The Patriots pulled off the most remarkable comeback in Super Bowl history to win their fifth Lombardi Trophy.
It came at the expense of Kyle Shanahan, who will have to overcome the epic heartbreak of losing a 28-3 second-half lead and start rebuilding the lowly 49ers. Atlanta’s offensive coordinator is expected to be formally announced as San Francisco’s new head coach this week.
The Patriots doubled the previous Super Bowl record for a comeback (10 points) to win overtime, 34-28. This was in part due to the Falcons going away from the running game that worked well in the first half.
Atlanta ran nine times for 86 yards in the first half (9.6 average) but only rushed five times after taking the 25-point lead midway through the third quarter. New England nearly doubled Atlanta’s time of possession, 40:31 to 23:27 and gashed the Falcons defense for 31 points over the final 18 minutes of regulation and overtime.
Shanahan spoke after the game about managing the clock while still trying to be aggressive and keep Tom Brady on the sideline. From 9News:
“There’s always a fine line with it,’’ Shanahan said. “I thought we got a little bit stale a little bit. We got a couple three-and-outs. We got a couple second-and-1s on those three-and-outs.’’
Lose a game like that and there will be second guessing until the history books are lost in the archives.
“That’s every game,’’ Shanahan said. “You look at everything. Look at what happened, look at what you could have done different. Wish we could have ran more plays, but … you give the ball back to Tom Brady too much, that’s usually what happens.’’
The Falcons entered the Super Bowl with one of the best and most balanced offenses in league history. They scored 540 points during the regular season, the seventh-most ever, tying the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams from 2000.
It was the NFL’s top scoring offense for 2016 that ranked in the top five in both yards passing and rushing. Quarterback Matt Ryan was named league MVP on Saturday and showed flashes of brilliance in Houston on Sunday. He threw for 284 yards on just 17 completions with two touchdowns, good for a 144.1 passer rating. But Shanahan’s unbalanced game plan in the second half led to some paralyzing mistakes.
The Patriots cut the lead to 28-9 near the end of the third quarter, which was followed up by a three-and-out from Atlanta. New England marched 12 plays to kick a short field goal, cutting the lead to 16 and making it a two-score game.
Running back Tevin Coleman started the next possession with two runs that netted nine yards, setting up a third-and-short. Instead of a third-straight run, Shanahan called a passing play, and Ryan was sacked and stripped by Dont’a Hightower at the Falcons’ 36-yard line.
Five plays later, it was a one-score game, 28-20, when Brady found Danny Amendola to his left from six yards out and James White scored the two-point conversion.
But the next possession was the killer sequence for Atlanta. Ryan got the Falcons as far as the Patriots 22-yard line, thanks to some incredible play from Julio Jones. A field goal would have made it a two-score game inside of the final four minutes.
But on second-and-11 from the 23, Ryan was sacked for a 12-yard loss, pushing Atlanta back to the far edge of field goal range at the 35, which would have been a risky, 52-yard attempt. A run would have kept the Falcons in range for kicker Matt Bryant.
On third-and-23, tackle Jake Matthews was called for holding, negating a nine-yard gain that would have set up a makable 43-yard kick. Instead on third-and-33, Ryan threw an incompletion looking for Taylor Gabriel and the Falcons were forced to punt, leaving Brady 3:38 left to tie the game.
Shanahan, per ESPN:
“The thought is to get as many yards as you can,” Shanahan said of not running while in field goal range. “And we were right there on the fringe. It was by no means an easy field goal. From what I remember, we ran in on first-and-10 and lost yards. Got into second-and-11, so we try to get a pass to get us back into a manageable third down, closer to the field goal, and we took a sack. Taking a sack … got us into a third-and-20, so we threw a quick pass trying to get back into field goal range, which we did. But there was a holding call on the play. And when you get a holding call on third-and-20, it goes back that far. We were way out of field goal range. We tried our best to get back in but couldn’t get it done.”
Of course, Brady wound up tying the game.
The drive included one of the best catches in Super Bowl history, when Julian Edelman fought three Falcons for a pass that nearly scraped the turf. It went 23 yards and into Falcons territory at their 41. Brady found Amendola for 20 yards the following play, before White scored the game-tying touchdown three snaps later, culminated by Amendola’s two-point conversion.
Shanahan’s offense didn’t get a chance to take the field in overtime. Brady orchestrated an eight-play drive, ending in White’s third touchdown, giving New England the impossibly dramatic come-from-behind win. In a small bit of irony, the Patriots tied the 49ers with five Super Bowl victories.
The Falcons’ historic collapse largely fell on Shanahan’s offense, who couldn’t execute and control the clock after jumping out to a 25-point lead, making the game look like a blowout before Brady’s incredible rally.
From 9News:
“I don’t know, it’s the first time I’ve had this feeling,’’ Shanahan said. “I think it’s tough for everybody. It’s as tough as it gets. It’s not just me, it’s everybody in our organization.’’
