New England Patriots: Record Breakers & Dynasty Makers

Down 28–3 in the third quarter, facing a white hot Atlanta Falcons offense, they did the unthinkable.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick became two men on a mission to shatter the record books and stun Matt Ryan and Julio Jones in the first overtime game in Super Bowl history in as dramatic fashion as it gets.

With 91-yards in between him and the end zone and just 3:30 left on the clock, he did what only one of the greats of all time could; capped off an improbable comeback with a commanding drive and a two point score to tie it.

Before Sunday’s performance, no one had ever come back from more than 14 points in the title game. After going down by 25 points though, Brady and company went on a tear to score 31 unanswered points in what will go down as the single greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

The historic comeback is just the beginning of the record-breaking, earth shattering showing that Brady and the Patriots put on display.

For starters, Brady himself did some damage to the books in a number of ways. In the fourth quarter he threw for 196 yards to push his total for the night past the previous record holder, Kurt Warner’s 414. He finished the night with 466 to go with two scores and an impressive 95.2 QB rating.

Brady’s Super Bowl records only continued from there. The win gave him the most title wins (5) by a quarterback in NFL history passing Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw. And his MVP award gave him four to give him sole possession of that record too.

The Patriots quarterback didn’t do it alone though. His pass catchers were every bit as essential in moving the ball downfield and punching it in. Running back James White was as good as it gets catching a Super Bowl record 14 passes for 110 yards and a score while gaining 29 yards and two scores on the ground as well.

The quartet of Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan and Malcom Mitchell were huge too. Throughout the game and most notably on the final overtime drive, each of these four made catch after catch against a Falcons defense that simply couldn’t hold up. The best catch of the night though in what would wind up being a huge turning point came from Edelman who, on a short throw, made an astounding grab off the shoes of an Atlanta defender.

The Julian Edelman catch. Insane.

For much of the night things just didn’t go the Patriots' way. Whether it was Brady’s second quarter pick-six or LeGarrette Blount’s untimely fumble in Atlanta territory, the first half was as nightmarish as it gets.

And after giving up another score early in the third a comeback seemed insurmountable. But that was just when the Pats did what they do best; buckled down and kept playing their game and adjusting.

New England affirmed on Sunday night that they are the greatest dynasty the NFL has ever seen with now their fifth Lombardi trophy in 15 years and two more appearances. And in the process, Brady and Belichick did the same in proving that they are the greatest quarterback and coach in the history of football.

Shattering records and dropping jaws was just an added bonus for number five.