Today we drove up to the Farm to watch Super Bowl 51, an epic battle between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for watching football and for grabbing a little of that elusive winter sunshine. Our visit was two-fold in fact. Levi’s birthday was just a few days ago so we were able to have a second celebration of the big “8”.
The game was slow and agonizing to watch. It seemed as if the Patirots had just decided not to show up. By the third quarter, it was getting late and it seemed as if the game was a shut out so Terry and I decided to head home and listen to the fourth quarter in the car. Well, with that decision, we probably missed the biggest Super Bowl come back of all time. Here’s what “The Atlantic” had to say.
This was from “The Atlantic”: At the tail end of a blowout-heavy postseason, the 51st Super Bowl—which for a long time looked like another shellacking—turned into an absolute thriller. Midway through the third quarter, the Patriots trailed 28-3; no team had ever dug out of such a large hole in the championship game. (Tom) Brady looked uncharacteristically shaky, and his counterpart, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, had his offense humming. Then, incrementally, things changed. The Atlanta attack stalled, New England started piecing together drives, and the score tightened: 28-9, 28-12, 28-20, and, with a minute left in regulation, 28-28. Four minutes into overtime, running back James White nosed the ball across the goal line, capping the turnaround and setting off the celebration.
