set, an amazing comeback, and (for the first time ever in a Super Bowl) extended time!

Super Bowl 51 had spectators on the edge of their seats! Crowds didn’t know what to expect going into the second half of the game, but the Patriots managed to come back from a 25-point lead by the Atlanta Falcons (28-3) to win the game by 6 points in overtime! This was the first Super Bowl ever to go into overtime, and the biggest come-from-behind victory in the history of the Super Bowl! The final score was Patriots 34 – Falcons 28.

According to Bucky Brooks of NFL.com. “Super Bowl LI will go down as one of the best title games in NFL history. The New England Patriots overcame a 25-point third-quarter deficit to knock off the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in the first-ever overtime Super Bowl. Some have called it the ultimate choke job by the Dirty Birds. Others think it’s the greatest comeback in recent memory. One thing everyone can agree on: Super Sunday delivered — in a major way.”

Mike Ludrosky, a JM sophomore, was surprised by “the Falcons giving up a 25-point lead on the Patriots and letting the game go into overtime, which allowed the Pats to win!”

It was quite the game for Tom Brady, who scored his fourth Super Bowl MVP title, because he now has a record fifth Super Bowl win, as does Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick. This game was also the ninth Super Bowl for the Patriots, which is the most in the NFL. This was an exciting game for the Patriots because of all of the records they set, including their larger-than-ever comeback!

“I wasn’t surprised by the Patriots’ win. I think that breaking the record for biggest comeback and matching or breaking 30 other records was the most impressive thing about the game,” says senior, Dustin Schimansky.

The Patriots, now with 5 Super Bowl wins, are tied for second place with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys; the only team with more rings is the Pittsburgh Steelers! Brady is now tied with Joe Montana, among others, for most Super Bowl MVP awards, and he has the most of any active player. Among these records, there were many others set in this super bowl including most Super Bowl appearances by a head coach (Bill Belichick), most career passing TDs (Tom Brady), most receptions and most receiving yards (James White), and most offensive plays in Super Bowl history (Patriots).

Jay Schreiber of The New York Times says “You know what happened. Trailing Atlanta 28-3, the Patriots somehow prevailed. The final margin, 6 points, actually is the biggest of [the Patriots’] seven Super Bowls, in which just 26 points separated the winners from the losers. So while the Patriots are already a betting favorite to win next year’s Super Bowl, a better wager might be that it will be close if they indeed get there.”
Clearly, Super Bowl 51 (aka Super Bowl LI) was one for the books… the history books! The Patriots managed to break so many records in this game, and other teams will be striving for the same greatness for years to come. As Vince Lombardi once said, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up,” and that is exactly what the Patriots did!