HOUSTON – The story was going to be the Falcons’ defense, an unheralded unit that was doing all sorts of bad things to Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Instead, the story of Sunday night, and forever, is the monumental, historic collapse of the Falcons. On defense. On offense. But especially on defense.
“It’s a feeling I won’t forget,’’ said Deion Jones, the Falcons rookie linebacker. “It sucks. All the hard work we put in … .’’
His voice trailed off.
The young Falcons allowed 31 unanswered points, coughing up a 28-3 third-quarter lead to lose Super Bowl LI, 34-28, in overtime, when they allowed Brady to march unimpeded in OT for the easiest decisive drive in Super Bowl history.
“I think for sure we ran out of gas some,’’ Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “I was impressed with how hard the guys fought and battled for it. That’s why we’re hurting so bad right now.’’
Brady is a miracle man, to be sure, but he needed help pulling off this historic comeback. He got plenty of help from a Falcons defense that went from men to mice, a defense that completely imploded, stopped covering the Patriots receivers. They did not lose their composure as much as they lost their way. Heck, there should be an investigation into how Brady actually failed to complete nine of his 36 passes in the second half.
Heck, Brady was 16 of 21 for 196 yards – in the fourth quarter.
Oh, what a choke job.
“When they get hot, it was hard for us to deal with,’’ Quinn said.
The Falcons, starting four rookies and four second-year players on defense, were faster, bolder, sharper at the start, and the prolific Patriots were having all sorts of trouble dealing with what they were getting served. The Patriots were shut out in the first quarter. They had only three points at halftime. Not only were the Falcons flying around, they were also scoring points: Cornerback Robert Alford turned a Brady pass intended for Danny Amendola into a stunning 82-yard interception return, the first postseason pick-six in Brady’s long and distinguished career.
That interception made it 21-0, and the defensive surge helped the Falcons build a seemingly insurmountable 28-3 lead midway through the third quarter. That it did not hold up is stunning, but the ease with which Brady traversed the field was breathtaking, as was the ineptitude of the Falcons to come up with the one defensive stop they needed.
“Well, I told them it’s going to be a four-quarter fight and this was a five-quarter fight,’’ said veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney. “In the Super Bowl it usually is a story of two halves.’’
To pull within 28-20, Danny Amendola beat cornerback Jalen Collins, who had a nightmarish second half. On the game-winning drive in overtime, De’Vondre Campbell, a rookie linebacker, was called for pass interference on a pass intended for tight end Martellus Bennett. That set the Patriots up on the 2-yard line.
Given one last chance to make a play on defense, the Falcons could not do it. Brady lofted a pass in the right corner of the end zone, looking for Bennett, but outside linebacker Vic Beasley drifted back in coverage and got his hand on the ball to knock it away. It was a pass Beasley needed to intercept. Not that it was an easy play to make, but the Falcons were reeling and needed someone, something to save them. Beasley could not do it, and James White scored the game-winning touchdown on the next play to put the reeling Falcons out of their misery.