6 Biggest Surprises from Super Bowl LI
By Mike Silva
All-in-all, Super Bowl LI was arguably the most exciting, gut-wrenching, nerve-racking, memorable big games of all time.
Aside from the actual game's drama, the side stories and impact on overall legacies only add to making the case for this being the greatest Super Bowl ever:
Brady's redemption tour for the #Deflategate bullshit.
Brady and Belichick's quest for the immortal and evasive title number five.
Atlanta's path to winning their first ever Super Bowl championship.
Brady playing for his mother, who's been battling cancer.
The classis unstoppable force meeting the immovable object; the league's top scoring offense facing the league's top scoring defense.
Instant classic, as they say. While the game was surprising overall, these are the thing that were least expected.
1. The Falcons pass rush
Going into the game, this was looking to be the weakest defense Tom Brady would play in all his Super Bowls. That's not knocking the Falcons, they just aren't the Legion of Boom or the Giants' perennially great front four.
A few minutes into the game, it appeared this would be the toughest Brady would ever face.
Not only did Atlanta masterfully keep the Pats offense in check with their physical man-to-man defense, the pass rush was incredible.
Brady got to take about a half breath after every snap before a sea of red flooded the pocket. What's more, a lot of it came in the interior, where the Falcons lacked the most depth.
Whether it was Grady Jarrett or old-man Dwight Freeney, Atlanta gave Tommy Boy no time to pass. Until they tired out at the end, that is.
2. Where's Dion Lewis?
What confused me the most was the lack of Dion Lewis usage in the New England gameplan.
The squirmy running back made a habit of making defenders look foolish with his evasive running abilities. So why not use him against the Falcons?
Lewis ended the game with 6 rushes for 27 yards and a single catch for 2 yards.
You can't take away from the defense's ability to eliminate a player's impact, which Atlanta did effectively. But at the same time, he was used so infrequently, it didn't matter.
Lewis was in on 17 snaps, one being the weird trick play kneel run to end regulation and the other was a missed wide receiver pass by Edelman.
Where was Lewis?
3. Rookies outperforming veterans... at first
Some of the games biggest players were either rookies or sophomores.
For Atlanta, that meant Deion Jones and Grady Jarret on defense.
For New England, it was Malcolm Mitchell and Trey Flowers.
Of course, the stars of the game had a couple years of experience, but how can you explain the Edelman/Hogan/Bennett combo, teaming up to drop so many big plays?
Now, that of course turned around in the 4th quarter and OT (let's not forget the Pats' version of the Tyree catch), but it was pretty jarring to see so many big drops.
4. Brady's pick 6
No one is perfect, not even Tom Brady.
The fact that Brady threw a pick-6 wasn't shocking in and of itself, especially when you consider how much duress he sustained all game.
What was shocking was his decision to throw the ball in that situation.
3rd and 6 deep in Falcons territory can end in either a first down (not likely as the play broke down) or you eat the ball and kick a field goal, 14-3.
You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT, turn the ball over. Brady threw what was easily the worst pass of his career. He tossed it right into Robert Alford's hands for the pick-6. 21-0.
That was a 10-point play, if you think about. Uncharacteristic for Brady.
5. Edelman's catch
For once, the Pats were on the winning end of a lucky, gamechanging catch.
What happened defied logic and physics, and while you have to credit Edelman for his focus, luck played a huge part in the catch.
Just before the two-minute warning, Brady throws a contested pass into a cluster of red jerseys.
The ball is tipped, hits Alford's leg (sweet justice!), safety Ricardo Allen's leg, Jules' hands, then bounces up out of his hands as he double clutches and comes down with the pass. Catch. Reviewed. Confirmed.
No one will forget this catch. Ever.
6. The Falcons situational playcalling
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is getting destroyed for his late game playcalling, and rightfully so.
You can't surrender what got you to the championship game by avoiding aggressive playcalling. People are afraid of the word "conservative" because it's connotation is it means "soft." That said, there's a huge difference in saying "we're not going to be conservative" and "we're not going to play smart."
After wide receiver Julio Jones' freakishly stunning sideline catch seemingly put the exstuinguished the Patriots' comeback, the playcalling came into major question.
Atlanta wisely ran on first down. They lost 3 yards, but at this point, the clock is your biggest opponent. Just kill it.
So what do the Falcons do? They choose to pass the rest of the drive. Not just quick, safer passes either. We're talking long-forming, 7-step drop plays.
What happened? A sack and a hold pushed Atlanta out of field goal range.
The ensuing punt pinned Brady at the 9, but even with 91 yards and a two standing in the way of overtime, 3 and a half minutes is a century for the GOAT.