Super Bowl LI will go down in history for several reasons. It was the first ever Super Bowl to go to overtime. It also had the first team to comeback down by 21 points or more in the big game. Finally, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick solidified themselves as the greatest Coach/QB duo of all time with their fifth Super Bowl championship.
The biggest question for many football fans is: was it the best ever? Based off of the fifty that precedes this one, it is definitely a top five all-time. This is purely my opinion, but I’ll try to persuade you that it isn’t the best ever.
Reason #1: One-Sided Halves
Look at the two halves in Sunday’s game. The first half of the game was all Atlanta. They dominated from the outset with the defense being able to get after Tom Brady early on and made the most of their opportunities with 14 points off of turnovers including a pick six by Robert Alford. It seemed like a one-sided affair as the first half progressed and it felt like every other playoff game this year.
Then the second half happened and the Patriots woke up angry. Everything lined up at the right time for New England with 25 unanswered points before heading into overtime. The game felt like a snooze-fest for about 45 of the 60 minutes. Based off of that, this game shouldn’t be considered the best of all time.
Reason #2: Several Other Amazing Games Worthy Of It
One thing that makes these amazing games what they are is how the game goes. It’s a slugfest where it comes down to the final play. Look back at several games in the past: the Steelers-Cardinals game is a prime example. Arizona had all of the momentum late in the game before an incredible catch in the endzone by Santonio Holmes cost Arizona the Super Bowl. It’s forever immortalized by the image of Greg Gautreaux holding his hands up in the air after the touchdown.
You can even look at one of Brady’s losses to the New York Giants the year prior. It was a low-scoring game that saw it go down to the fourth quarter and they both threw proverbial haymakers and New York was able to land that knockout blow. These two alone were a lot more intriguing than the entirety of Super Bowl LI.
It was a great finish, there’s no debating that. However, that was only 25 percent of the game. In order to be considered an all-time great game, it needs to be a back and forth game throughout.
-Clint Domingue