A Legendary Sunday

Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons will always be known for two very special numbers: 28 and 3.

Yet there's another number related to that game that's near and dear to Tom Brady's heart: 5, as in his fifth Super Bowl title. Sunday on FOX, we brought you an exclusive re-air of that overtime thriller, in which (spoiler!) Brady's Patriots famously came back from a 28-3 deficit to win their fifth NFL championship. And if you were watching, you were in good company:

That's right — the new quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent his lazy afternoon in the same way you probably did. We're glad you could join us, Tom!

Bold of you to check out the first half, though, since things started so well for Atlanta. The Falcons run game set the tone early, and the defenses ruled the scoreless first quarter:

Indeed, a forced fumble by Atlanta's defense, followed by back-to-back grown man catches by Julio Jones, led to a Devonte Freeman TD for the first score of the game.

Then, the floodgates opened. Matt Ryan found Austin Hooper for a 19-yard score to put Atlanta up 14-0, and on New England's very next possession, Tom Brady threw a pick-six to fall behind by three touchdowns.

Brady seemed rattled, and the Falcons had to feel like they were on top of the world, holding the Pats to just a field goal before halftime.

But those of us who have seen the Patriots stay the course should have known this was far from the end.

In the second half, with the run game established, Atlanta started to unleash its passing attack. Despite the Patriots blanketing Julio Jones, the Falcons matriculated the ball down the field ...

And a Ryan TD pass to Tevin Coleman resulted in that infamous 28-3 lead.

WELP.

We all know what's next, including — especially — Mr. Brady.

Even if he was a little nervous, for some reason.

We're not really sure, Tom, although the comeback got off to a shaky start.

The Patriots finally scored their first TD of the game ... only for Stephen Gostkowski to miss the extra point.

With the clock winding down at the end of the third quarter, though, New England seized momentum with a massive third-down sack:

And in the same way the Falcons got their offense started early with a fumble, New England's defense forced a turnover midway through the fourth that absolutely changed the game.

Because they're the Patriots, Brady & Co. capitalized on the turnover, scoring a TD and tacking on a two-point conversion to pull within 28-20. That's when Julio Jones hauled in an astonishing catch made even more remarkable by the pressure of the moment:

But this is how you give up a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl: Ryan took an awful sack on second down to push Atlanta back to the 35-yard line, then the Falcons committed a holding penalty to force 3rd-and-33 and push them out of field goal range, leaving this one a one-score game. Oops.

That left the door open for Julian Edelman to one-up Jones with one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history.

The Patriots ran down the clock, marched down the field, and punched it in via a handoff to James White to pull within 28-26, before converting on the two-point attempt to come all the way back and force overtime.

Unfortunately for Atlanta, that was about all she wrote. The Patriots won the toss and received the ball to open overtime, with White scoring the game-winning TD on the eighth play of New England's OT drive.

Three years later, it's a moment that brings a tear to the eye of all Tommy Terrific:

We're glad you decided to spend the day with us, Tom. Now, we should remind you that today was just the first in a full slate of "Greatest NFL Games" coming to you on FOX, giving viewers a chance to relive some of the game's most epic moments..

“We are pleased to join forces with the NFL to showcase these unforgettable games to our viewers, while supporting Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund,” said FOX Sports President, National Networks, Mark Silverman. “We hope these classic games provide entertainment and a much-needed respite during these unprecedent times.”

So tune in over the coming weeks as we all make the most of this together!