As football fans gathered at Super Bowl parties all across America, they had no clue that they were about to witness a miracle and history all at the same time. The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons met at NRG stadium in Houston, Texas for the last game of the 2016 season. Super Bowl LI, this matchup featured the newly crowned NFL MVP (Matt Ryan) vs. the ageless wonder (Tom Brady). Yet it would only be one who would walk away with the Lombardi trophy and legendary status.

The Falcons put the Patriots in unfamiliar territory very early by jumping out to a 21 point lead. Wait. What? There is no possible way we are watching a Belichick/Brady led team look so lethargic and outcoached at the same time is it? We have seen the Patriots come back from a 10 point deficit in the Super Bowl before (SB 49 – Seahawks), but this was 21 points. And no team has ever come back from that many points down to win. On the next offensive possession the Patriots were saved time after time on third down by defensive holding penalties committed by a Dan Quinn (Falcons Head Coach) led defense. Once inside the red zone, it looked as if Brady would finally get his team on the board. And then it happened. A Big Foot sighting. A UFO landing in Arizona. Well those things didn’t happen, but the equivalent did to every Patriots fan who was watching. Tom Brady threw an interception for a touchdown. Yes, you read that right (I even had to proofread that sentence 3 times). And just that quick all the Atlanta Falcons had taken the football heart of the 4 time Super Bowl champions. New England was able to muster up 3 points before the half which seemed as if the Falcons had given them those points as a gesture of good faith. The halftime score was 21-3, but in the eyes of the fans the score looked like 45 – impossible.

As the second half got under way, it was as if Bill Belichick let the whole Patriots team stay on the field to watch Lady Ga Ga in the halftime show. They forced the Falcons to punt on the opening possession of the half, but gave the ball right back to them on a punt themselves. Matt Ryan then drove Atlanta right down the field and connected with RB Tevin Coleman for a 6 yard score. 28 – 3. “Y’all thought it was a game. The Patriots are done. It’s over.” These were the words bellowed out by hip hop star and avid Atlanta Falcons fan, Bow Wow. It was also the mindset of every Falcons fan that was in the building. Even the President couldn’t watch anymore as he left his own Super Bowl party. I could see the headline of most articles being written during the game. “Ice in his veins. Matt Ryan and the Falcons wins Super Bowl 51.” Well in the midst of daydreaming and stuffing my face with nachos, Tom Brady slipped away from the bench and into a phone booth to go from Clark Kent to Superman. Well, that’s what it eventually would look like to Atlanta.

One thing that defines a champion is that they never surrender or give up. NEVER. Tom Brady must have this phrase tattooed somewhere on his body. Down 25 points and counting, he started to show why he is a 4 time SB champion. A touchdown here (5 yard pass to RB James White) 28-9, a field goal there, 28-12, and just like that you could feel the momentum starting to shift. Finally, the Patriots we know have arrived in Houston. I guess NE defense wanted some of the action as well as they forced a fumble in the fourth quarter to put the ball back in Brady’s hands. Mr. Reliable himself then threw a 6-yard TD pass and the offense converted a 2-point conversion. Just like that the Patriots are back in the game. 28-20. By this time you could hear crickets from Atlanta to Houston. Both fans alike couldn’t believe what they were witnessing. Could New England really make history by coming back? Would Atlanta choke away this game? Everyone wanted answers to these questions and wanted them fast. When the Falcons got the ball back they pretty much answered the second question loud and clear. YES. Up by 8 points and in the red zone. Atlanta needed to do the one thing they have done with ease the entire year and that was score and they failed to get that done. On three consecutive plays, the Falcons shot themselves in the foot with a sack, a holding penalty, and an over thrown pass. What looked like it would be a simple FG attempt ended up turning into a punt to the 9 yard line. Now the average football fan is thinking that with a little over two minutes left to play in the game and 91 yards needed to score that the game is pretty much over. Wait. Throw in the fact that if you do score you also need another 2-point conversion to tie it. Yep, this game is pretty much over and thank goodness the writers still had that story from the second quarter about the Patriots being blown out still saved to the hard drive. Hold on one second. I said average football fan right? Not Patriots football fans where they praise Tom Brady for being everything that is right in the National Football League. They marched right down the field on Atlanta and were aided by a miraculous catch from WR Julian Edelman to keep the drive alive. They eventually scored and tied the game with another 2-point conversion. 28 -28. Mr. Brady let the world know that he was coming for the trophy and it wasn’t anything anyone could do about it. Especially the Falcons. Matt Ryan got the ball back with 57 seconds left, but with no timeouts the drive stalled and the game was headed into overtime (1st time ever). All New England needed was one more opportunity to have the ball and they got that opportunity by winning the coin toss. By that time you could hear a distinct voice in the back of my head saying, “Game over. Brady is not giving this ball back to them.” And true enough, a James White TD sealed the deal. 28 -34. By that time reality finally hit me on what the world had witnessed. History was just made by one of the best teams to ever do it, The New England Patriots. Down by the largest deficit in Super Bowl history and they never got rattled. They just kept doing it the “Patriot Way.”