HOUSTON -- In the days leading into Super Bowl LI, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said that coach Bill Belichick kept reminding him of one statistic: In their previous six Super Bowls, the offense had not scored in the first quarter.
Brady hoped to snap that streak Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons, but it didn’t happen. The Patriots got off to a slow start, and then found themselves in trouble after a scoreless first quarter as the Falcons jumped out to a 21-0 lead and took a 21-3 advantage into halftime.
The Patriots didn’t play well, the Falcons did, and the overall formula looked similar to some of the team’s more painful playoff defeats: No running game to help settle things down, an offensive line that was having trouble holding up against the Falcons’ pin-their-ears-back pass rush and too many mistakes.
Running back LeGarrette Blount’s lost fumble early in the second quarter was uncharacteristic and was quickly turned into a touchdown. He had fumbled only twice in the regular season (299 carries), as his ball security was one of the main reasons coaches trusted him as much as they did all year.
And Brady’s pick-six late in the second was a bad decision, but it was also the cumulative effect of the Falcons generating consistent heat on him throughout the first half. His decision-making process was rushed.
The defense had its struggles, too, struggling to strike the balance of being stout enough against the run in their nickel package (six players in the box), but not vulnerable in the secondary against the pass.
It has been rare to see the Patriots on their heels like this, and while they can clearly play better, credit also goes to the Falcons. They are dictating play.
In clear control of the game, the Falcons also get the ball to start the second half.
