Super Bowl Fifty-One: Super Surprise?

In a tremendous comeback, the New England Patriots achieve victory in overtime

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Photo by Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Tom Brady, 12, quarterback for the New England Patriots sets up a pass

Super Bowl 51 lived up to the nation’s expectations as the dominant Atlanta Falcons faced the red-hot New England Patriots in the biggest sports event of the year. The big question on everyone’s mind would be up for answer tonight: will Tom Brady cement his legacy as the best quarterback in NFL history?

The Falcons asserted their dominance at the start of the game, with touchdowns scored by passing, rushing, and even a monstrous 82-yard pick six by Robert Alford. Going into Lady Gaga’s performance at half-time, everyone who was previously surprised by Brady’s performance thus far already began assuming Atlanta had their first franchise Super Bowl win in the bag. After halftime however, The Patriots were trailing 28-3 until Brady appeared to get his act together, throwing multiple touchdown passes to bring his team back into the game. While Brady’s second half effort was remarkable, it wasn’t a one-man show.

In what was arguably the most important play of the game, Patriots’ wide receiver Julian Edelman made a surreal reception, diving while being covered by three defenders in the drive that would tie the game, making this year’s Super Bowl the first in history to be settled in overtime. After winning the coin toss, New England took the ball all the way to the end-zone in the first drive, resulting in The Patriots beating The Falcons 34-28 in the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

The answer: Tom Brady surpassed Joe Montana’s Super Bowl record, with five victories under his belt to date, and became the greatest quarterback in NFL history.