Reporting from HOUSTON — It was a game that left the football world Brady Gaga.
After a first half in which he played like that impostor in a Tom Brady mask, the New England Patriots quarterback put on a Super Bowl performance for the ages Sunday, leading his team back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime, 34-28.
Half the crowd at NRG Stadium was delirious, and half was stunned. But Brady was wholly spectacular, surpassing Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw to win his fifth Lombardi Trophy – a fifth, too, for Bill Belichick, the most of any head coach.
“We all brought each other back,” Brady said. “We never felt out of it.”
The knockout blow was not a pass, but a run, a two-yard carry around the right side by James White, who just pushed his way across the plane of the goal line on the first possession of the extra period — the first overtime game in the 51-year history of the Super Bowl, mind you.
That the Patriots were even in that position was stunning, considering midway through the third quarter they trailed, 28-3, and had barely registered a pulse. The Falcons looked as if they could coast through the second half and collect the first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
The Patriots are the first team to win a postseason game after trailing by more than 16 points in the final quarter. It was also the largest comeback in New England history in any game, with Brady’s previous best being a 24-point comeback against Denver in 2013.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is surrounded by reporters and photographers after defeating the Falcons, 34-28, in overtime of Super Bowl LI.
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Quarterback Tom Brady celebrates after the Patriots defeated the Falcons, 34-28, in overtime at Super Bowl LI. (Darron Cummings / Associated Press)
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates with wife Gisele Bundchen and daughter Vivian Brady after winning Super Bowl LI.
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Patriots running back James White (on ground) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Falcons in overtime of Super Bowl LI.
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Patriots players celebrate with commemorative edition newspapers after their overtime win in Super Bowl LI.
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Patriots owner Robert Kraft holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy during the awards presentation for Super Bowl LI.
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Patriots defensive lineman Trey Flowers gets his turn with the Vince Lombardi Trophy during the Super Bowl LI postgame ceremony.
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Patriots Coach Bill Belichick celebrates with running back James White, who scored three touchdowns, after defeating the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Coach Bill Belichick celebrate after winning the Super Bowl LI.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is interviewed by broadcaster Terry Bradshaw during the award ceremony. Brady became the first four-time MVP of the Super Bowl.
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Patriots players celebrate after defeating the Falcons in overtime of Super Bowl LI.
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Patriots running back James White breaks a tackle attempt by Falcons defensive back Ricardo Allen to score the game-winning touchdown from two yards in overtime.
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Patriots running back James White fights Falcons defenders, including Jalen Collins, left, and Robert Alford, for the final inches as he scores the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
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Patriots receiver Danny Amendola scores a two-point conversion on a pass late in the fourth quarter to tie the score against the Falcons, 28-28.
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Patriots running back James White scores on a five-yard touchdown run against the Falcons late in the fourth quarter.
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Patriots running back James White evades Falcons defensive back Deion Jones on a big gain during the fourth quarter.
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Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu is brought down by Patriots defensive back Logan Ryan during the fourth quarter. There were no penalties for facemasking, and the play was nullified by a holding call.
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Falcons receiver Julio Jones makes a catch over Patriots defensive back Eric Rowe along the sideline during the fourth quarter. Atlanta’s drive, though, stalled and the Falcons had to punt.
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Patriots receiver Danny Amendola catches a six-yard touchdown pass against the Falcons defensive back Keanu Neal during the fourth quarter.
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Patriots running back James White reacts after scoring on a two-point conversion against the Falcons, cutting the Atlanta lead to 28-20 in the fourth quarter.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reacts after a two-point conversion during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LI. (Darron Cummings / Associated Press)
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Patriots receiver Julian Edelman (11) catches a tipped pass among three Falcons defenders during the fourth quarter.
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Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower forces Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to fumble on a pass attempt during the fourth quarter.
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Patriots running back James White scores before Falcons defensive back Jalen Collins can bring him down during the third quarter, cutting New England’s deficit to 28-9.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady runs for a first down against the Falcons during a scoring drive in the third quarter.
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Patriots receiver Julian Edelman can’t catch a deep pass against the Falcons during the third quarter.
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Patriots running back James White is dragged out of bounds by Falcons defensive back Robert Alford during the third quarter.
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Falcons running back Tevin Coleman scores on a six-yard reception against Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich during the third quarter, giving Atlanta a 28-3 lead.
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Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan reacts after throwing a touchdown pass to Tevin Coleman during the third quarter.
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Falcons receiver Taylor Gabriel celebrates after catching a pass against the Patriots during a scoring drive in the third quarter.
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Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LI.
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Lady Gaga made no political statement during her halftime show, instead concentrating on performing her hits after a patriotic opening.
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Lady Gaga leaps from the stage, tethered by wires, during the halftime performance of Super Bowl LI.
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Falcons defensive back Robert Alford (23) celebrates with teammate Courtney Upshaw after scoring a touchdown on a 82-yard interception return to give Atlanta a 21-3 lead in the second quarter.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady watches Falcons defensive back Robert Alford (not pictured) return an interception 82 yards for a touchdown during the second quarter in Super Bowl LI. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady tries to tackle Falcons defensive back Robert Alford after he intercepted a pass during the second quarter. Alford ran it back 82 yards for a touchdown.
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Falcons defensive back C.J. Goodwin, right, breaks up a pass intended for Patriots receiver Malcolm Mitchell during the first half.
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Falcons tight end Austin Hooper catches a touchdown pass ahead of Patriots defensive back Patrick Chung during the second quarter, giving Atlanta a 14-0 lead.
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Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan throws a touchdown pass to Austin Hooper during the second quarter.
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The Patriots never have an issue restocking their roster because veterans typically take less to play for a title contender. But don’t expect it to be easy – or cheap – for New England, which has $65 million in cap space, to retain defensive linemen Jabaal Sheard, Alan Branch and Chris Long, tight end Martellus Bennett (pictured), linebacker Dont’a Hightower, tailback LeGarrette Blount and cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan.
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Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (15) is brought down by Falcons defensive back Keanu Neal (22) during the second quarter.
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Falcons running back Devonta Freeman breaks into the clear against the Patriots for a five-yard scoring run during the second quarter.
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Falcons running back Devonta Freeman dives into the end zone after scoring the opening touchdown of Super Bowl LI.
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Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) is congratulated by teammates after scoring on a five-yard run against the Patriots during the second quarter.
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Falcons receiver Julio Jones (11) makes a catch in traffic as he’s brought down by Patriots defensive back Logan Ryan during the second quarter.
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Falcons running back Devonta Freeman is tracked down by Patriots defensive backs Malcolm Butler (21) and Devin McCourty (32) after a big gain in the first quarter of Super Bowl LI.
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Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is sacked by Patriots defensive lineman Trey Flowers during the first quarter.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady passes under pressure from Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett during the first quarter.
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Patriots receiver Malcolm Mitchell (19) catches a pass against Falcons defensive back Jalen Collins during the first quarter.
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Falcons defensive lineman Courtney Upshaw (91) sacks Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during the first quarter.
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Falcons defensive lineman Courtney Upshaw reacts after sacking Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during the first quarter.
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Atlanta Falcons players take the field before the start of Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston.
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Quarterback Tom Brady (12) and the New England Patriots takes the field before the start of Super Bowl LI.
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Former President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush are introduced before the coin toss for Super Bowl LI.
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Luke Bryan sings the national anthem before the start of Super Bowl LI.
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Performers from the cast of “Hamilton” -- (from left) Jasmine Cephas Jones, Rene Elise Goldsberry and Phillipa Soo -- sing “God Bless America” before the start of Super Bowl LI.
(Matt Slocum / Associated Press) “We made history,” defensive end Chris Long said. “We absolutely, positively made history.”
With the win, New England became the fourth team with at least five Lombardi Trophies, joining San Francisco (five), Dallas (five), and Pittsburgh (six).
Even though the Patriots only won by six, it was their biggest margin of victory in any Super Bowl. Their previous four wins came by three, three, three and four points.
New England defeated five different NFC teams to reach the NFL’s mountaintop: St. Louis, Carolina, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Atlanta.
This was a Patriots team that had not trailed since Week 12, and the Falcons – led by quarterback Matt Ryan, the NFL’s most valuable player – had the league’s No. 1 offense and a staggering collection of weapons on that side of the ball.
But the Patriots had Brady, which means they’re never really out of it.
“We were just worrying about beating them by one point,” Patriots receiver Danny Amendola said. “We knew we had to come out in the second half and play, no matter what. They were coming at us with a lot of things. We just wanted to be resilient, we wanted to be tough mentally, and we got it done.”
Getting it done meant digging their way out of a 16-point hole in the final 5 minutes 56 seconds. That was accomplished with a six-yard touchdown pass to Amendola, followed by a conversion run by White; then, a one-yard run by White with 57 seconds left, and a Brady-to-Amendola conversion pass to forge a tie at 28.
The final tally for White was three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving.
“We went into the locker room at halftime and said the game wasn’t over,” said White, who called the comeback “an amazing feeling.”
The Falcons are left to ponder what might have been. Coach Dan Quinn was defensive coordinator in Seattle when the Patriots ripped out the Seahawks’ heart in the Super Bowl two years ago.
In that game, everyone questioned why Pete Carroll would opt to throw the ball — leading to a New England interception — rather than running Marshawn Lynch near the goal line with the game on the line.
This time, Quinn’s Falcons decided to throw at a pivotal point, when running the ball might have won them the game.
With less than five minutes remaining and the Falcons looking to protect their eight-point lead, they moved deep into New England territory and had a first down at the Patriots’ 22. A field goal would have made it a two-score game.
But Ryan dropped back to pass on second down and was sacked for a 12-yard loss. On third down, he completed a short pass to Mohamed Sanu, but the Falcons were moved back again — and out of field goal range — by a holding call.
They had to punt the ball back to the Patriots, who had a robust 3:30 with which to work, an eternity for Brady.
What happened next will go down in New England lore. Brady moved his team into position, including a 16-yard completion to Chris Hogan on third and 10.
The signature play was a 23-yard pass to Julian Edelman, who somehow caught the ball as it fell through the tangle of three Falcons defenders. The catch was even more impressive through the lens of slow-motion replay cameras, Edelman double-clutching the ball mere inches from the turf.
sam.farmer@latimes.com
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