Super Bowl LI (2016): New England Patriots face Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium. Kickoff time: 6:30pm. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl LI (2016) is the season's final accounting for 2016. New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons arrive at NRG Stadium carrying every snap they have played since training camp. Championship games strip the rest of the schedule away; what is left is whichever team executes its identity longest under the brightest light. The narrative that wins is the one with the trophy attached. Lose, and the season collapses into a footnote no matter how it was played.
The whole league is watching New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 2016 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
New England Patriots versus Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl LI (2016). The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of New England Patriots-Atlanta Falcons cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 14-2 | W7 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10-6 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | W7 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8-8 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6-9-1 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1-15 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 9-7 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 9-7 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8-8 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 12-4 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 12-4 | L1 |
| Denver Broncos | 9-7 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 10-5-1 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 7-8-1 | -- |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4-12 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-14 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 13-3 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 11-5 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-7-1 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-9 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 10-6 | W6 |
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | L3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 3-13 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 11-5 | W4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6-10 | L2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 0 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 0392834 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 021282828 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Devonta Freeman 5 yard rush ( Matt Bryant kick) | 0-7 |
| Falcons | Austin Hooper 19 yard pass from Matt Ryan ( Matt Bryant kick) | 0-14 |
| Falcons | Robert Alford 82 yard interception return ( Matt Bryant kick) | 0-21 |
| Patriots | Stephen Gostkowski 41 yard field goal | 3-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Tevin Coleman 6 yard pass from Matt Ryan ( Matt Bryant kick) | 3-28 |
| Patriots | James White 5 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Stephen Gostkowski kick failed) | 9-28 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Stephen Gostkowski 33 yard field goal | 12-28 |
| Patriots | Danny Amendola 6 yard pass from Tom Brady ( James White run) | 20-28 |
| Patriots | James White 1 yard rush ( Danny Amendola pass from Tom Brady ) | 28-28 |
| OT | ||
| Patriots | James White 2 yard rush | 34-28 |
| Patriots | Falcons | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 37 | 17 |
| Total Yards | 546 | 344 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 43/63 | 17/23 |
| Pass yards | 466 | 284 |
| Pass TD | 2 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 5 | 5 |
| Sack yards lost | 24 | 44 |
| Net pass yards | 442 | 240 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 25 | 18 |
| Rush yards | 104 | 104 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 4 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 23 | 65 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | |||||
| Tom Brady | 43/62 | 466 | 2 | 1 | |
| Julian Edelman | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| ATL | |||||
| Matt Ryan | 17/23 | 284 | 2 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | ||||
| LeGarrette Blount | 11 | 31 | 0 | 9 |
| James White | 6 | 29 | 2 | 10 |
| Dion Lewis | 6 | 27 | 0 | 13 |
| Tom Brady | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Julian Edelman | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| ATL | ||||
| Devonta Freeman | 11 | 75 | 1 | 37 |
| Tevin Coleman | 7 | 29 | 0 | 9 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | ||||
| James White | 14 | 110 | 1 | 28 |
| Julian Edelman | 5 | 87 | 0 | 27 |
| Danny Amendola | 8 | 78 | 1 | 20 |
| Malcolm Mitchell | 6 | 70 | 0 | 18 |
| Martellus Bennett | 5 | 62 | 0 | 25 |
| Chris Hogan | 4 | 57 | 0 | 18 |
| Dion Lewis | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| ATL | ||||
| Julio Jones | 4 | 87 | 0 | 27 |
| Taylor Gabriel | 3 | 76 | 0 | 35 |
| Devonta Freeman | 2 | 46 | 0 | 39 |
| Austin Hooper | 3 | 32 | 1 | 19 |
| Mohamed Sanu | 2 | 25 | 0 | 13 |
| Patrick DiMarco | 2 | 12 | 0 | 10 |
| Tevin Coleman | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
New England Patriots defeated Atlanta Falcons 34-28 at NRG Stadium in the Super Bowl LI (2016). The final scoring play was Patriots: James White 2 yard rush. Top line of the day: Tom Brady: 466 pass yards on 43-of-62, 2 TD, 1 INT. New England Patriots take home the Lombardi Trophy.
New England Patriots walked out of NRG Stadium as the team that survived a Super Bowl LI (2016) Atlanta Falcons will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 34-28. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Patriots: James White 2 yard rush. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. New England Patriots hoist the Lombardi.
New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28. Round: Super Bowl LI (2016). Attendance: 70807. Q2: 4 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 3 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Tom Brady: 466 pass yards on 43-of-62, 2 TD, 1 INT - Devonta Freeman: 75 rush yards on 11 carries - James White: 14 catches for 110 yards
Super Bowl LI (2016), played at NRG Stadium. Final: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28, with New England Patriots taking the result by 6. **Second quarter**
- Falcons: Devonta Freeman 5 yard rush ( Matt Bryant kick) - Falcons: Austin Hooper 19 yard pass from Matt Ryan ( Matt Bryant kick) - Falcons: Robert Alford 82 yard interception return ( Matt Bryant kick) - Patriots: Stephen Gostkowski 41 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Falcons: Tevin Coleman 6 yard pass from Matt Ryan ( Matt Bryant kick) - Patriots: James White 5 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Stephen Gostkowski kick failed)
**Fourth quarter**
- Patriots: Stephen Gostkowski 33 yard field goal - Patriots: Danny Amendola 6 yard pass from Tom Brady ( James White run) - Patriots: James White 1 yard rush ( Danny Amendola pass from Tom Brady )
**Overtime**
- Patriots: James White 2 yard rush
**Top performers**
- Tom Brady: 466 pass yards on 43-of-62, 2 TD, 1 INT - Devonta Freeman: 75 rush yards on 11 carries - James White: 14 catches for 110 yards