Whether you’re a New England Patriots fan or not (i.e. the whole rest of the country), it’s not hard to admit that Super Bowl LI was one that will go down in history.
The First Half
Normally I wouldn’t summarize an entire half in one bullet point but there is just no need to drag this one out: the Patriots got their a** kicked. Sack after sack, pick after pick, the Patriots found themselves trailing the Falcons by a seemingly unrecoverable 19 point deficit after this massacre of a half.
Lady Gaga
No surprise here: Lady Gaga absolutely slayed the halftime show. Following a patriotic medley, Gaga jumped from the ceiling into a performance of “Poker Face,” “Bad Romance,” “Born This Way,” and many more of our favorite hits. Though her performance lacked the obvious political statement viewers expected (Lady Gaga is very openly liberal), she weaved in a subtle message of inclusion and acceptance throughout the performance. Safe to say, she did not disappoint her beloved little monsters.
The Second Half
Brady and the Patriots finally got their s**t together with a solid drive in response to an early Falcons touchdown with a touchdown of their own. Brady connected with James White to close the gap to 28-9, but, with a missed field goal attempt by historically near-perfect Gostkowski, hopes for a comeback were still low.
Patriots Turn the Game Around
It wasn’t until the 4th quarter that Super Bowl 51 really got interesting. In just one nail-biting 15-minute period the New England Patriots managed to scrape together enough points to tie the game up with just 57 seconds remaining.
…I mean look at this catch… the Patriots weren’t messing around anymore.
OVERTIME??
After an exciting 4th quarter final (successful!) drive by the Patriots, the score was tied 28-28 and the Patriots and Falcons entered the first overtime in Super Bowl history.
Patriots Victory!
With an overtime coin toss win, it took the New England Patriots just one drive to score the game-winning touchdown as they clinched the title of Super Bowl 51.
Tom Brady
With a Super Bowl record 466 passing yards, Brady becomes the first quarterback to win the championship five times. He’s also the first four-time Super Bowl MVP, breaking another tie with his boyhood hero, Joe Montana. Even Patriots-haters can’t argue TB12 is one of the greatest of all time.