Patriots pull biggest Super Bowl comeback, beat Falcons 34-28 in overtime
Tom Brady lifts Jewish-owned New England team from 25-point deficit to its 5th championship in game's first overtime finish
Tom Brady led one of the greatest comebacks in sports, let alone Super Bowl history, lifting New England from a 25-point hole to the Patriots’ fifth NFL championship in the game’s first-ever overtime finish.
The Patriots scored 19 points in the final quarter, including a pair of 2-point conversions, then marched relentlessly to James White’s 2-yard touchdown run in overtime beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 Sunday night.
Brady, the first quarterback with five Super Bowl rings, guided the Patriots (17-2) through a tiring Atlanta defense for fourth-quarter touchdowns on a 6-yard pass to Danny Amendola and a 1-yard run by White, which came with 57 seconds remaining in regulation. White ran for the first 2-pointer and Amendola did the deed with a reception on the second.
Brady finished 43 for 62, the most attempts in Super Bowl history, for 466 yards and two touchdowns.
“You know, we all brought each other back,” Brady said. “We never felt out of it. It was a tough battle. They have a great team. I give them a lot of credit. We just made a few more plays than them.”
Both Super Bowl teams have Jewish owners, as they last did in 2012; Robert Kraft with the Patriots, Arthur Blank with the Falcons.
The Kraft family over recent decades has donated more than $100 million to an array of causes, including health care, education, the Jewish community, Christian organizations and local needs.
Kraft, 75, is a prominent supporter of American football in Israel, including the Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem and the Kraft Family Israel Football League.
Patriots receiver Julian Edelman, who kept his team’s comeback alive with a diving catch late in the fourth quarter, also identifies as Jewish, and recently took a well-documented trip to Israel.
On Sunday, shortly before the game, Israel’s Tourism Ministry announced that a delegation of 11 current and former players, including Patriots’ tight end Martellus Bennett, would visit the country next week in an effort aimed at boosting the Jewish state’s public image.
Before the stunning rally Sunday — New England already held the biggest comeback in the final period when it turned around a 10-point deficit to beat Seattle two years ago — the Falcons (13-6) appeared poised to take their first NFL championship in 51 seasons. Having never been in such a pressurized environment, their previously staunch pass rush disappeared, and Brady tore them apart.
Read: Patriots star Julian Edelman’s 5 most Jewish moments
“Deflategate” far behind them, Brady and Bill Belichick won their 25th postseason game, by far a record. It’s hard to imagine a tenser victory.
Pop diva Lady Gaga, an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, performed at halftime, steering clear of direct jabs at the president and opting for more subtle messaging such as starting off with “This land is your land.”
The Super Bowl’s traditional sideshows — the flurry of innovative television advertisements rolled out during the game –were also caught up in the nation’s politically charged atmosphere, highlighting inclusiveness, equality and multiculturalism.
Ahead of the show, Pope Francis has recorded a video message to be played during the Super Bowl, expressing hope that the occasion can “be a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity for the world.”
Trump, who has repeatedly cited his friendship with Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick, was not at the game.