“ 2017 Super Bowl ” redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 2017 season, see Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LI was an american football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, [ 8 ] [ 9 ] to determine the champion of the National Football League ( NFL ) for the 2016 season. The american Football Conference ( AFC ) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion Atlanta Falcons, 34–28. Super Bowl LI featured the largest rejoinder in Super Bowl history, [ 11 ] with the Patriots overcoming a 28–3 deficit to emerge victorious. due to the rejoinder, the Falcons ‘ blow 28–3 lead would enter NFL lore. [ 12 ] The game was besides the first and presently alone Super Bowl to be decided in overtime. [ 13 ] [ 14 ]
Reading: Super Bowl LI – Wikipedia
The Patriots ‘ victory was their fifth, moving them into a tripartite affiliation with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers for the second most Super Bowl wins. After finishing the regular season with a league-best 14–2 commemorate, New England advanced to their record-setting ninth Super Bowl appearance, their moment in three years, and their one-seventh under the leadership of head passenger car Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. The Falcons, led by the league ‘s top discourtesy and MVP quarterback Matt Ryan, completed an 11–5 even season record and were seeking their beginning Super Bowl title in their second appearance. Atlanta scored three back-to-back touchdowns to take a 21–3 halftime lead, which they increased to 28–3 halfway through the third quarter. however, the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points to tie the game in the final examination seconds of regulation. In overtime, New England received the kickoff after winning the mint flip and scored a touchdown to claim the franchise ‘s one-fifth Super Bowl entitle. More than 30 team and individual Super Bowl records were broken or matched, [ 15 ] including Patriots running back James White ‘s 14 receptions and 20 points scored [ 16 ] and Brady ‘s 43 completed passes, 62 authorize attempts, and 466 happen yards. Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for a read fourth meter and was the then-oldest actor to receive the honor at 39 ; he would surpass both records in Super Bowl LV. Fox ‘s broadcast of the game averaged about 111.3 million viewers, slightly down from the 111.9 million viewers of the previous class ‘s Super Bowl, while the sum number of viewers for all or function of the plot hit a commemorate act of 172 million. [ 17 ] [ 18 ] average television viewership for the halftime read, headlined by Lady Gaga, [ 19 ] was higher at 117.5 million. [ 20 ] The game is regarded by many media outlets as the greatest Super Bowl of all time. [ 21 ] [ 22 ] [ 23 ]
background [edit ]
Host-selection process [edit ]
The NFL selected the sites for Super Bowl 50 and Super Bowl LI at the owners ‘ give meetings in Boston on May 21, 2013. [ 24 ] On October 16, 2012, the NFL announced that Reliant Stadium in Houston, which was renamed NRG Stadium in 2014, was a finalist to host Super Bowl LI. [ 25 ] Houston then competed against the runner-up for the web site of Super Bowl 50 : hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. [ 24 ] [ 25 ] The South Florida bid for either Super Bowl partially depended on whether the stadium undergo renovations. however, on May 3, the Florida Legislature refused to approve the fund plan to pay for the renovations, dealing a blow to South Florida ‘s chances. [ 26 ] The NFL ultimately selected Houston as the host city of Super Bowl LI. [ 27 ] This was the second Super Bowl to be held at NRG Stadium, the other being Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, which besides featured the New England Patriots against that season ‘s NFC South champion Carolina Panthers. It was besides the third gear time the Super Bowl has been played in Houston, with Super Bowl VIII in 1974 having been held at Rice Stadium. With the Astros baseball team reaching the World Series eight months later, Houston would become equitable the fourthly city to host both the Super Bowl and Fall Classic in the lapp calendar class, following San Diego ( 1998 ), Detroit ( 2006 ) and Arlington, Texas ( 2011 ), and the first among the four to win the Major League Baseball championship .
proposition 1 controversy [edit ]
proposition 1, an ordinance which would have prohibited discrimination on the footing of intimate orientation or sex identity in Houston ‘s housing, use, populace accommodations, and city sign, was rejected by voters ( 60.97 % opposing [ 28 ] ) during the November 3, 2015 elections. subsequently, the NFL announced it would not alter plans to have the city host Super Bowl LI. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] Houston Texans owner Bob McNair donated $ 10,000 to Campaign for Houston, an organization that opposes the ordination, which he subsequently rescinded. [ 31 ]
Teams [edit ]
New England Patriots [edit ]
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was playing in a record seventh Super Bowl
New England RB LeGarrette Blount led the league in touchdowns ( 18 ) during the regular temper In 2016, New England tied an NFL record, earning 12+ wins for the seventh straight season. even though starting quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games, and All-Pro close end Rob Gronkowski was lost to injury in midseason, the Patriots placid recorded an NFL-best 14–2 read ; their only losses were a shutout passing to the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 and a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10. They scored 441 points ( third in the NFL ) while allowing the fewest in the league ( 250 ). [ 32 ] Brady missed the first four games of the class on suspension due to a 2014-2015 postseason incidental known as Deflategate. Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett each started two games in Brady ‘s place. After his suspension ended, Brady took back control of the offense and went on to earn his 12th Pro Bowl selection, passing for 3,554 yards and 28 touchdowns, with entirely two interceptions, while his 112.2 passer fink ranked second in the NFL. The team ‘s leading liquidator was julian Edelman, who caught 98 passes for 1,106 yards and added 135 more return punts. Wide receivers Chris Hogan ( 38 receptions for 680 yards ) and Malcolm Mitchell ( 32 receptions for 401 yards ) were besides significant receiving threats. Gronkowski caught 25 passes for 540 yards before suffering a season-ending back injury in week 13. nasty goal Martellus Bennett stepped up in his absence, hauling in 55 receptions for 701 yards and a team-leading seven touchdown catches. Running back LeGarrette Blount was the team ‘s exceed rusher with 1,168 yards and a league-leading 18 touchdowns. In passing situations, the team relied heavily on running back James White, who caught 60 passes for 551 yards and added another 166 on the ground. [ 33 ] Running back Dion Lewis was besides a valuable asset to the offense, rushing for 283 yards on umbrage and catching 17 passes for 94 yards. [ 33 ] Despite trading All-Pro outside linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns in the in-between of the season, the Patriots defensive line was led by harness Trey Flowers, who ranked first on the team with seven quarterback sacks, and Jabaal Sheard, who recorded five sacks of his own. Linebacker Dont’a Hightower earned his first Pro Bowl survival and made the second All-Pro team, compiling 65 tackles and 2+1⁄2 sacks. Linebacker Rob Ninkovich besides made a boastful impact, recording 34 tackles, two forced fumbles, and four sacks. In the secondary coil, cornerback Malcolm Butler led the team with four interceptions, while Logan Ryan led the team in tackles and intercepted two passes. Safety Devin McCourty ranked second on the team with 83 tackles and notched one interception while earning his third career Pro Bowl selection. The team besides had a defensive technical on special teams, Matthew Slater, who made the Pro Bowl for the sixth back-to-back year. [ 34 ] By advancing to play in Super Bowl LI, the Patriots earned their NFL-record one-ninth Super Bowl appearance, arsenic well as their seventh in the past 16 years under Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots have besides participated in the only other Super Bowl to be held at NRG Stadium ; they won Super Bowl XXXVIII over the Carolina Panthers by a 32–29 score 13 years earlier. The Patriots entered Super Bowl LI with an overall read of 4–4 in their previous eight Super Bowl appearances, with all four of their wins and two of their four losses coming under the leadership of Belichick and Brady. [ 35 ] With his appearance in Super Bowl LI, Belichick broke the tie of six Super Bowls as a head coach that he had shared with Don Shula. It was besides his phonograph record one-tenth participation in a Super Bowl in any capacity, which overtook the stigmatize of nine that he had shared with Dan Reeves. This was besides Brady ‘s seventh Super Bowl appearance, the most appearances by a actor in Super Bowl history. [ 36 ] [ 37 ]
Atlanta Falcons [edit ]
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was named the 2016 regular season MVP The Atlanta Falcons, under sophomore head coach Dan Quinn, finished the 2016 season with an 11–5 criminal record, earning them the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. It was a big transposition of declining fortunes for the team, who had failed to qualify to play in the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. [ 38 ] The Falcons were loaded with nauseating firepower, leading all NFL teams in scoring with 540 points. Nine-year veteran quarterback Matt Ryan earned the NFL MVP and the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award, american samoa well as his fourth career Pro Bowl survival, leading the league in passer rat ( 117.1 ). While he ranked lone ninth in completions ( 373 ), his guide yards ( 4,944 ) and touchdowns ( 38 ) both rank second in the NFL. His favored target was recipient Julio Jones, who caught 83 passes for 1,409 yards ( second in the NFL ) and six touchdowns. But Ryan had batch of other options, such as newly acquired across-the-board receivers Mohamed Sanu ( 59 receptions for 653 yards ) and Taylor Gabriel ( 35 receptions for 579 yards and six touchdowns ). Pro Bowl running rear Devonta Freeman was the team ‘s leading rusher, with 1,078 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 4.8 yards per induce. He was besides a superb telephone receiver out of the backfield, catching 54 passes for 462 yards and two more scores. Running rear Tevin Coleman was besides a major asset on the ground and through the air, with 520 rushing yards, 31 receptions for 421 yards, and 11 total touchdowns. The Falcons besides had an excellent particular teams unit led by veteran gripe returner Eric Weems. His 24 punt returns for 273 yards gave him the one-sixth highest return average in the NFL ( 11.4 ), and he added another 391 yards returning kickoffs. Pro Bowl kicker Matt Bryant led the league in scoring with 158 points, while besides ranking third in field goal percentage ( 91.8 % ). [ 39 ] [ 40 ] Atlanta ‘s offensive production line featured center Alex Mack, who earned his fourth Pro Bowl survival. The Falcons defensive line was led by defensive ends hadrian Clayborn, who recorded five sacks and a fumble recovery, and long-time veteran Dwight Freeney, who ranks as the NFL ‘s 18th all-time drawing card in sacks ( 122+1⁄2 ). Behind them, linebacker Vic Beasley was the team ‘s entirely Pro Bowl excerpt on refutation, leading the NFL in sacks with 15+1⁄2 ; he besides forced six fumbles. Rookie linebacker Deion Jones was besides an impact actor, leading the team in compound tackles ( 108 ) and interceptions ( three ). The Falcons junior-grade featured hard-hitting base hit Keanu Neal, who had 106 tackles and forced five fumbles. Safety Ricardo Allen added 90 tackles and two interceptions. But overall, the refutation ranked just 27th in the league in points allowed ( 406 ). This game marked the Falcons ‘ second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, after having lost Super Bowl XXXIII in January 1999 to the Denver Broncos. [ 42 ]
Playoffs [edit ]
The Patriots, with the AFC ‘s # 1 semen, began their postseason run by defeating the fourth-seeded Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, 34–16. [ 43 ] [ 44 ] The following week, in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots defeated the third-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers 36–17. [ 45 ] [ 46 ] The Falcons, with the NFC ‘s # 2 sow, began their postseason run by defeating the third-seeded Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round, 36–20, racking up 422 yards. [ 47 ] [ 48 ] The next workweek, in the last NFL game ever played at the Georgia Dome, [ 49 ] the Falcons racked up 493 total yards as they defeated the fourth-seeded Green Bay Packers 44–21 to win the NFC Championship. [ 50 ] [ 51 ]
Pre-game notes [edit ]
As the indicate home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Falcons elected to wear their crimson home jerseys with white pants, [ 52 ] [ 53 ] which meant that the Patriots wore their ashen road new jersey. [ 52 ] The game featured Atlanta ‘s # 1 scoring umbrage versus New England ‘s # 1 scoring defense. This was the one-sixth Super Bowl since the AFL–NFL amalgamation in 1970 to feature a # 1 scoring offense against a # 1 scoring defense, with the team with the # 1 scoring defense winning four of the former five matchups. [ 54 ] [ 55 ] Gambling establishments had the Patriots as 3 steer favorites. [ 56 ]
Super Bowl week events [edit ]
Fan-oriented activities during the lead-up to Super Bowl LI were centered around the George R. Brown Convention Center and Discovery Green park. Discovery Green hosted Super Bowl Live, a 10-day festival which featured bouncy concerts and other attractions, including projection shows, fireworks shows, and a virtual world drawing card, Future Flight, in concurrence with NASA. The neighbor George R. Brown Convention Center hosted the annual NFL Experience event, which featured synergistic activities and appearances by players. [ 57 ] Super Bowl Opening Night, the second edition of the crippled ‘s vamp media sidereal day, was held on January 30, 2017 at nearby Minute Maid Park. [ 58 ] Super Bowl Live was organized by the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee, which was led by Honorary Chairman James A. Baker, III, Chairman Ric Campo, and President and CEO Sallie Sargent. [ 59 ] According to Bloomberg fib two most predict pre-Super Bowl parties were invite-only 13th annual ESPN party and the Rolling Stone party. [ 60 ] ESPN party was hosted by Fergie and DJ Khaled and took place in a 65,000-square-foot warehouse in the Houston Arts District. [ 60 ] The Rolling Stone party celebrated the magazine fiftieth anniversary. It took position at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and featured the performance of big Sean, DJ Cassidy, Nas, Diplo and Busta Rhymes. [ 61 ]
team facilities [edit ]
The Patriots stayed at the JW Marriott Houston and practiced at the University of Houston. The Falcons stayed at the Westin Houston Memorial City and practiced at Rice University. [ 62 ]
Tickets [edit ]
In the beginning of February 2017 the NFL and jurisprudence enforcement announced that tickets to Super Bowl LI would feature heat-sensitive logos to deter counterfeit tickets. On the front of each ticket was a wax polymer graphic that was raised and the back featured a true color security system label with Houston ‘s horizon and the Super Bowl logo. The final security system feature was a graphic on the lower fortune of the binding of each slate printed with thermochromic ink. The HTX logo and the NRG Stadium prototype faded when heat was applied and returned when the heating system source was removed. [ 63 ]
Transportation issue [edit ]
In recently 2016, Uber had threatened to leave Houston ahead of the Super Bowl LI festivities, insisting versatile city regulations, including fingerprint background checks of drivers, were excessively burdensome and prevent drivers from working. Houston officials and Uber reached a compromise in December, which determined that Houston would continue to require a fingerprint check for drivers but extinguish requirements for driver drug testing and physicals through at least February 5. [ 64 ]
Broadcasting [edit ]
U.S. television [edit ]
In the United States, Super Bowl LI was televised by Fox, as share of a motorbike between the three main broadcast television partners of the NFL. [ 65 ] [ 66 ] The game was carried in spanish by sister cable net Fox Deportes. [ 67 ] [ 68 ] [ 69 ] Online pour of the bet on were provided via Fox Sports Go ; although normally requiring a television receiver subscription to use, Fox made the service available as a rid preview for the Super Bowl. Due to Verizon Communications exclusivity, streaming on smartphones was exclusive to Verizon Wireless subscribers via the NFL Mobile app. [ 70 ] [ 71 ] As with Super Bowl 50, the stadium was equipped for Intel absolve instantaneous replay engineering, using an align of 36 5K resolution cameras positioned around the stadium to enable 360-degree views of plays. Fox introduced a newly feature of speech utilizing the system known as Be the Player, which composited the versatile television camera angles into a single position of a dally from the point-of-view of a player on the field. [ 72 ] [ 73 ] Fox constructed a impermanent, two-floor studio apartment in Discovery Green, which originated pre-game coverage, and broadcasts of Fox Sports 1 studio programs during the week leading up to the plot, such as Fox Sports Live with Jay and Dan, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, NASCAR Race Hub, and UFC Tonight. [ 74 ]
Ratings [edit ]
An average of 111.3 million viewers watched Super Bowl LI, marking Super Bowl ‘s moment back-to-back year of average viewership drop since its all-time average high gear in 2015. [ 75 ] [ 76 ] however, viewership steadily increased since the end of halftime when it subsequently on tallied the first overtime in Super Bowl history. Fox stated that 1.72 million viewers utilized its on-line stream, and by the conclusion of overtime, the broadcast gained 172 million viewers ( more than half of the U.S. population of 340 million people that like class ). [ 77 ] [ 78 ] As of 2021, this still stands as the largest overall audience ever tallied by any broadcast in U.S. television history. [ 18 ]
advertise [edit ]
Fox set the foundation rate for a 30-second commercial at $ 5 million, the lapp rate CBS charged for Super Bowl 50, [ 79 ] leading to advertising tax income of $ 534 million for the single day event. [ 80 ] Snickers announced that it would present a exist commercial during the game. [ 79 ] Nintendo broadcast an ad showcasing its approaching Nintendo Switch video game cabinet. [ 81 ] Fiat Chrysler Automobiles broadcast three spots for Alfa Romeo, as character of an attempt to re-launch the italian stigmatize in the U.S. [ 82 ] [ 83 ] A spotlight from longtime advertiser Budweiser garnered controversy before the game for depicting Anheuser-Busch co-founder Adolphus Busch ‘s emigration to the United States from Germany, its broadcast coming on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump signing an executive order that bans travelers from several Muslim nations. [ 84 ] meanwhile, 84 Lumber aired a commercial depicting a mother and daughter travel from Mexico to the United States, which had been edited following Fox ‘s protest to its word picture of a margin wall for sensitivity reasons. [ 85 ] [ 86 ] [ 87 ] [ 88 ] many films were advertised with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Logan, Transformers: The Last Knight, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, The Fate of the Furious and Ghost in the Shell. AMC and Netflix advertised their shows, The Walking Dead and Stranger Things, respectively, while Fox-owned National Geographic Channel teased its fresh historical anthology drama series Genius with an ad sport Albert Einstein and a nod to Lady Gaga ‘s halftime performance. [ 89 ] [ 90 ] Fox was able to earn an calculate $ 20 million by airing four extra commercials due to the extra overtime period. even without historical precedent, Fox negotiated deals with a handful of advertisers in case overtime were to occur. [ 91 ]
International broadcasts [edit ]
canadian broadcast [edit ]
canadian broadcast rights to Super Bowl LI were capable to a still-ongoing legal dispute ; although U.S. net affiliates are carried by give television providers in the country, canadian police grants domestic broadcast stations the right to require that these signals be substituted with their own if they are carrying the lapp program in simulcast with a U.S. station ( “ simsub ” ). This policy is intended to help protect canadian ad gross from being lost to viewers watching via U.S. feeds of a program. In 2016, as part of a larger series of regulative reforms, the canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) banned the Super Bowl from being substituted under these circumstances, meaning that the telecast on CTV —a simulcast of the U.S. telecast with canadian advertise inserted, would co-exist with feeds of the bet on from U.S. network affiliates. The CRTC cited dissatisfaction surrounding the practice from canadian viewers—particularly the inaccessibility of the U.S. commercials, which the CRTC cited as being an “ built-in partially ” of the plot based on this reception, but besides other technical problems caused by ailing implemented simsubs ( such as reduce quality and missing content due to mistimed transitions second into the U.S. broadcast feed ). [ 112 ] [ 113 ] [ 114 ] The NFL ‘s canadian rights holder Bell Media, ampere well as the league itself, have displayed objections to the policy ; Bell felt that the decision devalued its exclusive canadian rights to the game, and violated Canada ‘s Broadcasting Act, which forbids the “ gain of regulations singling out a detail program or licensee. ” [ 112 ] On November 2, 2016, Bell was granted the right to challenge the predominate in the Federal Court of Appeal. [ 115 ] Bell, the NFL, and politics representatives from both Canada and the U.S., have lobbied the CRTC for the rule to be retracted. [ 116 ] however, court action on the rule was not taken in clock for the game, meaning that it was in effect for the first time during Super Bowl LI. [ 117 ] Bell Media cited the decision, among other factors, as justification for a plan series of layoffs it announced on January 31, 2017. [ 118 ] The simsub prohibition lone applied to the game itself, and not pre-game or post-game program ( which was simulcast with Fox and submit to simsub ). In an attack to mitigate the loss of de facto exclusivity to the clean U.S. feeds, Bell simulcast the game across CTV Two and TSN in addition to CTV, and organized a patronize sweepstakes in which viewers could earn entries to win cash and car prizes by texting keywords displayed during the Canadian telecast. [ 119 ] [ 120 ] Montreal Gazette media analyst Steve Faguy felt that these promotions were an try to offset the loss of viewership by carrying the game across as many of its channels as possible, and providing incentives for viewers to watch the game on CTV rather of Fox. He further noted that Bell inactive had single rights to stream the game in Canada via CTV ‘s television receiver Everywhere services, as the CRTC does not regulate world wide web content, and Fox ‘s on-line pour is only available to U.S. users. [ 119 ] Consequently, some canadian companies ( such as Leon ‘s and Pizza Pizza ) took advantage of the CRTC decision by buying local advertise time during the game from Fox affiliates distributed in Canada in regulate to target these viewers, such as KAYU-TV in Spokane ( which is widely carried by television providers in the significantly larger markets of Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta ). [ 121 ] Viewership of Super Bowl LI across the three English-language Bell Media properties broadcasting it was down by 39 % in comparison to Super Bowl 50, with only 4.47 million viewers. Viewership on the French-language telecast presented by TSN ‘s sister net RDS was in line with that of Super Bowl 50. It is not known how many canadian viewers watched the game via Fox, as neither Nielsen or canadian ratings provider Numeris forecast Canadian viewership of american english broadcasters. [ 117 ]
radio [edit ]
In the United States, Westwood One carried the circulate countrywide, with Kevin Harlan on play-by-play, Boomer Esiason and Mike Holmgren on tinge comment, and sideline reports from Tony Boselli and James Lofton. [ 122 ] The Westwood One air was simulcast in Canada on TSN Radio. [ 123 ] Each team ‘s network flagship station carried the local run : WBZ-FM for the Patriots ( with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak announcing ), and WZGC for the Falcons ( with Wes Durham and Dave Archer announcing ) ; under the league ‘s contract with Westwood One, no other stations in the teams ‘ common radio networks were allowed to carry the local circulate, and unlike in holocene years when at least one of the two flagships was a clear-channel station, both the Patriots and Falcons use FM radio stations as their local flagships, limiting listenership to those within the local metropolitan areas or with access to those feeds via Sirius XM satellite radio or TuneIn Premium. Spanish-language radio rights are held by Entravision as function of a three-year agreement signed in 2015. [ 67 ] Erwin Higueros served as the play-by-play announcer. [ 124 ]
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The United Kingdom ‘s BBC Radio 5 Live produced a commercial-free broadcast, with Darren Fletcher and Rocky Boiman returning. [ 125 ]
entertainment [edit ]
“ May this class ’ south Super Bowl be a sign of peace, friendship, and solidarity to the populace. ”
– Pope Francis indicated that by participating in sports events, people show an ability to go beyond self-interests and build friendship and solidarity with one another. [ 126 ]
During pre-game festivities, the NFL honored members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame that had played college football at historically black colleges and universities. Of the 303 members of the Hall of Fame, 29 were from HBCUs. [ 127 ] The Patriots took the battlefield first base as the designated away team to Ozzy Osbourne ‘s “ Crazy Train “. The Falcons took the field second as the delegate home team to Trick Daddy ‘s “ Let ‘s Go “. Both teams ‘ season recaps were presented by Ving Rhames. [ 128 ] Before the game, American country music singer and songwriter Luke Bryan sang the US national hymn. [ 129 ] Bryan was the first male performer to sing the national hymn at a Super Bowl since Billy Joel at Super Bowl XLI. immediately before Bryan sang the national anthem, Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones, who originated the roles of the Schuyler sisters in the Broadway melodious Hamilton, performed “ America the Beautiful “. [ 130 ] After the national anthem, former President George H. W. Bush performed the coin convulse alongside his wife, Barbara. [ 131 ] The Patriots called heads, but the Falcons won the coin pass with tails. [ 132 ] The Falcons chose to defer to the second half .
Halftime show [edit ]
On September 29, 2016, Lady Gaga, who had performed the national hymn the former year at Super Bowl 50, confirmed that she would be performing at the Super Bowl LI halftime picture on her Instagram account with the message : “ It ‘s not an delusion. The rumors are true. This class the SUPER BOWL goes GAGA ! ” [ 133 ] Fox Sports president and administrator producer of the read, John Entz, confirmed Gaga ‘s interest adding “ [ She ] is one of the most electric performers of our coevals, and we could n’t be happier with the choice to have her headline the Super Bowl LI Halftime Show … It is going to be an incredible night. ” [ 134 ] lady Gaga opened the halftime express with a combination of “ God Bless America “ and “ This Land Is Your Land “. Her performance besides included some of her biggest hit songs, such as “ Poker Face “, “ Born This Way “, “ Million Reasons “, and “ Bad Romance “ [ 135 ] and was accompanied by a teem of 300 LED-equipped Intel drones forming an american flag in the sky in a pre-recorded segment. [ 136 ] [ 137 ] [ 138 ] [ 139 ] Mohamed Sanu stated the long length of the halftime display played a separate in Atlanta ultimately losing the game. Teams on modal are off the field for fifteen minutes during halftime, but Super Bowl halftimes are well longer. Unlike the Falcons it appears Bill Belichick actually incorporated the length of the show into the team ‘s practices. [ 140 ] Sanu ‘s argument was discounted by the fact that Atlanta marched the ball downfield and scored a touchdown right out of halftime. [ 141 ]
Game drumhead [edit ]
first half [edit ]
The first quarter of Super Bowl LI was a scoreless defensive equal with each team punting doubly. The longest play from scrimmage was a 37-yard carry by Falcons running second Devonta Freeman, which did not lead to any points, though it would be the longest function of the game for either team. On the first play of the moment quarter, New England ‘s quarterback Tom Brady completed a 27-yard pass to broad receiver Julian Edelman on the Falcons 33-yard line. But on the future play, linebacker Deion Jones stripped the ball from running back LeGarrette Blount ; the fumble was recovered by defensive second Robert Alford on the 29-yard line. On the next two plays, Matt Ryan completed passes to Julio Jones for gains of 19 and 23 yards. Freeman ran the testis on the future three plays, covering the remaining 29 yards to the end partition, with the stopping point carry being a 5-yard touchdown run that put Atlanta on the control panel with a 7–0 lead. New England failed to get a first down on the series following the Freeman score, and the Falcons moved the ball 62 yards in five plays. Ryan started the drive with a 24-yard completion to Taylor Gabriel, then completed a pass to Jones for an 18-yard gain. On 3rd-and-9, he threw a 19-yard touchdown happen to close end Austin Hooper, giving the Falcons a 14–0 lead. It was the largest deficit Brady had always faced in his seven Super Bowl appearances, and it would soon grow larger. [ 142 ] New England responded with a drive to the Falcons 23, aided by three defensive holding penalties against the Atlanta defense, each one giving them a beginning down on a third down act. however, on 3rd-and-6, Brady threw a pass that was intercepted by Alford and returned 82 yards for a touchdown, increasing Atlanta ‘s lead to 21–0. It was the first time in his career that Brady had thrown a pick-six ( interception returned for a touchdown ) in his 33 postseason games, [ 143 ] and Alford ‘s 82-yard return was the second longest interception return in Super Bowl history. [ 144 ] Getting the ball back with 2:20 left in the second quarter, Brady completed a 15-yard crack to Martellus Bennett, and then a short guide to running back James White, who took off for a 28-yard acquire. The drive stalled at the Falcons 20-yard line, but Stephen Gostkowski successfully made a field goal with two seconds left on the clock to send the teams into their footlocker rooms with the score 21–3 .
moment half [edit ]
New England had an early third quarter scoring opportunity when Edelman returned a bet on 26 yards to the Patriots ‘ 47-yard line, but they could not gain a first down on the drive. Following the Patriots ‘ punt, the Falcons started their drive on their own 15-yard note ; Ryan completed two long passes to wide receiver Taylor Gabriel for gains of 17 and 35 yards to bring the ball to the New England 28-yard line. Four plays late, Ryan finished the 85-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Tevin Coleman, giving the Falcons a 28–3 lead with 8:31 left in the quarter. On the following serial, Brady led the Patriots 75 yards in 13 plays for an answering touchdown, completing five of seven passes for 43 yards, the longest a 17-yard completion to Danny Amendola on 4th-and-3 from the New England 46-yard cable. Brady, not known for running the ball, besides ran for a 15-yard reach ( the longest race toy by the Patriots that day ) on 3rd-and-8 from the Atlanta 35-yard line. Three subsequent carries by Blount moved the ball 15 yards to the 5-yard line, and then Brady threw the testis to White for a touchdown. Gostkowski missed the extra point, the ball hitting the goalpost, leaving the score 28–9. New England then attempted an onside complain, but the ball was recovered by Falcons linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, and a penalty against Gostkowski for touching the ball before it went ten yards gave Atlanta even better field status. Ryan completed a 9-yard pass to Hooper to the Patriots 32-yard-line, but on the future play, a holding punishment on Atlanta nauseating electrician Jake Matthews pushed the team back ten-spot yards. then, after an incompletion, Trey Flowers and Kyle Van Noy shared a displace on Ryan that forced the Falcons to punt on the inaugural play of the fourth quarter. Matt Bosher ‘s 42-yard bet on pinned the Patriots back on their own 13-yard line. Brady led the adjacent drive down the field, completing three passes to wide liquidator Malcolm Mitchell for 40 yards and one to Bennett for 25 to bring the ball to the Falcons 7-yard cable. however, Brady was sacked twice by defensive tackle Grady Jarrett over the future three plays. The Patriots had to settle for a playing field finish – Gostkowski ‘s 33-yard attack was good. This cut their deficit to 28–12, with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Atlanta had burned two of their three prison term outs on defense and equipment malfunction. On the third play of Atlanta ‘s ensuing drive, Freeman missed his blocking appointment on a New England blitz that allowed linebacker Dont’a Hightower to sack Ryan as he was winding up for a pass, resulting in a grope that was recovered by defensive tackle Alan Branch on the Falcons 25-yard lineage. It was Ryan ‘s first dollar volume in two months. [ 23 ] New England soon cashed in their score opportunity, with Brady throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Amendola. then White took a lead snap in for a two-point conversion to make the score 28–20 in privilege of Atlanta with 5:56 left on the clock. The Patriots had run the lapp play for a two-point conversion with Kevin Faulk in their Super Bowl XXXVIII victory. On the first play of Atlanta ‘s future monomania, Freeman caught a short-change evanesce from Ryan and ran it for a 39-yard reach, the longest looseness of the game for either team. then on 2nd-and-9 from the Patriots 49-yard line, Ryan threw a deep passing to Jones, who made an acrobatic catch at the right avocation for a 27-yard gain, giving the Falcons a foremost down on the Patriots 22-yard note with 4:40 left on the clock and a gamble for a late-game two-score lead that would have clinched the game. [ 145 ] On the future bet, Freeman ran for a 1-yard loss on a tackle by Devin McCourty. [ 146 ] Atlanta tried to pass the ball on second down, but Flowers sacked Ryan for a 12-yard loss on the Patriots 35-yard cable. [ 147 ] Ryan then completed a 9-yard pass to Mohamed Sanu on 3rd-and-23 to get back into field goal range, but this was nullified by an offensive holding penalty on Matthews. now out of field goal stove and faced with 3rd-and-33 from the New England 45-yard telephone line, Ryan threw an incomplete exceed, and the team was forced to punt the musket ball to New England. [ 23 ] Bosher ‘s 36-yard complain gave the Patriots the ball on their own 9-yard line with 3:30 left on the clock and two of their timeouts left. [ 11 ] After two incompletions, Brady picked up a first base down with a 16-yard die to Chris Hogan. After an 11-yard fall to Mitchell, Brady threw a crack that was closely intercepted by Alford. alternatively, he batted the ball in the air, and it fell into the arms of Edelman, who made a dive catch as it bounced off Alford ‘s shoe. Edelman fair barely managed to get his hands under the ball before it hit the labor, securing the football for what would be ruled as a 23-yard legislate completion. Atlanta challenged the on-field rule, but referee Carl Cheffers announced that the call stood, and Atlanta was charged with their final timeout. [ 148 ] Brady ‘s adjacent crack to Amendola gained 20 yards to the Falcons ‘ 21-yard line as the clock ran down below the two-minute admonition. Two more passes to White gained 20 yards and gave New England a first down at the 1-yard note. With 58 seconds left, White scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, and Brady completed a two-point conversion pass to Amendola, tying the grade at 28 points each, thereby coming back from a 25-point deficit. With the hopes of winning their first championship on the trace, Atlanta started their drive deep in their own end with barely under a hour and no timeouts. The Falcons failed to get in range to score a possible game-winning field goal and punted, with the Patriots carnival catching the ball at their own 35-yard tune. The Patriots considered attempting a clean catch kick, which would be the first ever attempted in a Super Bowl. [ 149 ] rather, New England attempted a fake quarterback kneel running act for Dion Lewis, who gained several yards but failed to score. This ended the fourth quarter and forced the game into overtime, the first ever Super Bowl to go to overtime, and the beginning NFL title game to do sol since the 1958 meet between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants. [ 150 ]
overtime [edit ]
The Patriots won the mint convulse to start overtime, and elected to receive the ball. Starting at their 25-yard line after a touchback, Brady completed passes to White, Amendola, and Hogan for gains of 6, 14, and 18 yards, respectively. then, after White was dropped for a 3-yard personnel casualty, Brady completed a 15-yard pass to Edelman to the Falcons 25-yard line. White then took a lateral pass bewilder from Brady to the 15-yard note. [ 151 ] Brady ‘s pass to Bennett in the goal zone fell incomplete, but Falcons linebacker De’Vondre Campbell was called for pass intervention, giving the Patriots first-and-goal from the Falcons ‘ 2-yard line. [ 152 ] On first base down, Brady threw another incomplete spend to Bennett that was deflected and closely intercepted by Vic Beasley. On second down, White took a pitch and ran the musket ball right. He was hit by Falcons defenders at the 1-yard production line, but managed to stretch forward and get the ball across the goal telephone line before his knee hit the flat coat, scoring the winning touchdown. The Patriots won the game 34–28 for their fifth Super Bowl title after trailing by 25 points. It besides marked the first gear prison term in NFL postseason history that a team leading by 17 points or more at the start of the fourthly quarter went on to lose the game. [ 153 ] Previously, dating back to 1940, teams leading by 17 or more points after three quarters in playoff games were 133–0 in such situations. [ 154 ]
Confetti falls after the bet on
Statistics and records [edit ]
A parade took place in Boston two days after the game Super Bowl LI had more than 30 records either broken or tied by the time it was done. [ 15 ] [ 155 ] Brady completed 43 of 62 passes for 466 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, while besides rushing for 15 yards. His completions, attempts, and passing yards were all single-game Super Bowl records. Brady ultimately became the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl in which he threw a ball that was intercepted for a touchdown. He besides set the career Super Bowl records for games played ( 7 ), completions ( 207 ), attempts ( 309 ), yards ( 2,071 ), and touchdown passes ( 15 ). James White caught a Super Bowl record 14 passes for 110 yards, rushed for 29 yards, and tied a Super Bowl read with three touchdowns. He besides set the record for most points scored with 20. After the game, Brady said he felt White deserved the MVP award more than he did. [ 156 ] Brady planned to give White the vehicle that has traditionally been awarded to Super Bowl MVPs ( he ‘d given the truck he received after Super Bowl XLIX to Malcolm Butler ) but found out after the game that there was no fomite to give to White because the presenter had decided to end its practice of donating one. Edelman caught five passes for 87 yards and returned three punts for 39 yards. Amendola recorded eight receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown. Flowers recorded six tackles and 2.5 sacks. The Patriots overall gained an NFL postseason record 37 first downs in the game. For Atlanta, Ryan completed 17 of 23 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Freeman was the top rusher of the game with 11 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown, while besides catching two passes for 46 yards. Jones was Atlanta ‘s leading recipient with four receptions for 87 yards. Robert Alford had 11 tackles ( 9 alone ), an interception returned for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery. Grady Jarrett had five tackles and tied a Super Bowl record with three sacks. [ 157 ] Atlanta became the inaugural team in Super Bowl history to return an interception for a touchdown and lose the game. Prior to Super Bowl LI, teams returning an interception for a touchdown in the Super Bowl had been a perfect 12–0. [ 158 ] New England had two turnovers for the crippled, while Atlanta only turned the musket ball over once. This made New England the fifth team to win a Super Bowl despite losing the dollar volume conflict, joining the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V, the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowls XIV and XL, and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. [ 159 ] The game set the record for the largest deficit overcome to win the Super Bowl ( the previous record was ten points, set by the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXII and matched by the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV and by the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX ) ; [ 160 ] it is the third-largest comeback succeed in NFL playoff history, behind The Comeback ( 32-point deficit ; Buffalo Bills trailed 35–3 and won 41–38 ) and the crazy circuit board game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2013–14 NFL playoffs ( 28-point deficit ; Colts trailed 38–10 and won, 45–44 ). In accession to being the largest Super Bowl comeback, the crippled set the record for the largest fourth-quarter rejoinder in NFL playoff history, as no team had previously won a playoff game after trailing by 17 or more points entering the final quarter ; the Patriots were trailing by 19 points at the depart of the fourth quarter by a score of 28–9. The Patriots won their fifth franchise championship, all under the leadership of starting quarterback Tom Brady, the most by a one quarterback. Brady won his fourthly Super Bowl MVP, the most such awards by a unmarried player in history. This game represented the largest comeback in the history of the New England Patriots ‘ regular season or post-season games, [ 161 ] and Tom Brady ‘s NFL career. Super Bowl LI became the first base Super Bowl in history in which the acquire team had never held the head at any point during regulation time, and it besides became the first Super Bowl in history in which the acquire team did not score on a PAT kick, as the Patriots missed their entirely PAT try during the game, which occurred following their first base touchdown, opted for two-point conversions after each of their adjacent two touchdowns, and did not have to attempt the extra point after their game-winning touchdown in overtime. late in the one-third quarter, the Falcons ‘ chances of winning were estimated at 99.8 %. [ 162 ] [ 163 ]
Box score [edit ]
final statistics [edit ]
statistical comparison [edit ]
| Statistic | New England Patriots | Atlanta Falcons |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 37 | 17 |
| First downs rushing | 7 | 3 |
| First downs passing | 26 | 13 |
| First downs penalty | 4 | 1 |
| Third down efficiency | 7/14 | 1/8 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 1/1 | 0/0 |
| Total net yards | 546 | 344 |
| Net yards rushing | 104 | 104 |
| Rushing attempts | 25 | 18 |
| Yards per rush | 4.2 | 5.8 |
| Net yards passing | 442 | 240 |
| Passing – completions/attempts | 43/63 | 17/23 |
| Times sacked-total yards | 5–24 | 5–44 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 0 |
| Punt returns-total yards | 4–39 | 1–0 |
| Kickoff returns-total yards | 1–20 | 5–42 |
| Interceptions-total return yards | 0–0 | 1–82 |
| Punts-average yardage | 4–41.5 | 6–47.0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Penalties-yards | 4–23 | 9–65 |
| Time of possession | 40:31 | 23:27 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Records set[15][164] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Most Super Bowl appearances, as team | 9 | New England Patriots |
| Most pass attempts, team (game) | 63 | |
| Most pass completions, team (game) | 43 | |
| Most passing yards, team (game) | 442 | |
| Most first downs, team (game) | 37 | |
| Most first downs via pass, team (game) | 26 | |
| Most offensive plays, team (game) | 93 | |
| Most points in overtime, team (game) | 6 | |
| Largest deficit overcome, winning team | 25 points | |
| Largest deficit overcome after third quarter, winning team | 19 points | |
| Largest deficit overcome after second quarter, winning team | 18 points | |
| Least playing time in lead, winning team | 0:00 | |
| Most Super Bowl appearances, as player | 7 | Tom Brady (New England) |
| Most Super Bowl appearances, as starting player | 7 | |
| Most Super Bowl championships won, as quarterback | 5 | |
| Most Super Bowl MVP awards | 4 | |
| Most pass attempts, player (career) | 309 | |
| Most pass attempts, player (game) | 62 | |
| Most pass completions, player (career) | 207 | |
| Most pass completions, player (game) | 43 | |
| Most passing yards, player (career) | 2,071 | |
| Most passing yards, player (game) | 466 | |
| Most touchdown passes, player (career) | 15 | |
| Oldest starting quarterback[165] | 39 years, 186 days | |
| Most Super Bowl appearances, as head coach | 7 | Bill Belichick (New England) |
| Most Super Bowl appearances, as coach | 10 | |
| Most Super Bowl appearances, in any capacity[166] | 10 | |
| Most Super Bowls won, as head coach | 5 | |
| Most pass receptions, player (game) | 14 | James White (New England) |
| Most points scored, player (game) | 20 | |
| Most net passing yards, total (both teams, game) | 682 | New England Patriots 442, Atlanta Falcons 240 |
| Most gross passing yards, total (both teams, game) | 750 | New England 466, Atlanta 284 |
| Most first downs, total (both teams, game) | 54 | New England 37, Atlanta 17 |
| Most first downs via pass, total (both teams, game) | 39 | New England 26, Atlanta 13 |
| Most points in overtime, total (game) | 6 | New England 6, Atlanta 0 |
| Longest playing time (game) | 63:58 | first overtime game in Super Bowl history |
| Most playing time in lead, losing team | 41:18 | Atlanta Falcons |
| Records tied | ||
| Most games won, as player | 5 | Tom Brady (New England) |
| Most touchdowns scored, player (game) | 3 | James White (New England) |
| Most sacks, player (game) | 3 | Grady Jarrett (Atlanta) |
| Most touchdowns scored, losing team (game) | 4 | Atlanta |
| Most two-point conversions scored, player (game) | 1 | James White (New England) Danny Amendola (New England) |
| Most two-point conversions scored, player (career) | 1 | |
| Most two-point conversions scored, team (game) | 2 | New England |
| Most two-point conversions scored, total (both teams, game) | 2 | New England 2, Atlanta 0 |
| Most first downs via penalty, team (game) | 4 | New England |
individual statistics [edit ]
Sources : The Football Database Super Bowl LI
| Patriots passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| Tom Brady | 43/62 | 466 | 2 | 1 | 95.2 |
| Julian Edelman | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 |
| Patriots rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| LeGarrette Blount | 11 | 31 | 0 | 9 | 2.82 |
| James White | 6 | 29 | 2 | 10 | 4.83 |
| Dion Lewis | 6 | 27 | 0 | 13 | 4.50 |
| Tom Brady | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 15.00 |
| Julian Edelman | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 |
| Patriots receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| James White | 14 | 110 | 1 | 28 | 16 |
| Danny Amendola | 8 | 78 | 1 | 20 | 11 |
| Malcolm Mitchell | 6 | 70 | 0 | 18 | 7 |
| Julian Edelman | 5 | 87 | 0 | 27 | 13 |
| Martellus Bennett | 5 | 62 | 0 | 25 | 6 |
| Chris Hogan | 4 | 57 | 0 | 18 | 7 |
| Dion Lewis | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Falcons passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| Matt Ryan | 17/23 | 284 | 2 | 0 | 144.1 |
| Falcons rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| Devonta Freeman | 11 | 75 | 1 | 37 | 6.82 |
| Tevin Coleman | 7 | 29 | 0 | 9 | 4.14 |
| Falcons receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| Julio Jones | 4 | 87 | 0 | 27 | 4 |
| Taylor Gabriel | 3 | 76 | 0 | 35 | 5 |
| Austin Hooper | 3 | 32 | 1 | 19 | 6 |
| Devonta Freeman | 2 | 46 | 0 | 39 | 2 |
| Mohamed Sanu | 2 | 25 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| Patrick DiMarco | 2 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| Tevin Coleman | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
1Completions/attempts
2Carries
3Long profit
4Receptions
5Times targeted
Starting lineups [edit ]
Officials [edit ]
Super Bowl LI had eight officials. [ 2 ] The numbers in parentheses below indicate their uniform numbers .
- Referee: Carl Cheffers (51)
- Umpire: Dan Ferrell (64)
- Head linesman: Kent Payne (79)
- Line judge: Jeff Seeman (45)
- Field judge: Doug Rosenbaum (67)
- Side judge: Dyrol Prioleau (109)
- Back judge: Todd Prukop (30)
- Replay official: Tom Sifferman
References [edit ]
| External video | |
|---|---|
 on YouTube |