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Matt Ryan almost seems to be toying with the Patriots at this point. The Falcons’ quarterback threw his second touchdown pass, this one a 6-yarder to Tevin Coleman, and along with the extra point Atlanta now leads 28-3.
The drive started with a diving catch by Taylor Gabriel that went for 17 yards. A short run was followed by Matt Ryan again going to Gabriel who was wide open in the middle of the field for a 35-yard gain.
Ryan picked up another first down on a diving catch by Mohamed Sanu that got Atlanta back into the red zone, and after a pair of rushing attempts by Devonta Freeman, Gabriel drew a defensive pass interference penalty on an incomplete pass, which helped set up the scoring play.
Ryan is now 12 for 14 for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns, showing the world why he was an easy choice for M.V.P. this season.
Patriots Stall Out to Start 2nd Half
Momentum can turn remarkably quickly in a football game, so after the Patriots’ defense forced a three-and-out to start the second half, and then Julian Edelman reeled off a 34-yard punt return, New England suddenly seemed to have new life.
A challenge by Atlanta, that proved Edelman had stepped out of bounds, brought the ball back seven yards, and
Tom Brady
’s first pass attempt of the half, while catchable, sailed over Chris Hogan’s head. A pass to Danny Amendola went for a loss of two yards, forcing a third-and-12. Brady then tried to force the ball to Edelman but his go-to wide receiver could not handle the ball, and New England’s offense once again was forced to punt.
Lady Gaga Plays It Safe at Halftime
Lady Gaga entered NRG Stadium from the open roof.Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Anyone expecting a loud political statement was disappointed, but Lady Gaga did at the very least succeed in performing a Super Bowl halftime show all by herself, rather than with an endless parade of guest stars.
The show started with a medley of patriotic songs sung from atop the roof of NRG Stadium, and after diving into the stadium — with the help of an elaborate harness — Lady Gaga transitioned into the familiar hits of her career. Joined only by dancers and pyrotechnics, she let the somewhat politically-charged lyrics of her songs, including “Born This Way,” do the talking for her rather than making any overt political statement about President Trump or any other divisive issues.
While much of the show was a big spectacle, the highlight likely came when she quieted the crowd for a stripped-down version of her recent single, “Million Reasons,” with the stadium lit up by the flashlights on the crowd’s phones.
She ended the show with a mike drop and a dive into an unseen abyss.
First Half Is All Atlanta Falcons
Falcons cornerback Robert Alford ran past Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after intercepting a pass in the second quarter.Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
There were plenty of pundits predicting a Falcons victory, but few could have seen a blowout in Atlanta’s favor on the horizon. That is just what happened in the first half, as the Falcons raced to a 21-3 lead in a game that seemed even more lopsided than that.
That the Patriots even scored was somewhat surprising after some tremendous work by the upstart Atlanta defense that produced a pair of turnovers, both by Robert Alford who has to be the early favorite to be named the game’s Most Valuable Player should the score hold up.
On New England’s final drive of the half, Tom Brady salvaged some respect with a series of completions. No further room could be found, but the team was close enough that Stephen Gostkowski was able to put the Patriots on the board with a 41-yard field goal.
Brady did not seem like himself for much of the half, missing badly on several passing attempts, likely as a result of constant pressure from Atlanta’s defensive line. In one sequence late in the half, he found Martellus Bennett for a 15-yard completion but paid for it with the type of truly jarring hit that New England’s offensive line is nearly always able to protect him from.
With Atlanta set to receive the ball to start the second half, New England needs to find answers on both sides of the ball. The Falcons are winning the turnover battle, moving the ball easily on offense following a sluggish start, and seem to have no problem penetrating the Patriots’ offensive line.
Pick-Six Gives Falcons 21-0 Lead
Repeatedly given extra chances to succeed on a drive that seemed doomed, the Patriots looked like they would at least get a field goal prior to halftime, but Robert Alford had other ideas, stepping in front of Tom Brady’s pass for an interception and running it back 82 yards for a touchdown. Along with the extra point, Atlanta now has a commanding 21-0 lead with less than three minutes left in the first half.
It was the first postseason pick-six of Brady’s career, and was Alford’s second turnover of the game.
That the defense came through for Atlanta once again was fairly surprising as the unit’s youthful exuberance had reared its head earlier in the drive. Three times they appeared to have ended the drive by not allowing Brady to convert on third down only to have the drive extended each time thanks to defensive holding penalties.
But thanks to Alford, none of those mistakes matter.
Falcons’ Defense Has Patriots Reeling
Falcons cornerback Robert Alford recovered a fumble ahead of Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman in the second quarter.Photo: Robert Deutsch/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
With the Patriots clearly reeling, the Falcons are continuing to push hard on both sides of the ball, and Matt Ryan found Austin Hooper in the left side of the end zone for a diving 19-yard touchdown catch. After a botched attempt at an extra point was brought back thanks to a penalty, the Falcons made the second attempt and now lead 14-0.
Atlanta’s defense delivered the ball back to its offense with yet another three-and-out and the offense wasted no time, going 62 yards on 5 plays with less than two minutes running off the clock.
Matt Ryan started the drive with a 24-yard completion to Taylor Gabriel and then an 18-yard completion to Julio Jones. A 1-yard run by Tevin Coleman got the ball back into the red zone, and after Ryan’s first attempt to Hooper fell incomplete thanks to great coverage by Patrick Chung, Ryan threw to his tight end on the other side of the field for the score.
The Falcons now have a 189 to 111 advantage in total yards.
Fumble Leads to Falcons’ Lead
The Atlanta defense continues to prove that its strong play in the playoffs was no fluke, and the team’s sensational offense finally showed up. That combination added up to a 7-0 lead for the underdogs.
The second quarter opened with Tom Brady finding Julian Edelman for a 27-yard gain and New England looked to keep the Falcons on their heels by running right at them with LeGarrette Blount. But the big running back managed four yards before Deion Jones punched the ball out for a fumble and Robert Alford was able to recover it, handing the ball back to Atlanta’s offense.
Not content to go out meekly on a third consecutive drive, Matt Ryan steadily moved his team down the field with two consecutive completions to Julio Jones that covered 42 yards, followed by a 15-yard run by Devonta Freeman. Inside the red zone for the first time, Atlanta again ran with Freeman, and then from the 5-yard line Ryan handed the ball to Freeman who faked right, cut left and easily ran into the end zone for the first score of the game.
The scoring drive covered 71 yards on 5 plays.
(New York Times)
