All-Time Great Comebacks

[Redbirds Fan]

I almost titled this thread "Coming From Behind", but then...

I wasn't a huge Tom Brady fan, but last night convinced me. I never played pro anything, but I remember from high school sports how hard it is to come back from a huge deficit in team sports because you cannot do it by yourself. You have to get everyone on the same page.

One of the things which was noted by the broadcasters and writers last night was that when it was 28-3, Brady was going up and down the sideline, talking to teammates, telling them not to quit, telling them they could still win. Somehow they believed him. They followed him, and he did his part. Given the stage and the quality of the opposition, maybe the most amazing comeback ever in NFL history.

I was thinking about it this morning...those rookies and very young players who listened to Brady then say him stand in the pocket as cool as he could be, leading them 90+ yards to tie the game and then to a Super Bowl victory...do you think they would walk through fire for him right now?

It got a little bit overshadowed by some of the great plays and circumstances, but thought the drive was one for the books.

(Brady fun fact: Brady's earlier run of 15 yards was the Patriots' longest of the night.)

EDIT: I forgot to mention this, which I told my son at halftime: Over the last ten (10) seasons, the Patriots have been down at the half by 18 points or more only one (1) time. They came back to win that game.

[revo]

The biggest comeback in NFL history was the 1992 AFC Wild Card game between the Bills and Oilers, when the Bills came back from a whopping 35-3 deficit. So at 28-3, we're only talking about another TD.....and this was the Super Bowl! So given the game's importance and the fact they were playing the NFC's best -- yeah, I think this was the greatest comeback ever.

[nullnor]

The biggest comeback in NFL history was the 1992 AFC Wild Card game between the Bills and Oilers, when the Bills came back from a whopping 35-3 deficit. So at 28-3, we're only talking about another TD.....and this was the Super Bowl! So given the game's importance and the fact they were playing the NFC's best -- yeah, I think this was the greatest comeback ever.

i had the over of that game. that was when i was gambling. the bills 2nd string qb frank reich i think came in. i remember walking around saying i don't care because i had the over. lol. not sure if that made frank the greatest comeback qb in history, but i feel it made him a legend.

thats the main reason the patriots cited when they drafted brady. belichick said, 'we saw when he got an opportunity he almost lead his team back.

and during my gambling years i noticed something. the mark of a good QB is when they come from behind. i learned that lesson from brett farve. when 20 years ago i had $300 i couldn't afford to lose on the cowboys, and called my gambling buddy up on monday night. i have no idea why i called him up on monday night either. problably because i was in a in a hole after sunday. and he told me the the GB QB was injured and this guy named brett farve just threw a touchdown. it was a pretty touchdown. along the sideline, and by the book. not only did i lose, but i learned something, which was even better. from then on i had the right indicator for telling a great QB.

[Judge Jude]

The biggest comeback in NFL history was the 1992 AFC Wild Card game between the Bills and Oilers, when the Bills came back from a whopping 35-3 deficit. So at 28-3, we're only talking about another TD.....and this was the Super Bowl! So given the game's importance and the fact they were playing the NFC's best -- yeah, I think this was the greatest comeback ever.

I'd rate last night as 75 pct choke and 25 pct comeback. nothing the Patriots could do to win if not for a series of unbelievably stupid decisions by the Falcons. that said, the Pats still had to make the plays and they did so kudos to the champs.

[DMT]

I'd rate last night as 75 pct choke and 25 pct comeback. nothing the Patriots could do to win if not for a series of unbelievably stupid decisions by the Falcons. that said, the Pats still had to make the plays and they did so kudos to the champs.

Agreed. It seriously seemed at moments the Falcons were deliberately trying to lose the game. And so much for the league MVP Matty Ice. Just complete choke job by him on their final drive.

[Judge Jude]

Many Vegas books had Patriots -3 and over-under at 59.

so if the Pats kicked a FG in OT and then stopped the Falcons, it would have been a double push - but instead they scored the TD to send NE/Over parlay players on the biggest bender in Vegas history, and Falcons/Under players to the bottom of a tequila bottle or three.

one guy on Sunday morning bet $1M - on Falcons +3.

that's gotta sting a little.....

[Redbirds Fan]

I'd rate last night as 75 pct choke and 25 pct comeback. nothing the Patriots could do to win if not for a series of unbelievably stupid decisions by the Falcons. that said, the Pats still had to make the plays and they did so kudos to the champs.

I don't know if 25% is giving Brady quite enough credit. 91 yards away, eight points down, he basically says "I got this". He was 13/15 in the fourth quarter for 124, and didn't seem to break a sweat in overtime. The Falcons may have choked at some point, but we've seen Brady do this sort of thing before.

[In the Corn]

One of my thoughts last night was how cavalier the Falcons seemed with their early timeouts in the second half as if they weren't going to need them.

I would have liked to see Matty Ice with 52 seconds and two or three timeouts.

[Sour Masher]

one guy on Sunday morning bet $1M - on Falcons +3.

that's gotta sting a little.....

Yeah, I was rooting against the Pats, but I would have never actually bet against them. Especially against what has been one of the biggest choking teams in the league. The most poised team vs the biggest chokers=don't bet against the poised team.

[Judge Jude]

I don't know if 25% is giving Brady quite enough credit. 91 yards away, eight points down, he basically says "I got this". He was 13/15 in the fourth quarter for 124, and didn't seem to break a sweat in overtime. The Falcons may have choked at some point, but we've seen Brady do this sort of thing before.

oh, it was tremendous. but it's also true that the Falcons D faced the most plays against them in a playoff game (I think it was 94) since a Browns-Jets double OT game at least 25 years ago. the Falcons were completely gassed at that point, and that wasn't the choke. you had a superhuman QB against a weary D - notice that they mauled him constantly well into the third quarter, then couldn't get near him late.

the choke came before the last drive or two.

[cardboardbox]

I'm not a big NFL fan, but I was definitely rooting for Brady and the Pats. Very satisfying win.

[MrFurious]

Why didn't the Falcons just run the ball three times after the catch by Julio at the 22? They were well within FG range. Run the ball 3 times and force the Pats to use their TOs. Attempt a FG to potentially put them up 11. Even if the Pats do score and get the 2-pt conversion on the next drive, you likely get the ball back and kneel to run out the clock.

Starting the 4th qtr w/ a 19 pt lead, the Falcons offense simply performed poorly (partly caused by the Pats defense) but the play calling was atrocious. The fumble by Ryan was a 3rd and 1. Quick screen like the Pats ran for the 2nd 2-pt conversion probably gets them a 1st down. A quick flare to the back who barely blocked Hightower on that play would have likely gotten a first down. Poor play calling throughout the 4th quarter gave the Pats a chance to win it. Kudos to them for seizing the opportunity.

[revo]

Why didn't the Falcons just run the ball three times after the catch by Julio at the 22? They were well within FG range. Run the ball 3 times and force the Pats to use their TOs. Attempt a FG to potentially put them up 11. Even if the Pats do score and get the 2-pt conversion on the next drive, you likely get the ball back and kneel to run out the clock.

Starting the 4th qtr w/ a 19 pt lead, the Falcons offense simply performed poorly (partly caused by the Pats defense) but the play calling was atrocious. The fumble by Ryan was a 3rd and 1. Quick screen like the Pats ran for the 2nd 2-pt conversion probably gets them a 1st down. A quick flare to the back who barely blocked Hightower on that play would have likely gotten a first down. Poor play calling throughout the 4th quarter gave the Pats a chance to win it. Kudos to them for seizing the opportunity.

Yep, it was dumb, dumb, dumb.

[Redbirds Fan]

oh, it was tremendous. but it's also true that the Falcons D faced the most plays against them in a playoff game (I think it was 94) since a Browns-Jets double OT game at least 25 years ago. the Falcons were completely gassed at that point, and that wasn't the choke. you had a superhuman QB against a weary D - notice that they mauled him constantly well into the third quarter, then couldn't get near him late.

the choke came before the last drive or two.

My daughter is a huge Falcons fan and was so up for this game. She said she started getting worried when the Pats didn't just collapse. Finally, when she saw Brady go out to start that drive from the nine-yard line late in the 4th quarter she knew it was all over.

[Judge Jude]

My daughter is a huge Falcons fan and was so up for this game.

oh man, sorry to hear that. maybe because I'm getting old and soft, but I always root for the team that hasn't won or not in a long time.

I like the Mets, but I kind of wanted the Cubs to beat them in 2015 because my father-in-law is a big Cubs fan. I'm just old enough to remember 1969, and I was in the stands for Game 7 of the 1986 World Series. I figured I wouldn't mind waiting another year for his sake. Of course, he's good now.