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The Guardian - US
Sport
Hunter Felt with Tom Lutz in Houston

Super Bowl 51: New England Patriots beat Atlanta Falcons 34-28 – as it happened

Final thoughts

And that will do it from here. I’ve got nothing to add at this point. We had the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. The first overtime game in Super Bowl history. The Patriots won their fifth Super Bowl, Tom Brady won his fourth Super Bowl MVP and he might have sealed up his reputation as the best player in NFL history (but that’s a debate for a different day). Roger Goodell was humbled on the biggest stage possible. IT WAS A WHOLE THING and the Guardian will have further coverage of everything that just transpired today.

But this marks the end of our live Super Bowl coverage. Thanks to everybody who followed along with us today, especially those who contributed (sorry I couldn’t use all of your tweets and emails). Ciao!

Belichick says a bunch of boring things and then comes Tom Brady. “We’re bringing this sucker home!”

Robert Kraft throwing hardcore shade at Goodell, saying that this win is the sweetest of all time after saying that “a lot has transpired in the past two years.”

Goodell is on the podium. Robert and Jonathan Kraft are up there as well. Tom Brady is in the back. Michael Strahan is bringing up the trophy. Goodell comes to the podium, to a chorus of boos.

Updated

Where is Roger? Here is Roger.

And one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history:

And yep, Roger Goodell to heading to hand the Super Bowl trophy to the Patriots. This is actually happening and it’s hilarious.

I’ve got nothing. I’ve got nothing. Which is BAD because my job is to say something.

Email by Andy G

Heading: Alternate reality

A Superbowl 25 point recovery and overtime. Is this really happening or is this some wierd Inception thing inside a Brexit Britain and a Trump America?

Patriots win!

The New England Patriots have won their 5th Super Bowl, in the most improbable manner possible.

Updated

Touchdown, (Patriots)! Patriots 34-28 Falcons

Patriots 34-28 Falcons, FINAL

Brady throws to Bennett, it’s almost picked off by Beasley! Dangerous throw that.

2nd and 10, Brady throws to White who runs in with a game winning touchdown! The Patriots have completed the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history!

Updated

Patriots 28-28 Falcons, 11:18, OT

White is pushed out at the 15. That’s a 10 yard gain. Brady throws to Bennett, it’s incomplete, but because Campbell was committing pass interference. That will put the Patriots at the Atlanta 2.

Patriots 28-28 Falcons, 12:37, OT

Brady throws to Hogan, who manages to keep hold of it and goes 18 yards. Patriots are at the Falcons 37.

Brady makes a play to White, who gets pushed back 3 yards to the Falcons 40.

But Brady finds Edelman for 15 yards! The Patriots are at the Atlanta 25! With a fresh set of downs!

Patriots 28-28 Falcons, 14:26, OT

Patriots start at their own 25 after a touchback. Brady throws to White for a 6 yard gain. Brady then throws to Amendola who goes 14 yard and makes it to the New England 45.

Coin toss

Patriots win the coin toss! They will have the ball to start overtime!

Updated

Tie game! We head to overtime!

Patriots 28-28 Falcons, END OF REGULATION

Yeah it’s an incomplete pass, I guess it was worth a chance. Edelman receives Atlanta’s punt at their 38. Brady hands the ball to Lewis, who takes the snap, runs 13 yards, and hurts his knee.

They may have just wanted to taken the ball and headed into overtime there.

Patriots 28-28 Falcons, :11, 4th quarter

Weems takes Gostkowski’s kickoff to the Atlanta 1. Ryan throws to Sanu for a 12 yard gain. :32 left, Ryan throws to Hooper. 2nd & 6, Ryan spikes the ball. 3rd & 6, Ryan’s throw is almost intercepted. The Falcons have to punt.

Or, no, the Patriots decide to challenge Ryan’s incomplete pass.

Touchdown, Two Point Conversion (Patriots)! Patriots 28-28 Falcons

Patriots 28-28 Falcons, 1:00, 4th quarter

Brady to White, who gets it to the 8 yard line. Brady to White again, who takes it to the Atlanta 1. Brady to White one more: He gets it into the end zone! Touchdown Patriots!

And here comes the crucial two point conversion. It looks like it’s good, Brady finds Amendola, but it’s ON THE FALCONS! It’s good! It’s a tied game!

Patriots 20-28 Falcons, 2:00, 4th quarter

Brady throws deep to Amendola who makes the catch at the Atlanta 21 yard line! A 20 yard gain! And we’re at the two minute warning!

Patriots 20-28 Falcons, 2:28, 4th quarter

Replay confirms it: the catch is good, the ball never hit the ground! Atlanta lose their timeout! The Patriots are at the Atlanta 41!

Patriots 20-28 Falcons, 2:34, 4th quarter

Patriots at their 25. Brady to Edelman. Incomplete. Brady-to-Mitchell: That’s good! That’s an 11 yard catch. Fresh set of downs. New England is at their own 36.

Brady’s throw is… tipped and Edelman looks like he’s made a ridiculous catch of the deflection but Atlanta is going to review it.

Patriots 20-28 Falcons, 3:17, 4th quarter

It’s a killer punt though and the Patriots have to start at their own 9. Brady’s pass to White is incomplete. Ouch. His 2nd & 10 pass to Hogan is… also incomplete.

3rd & 10, Brady throws a 16 yard strike to Hogan!

Patriots 20-28 Falcons, 3:38, 4th quarter

It’s 3rd & 23 at the New England 35. Ryan throws a pass to Sanu who picks up 9 yards but NO there’s offensive holding on the play. It’s 3rd and 33 on the New England 45 and Ryan’s pass to Gabriel is incomplete and the FALCONS HAVE TO PUNT!

Patriots 20-28 Falcons, 3:56, 4th quarter

Falcons in the shotgun, Ryan throws to Julio Jones who makes a SPECTACULAR catch just in bounds for a 27 yard gain! The Falcons are at the New England 22.

Freeman gets a one yard loss and then gets sacked for 12 yards. Patriots take a timeout.

Patriots 20-28 Falcons, 5:18, 4th quarter

Well then. Matt Ryan shrugs everything off and throws to Freeman who finds a hole and immediately gets to the 49 yard line. The Falcons aren’t blinking here.

On the next play, Freeman picks up two yards. An injury for Atlanta, as Ryan Schraeder is hurt.

Patriots 20-28 Falcons, 5:56, 4th quarter

Okay maybe the field goal wasn’t futile and meaningless. Gostkowski’s kick goes deep and the Falcons probably should let it go into the end zone, instead Hardy receives it and gets pushed out at the Atlanta 10.

Touchdown, Two Point Conversion (Patriots)! Patriots 20-28 Falcons

Patriots 20-28 Falcons, 6:00, 4th quarter

On the next play, Brady throws to Amendola, that’s a 8 yard gain. Brady throws to Amendola once again and this time, the catch is in the end zone. Patriots with a touchdown!

And they go for two this time, White runs up the middle to convert it! We have a ball game!

Patriots 12-28 Falcons, 7:03, 4th quarter

Brady gets sacked for a five yard loss! On 2nd and 15, Brady’s throw to White is good for only four yards, 3 & 11. Are the Patriots going to throw this opportunity away?

Oh hey, Brady finds Mitchell for a 12 yard gain!

Fumble (Patriots recover)

Patriots 12-28 Falcons, 8:31, 4th quarter

And Hightower sacks Ryan for a 11 yard loss on 3rd and 2, and fumbles, which Branch recovers! And the Patriots will take over on the Falcons 25!

Patriots 12-28 Falcons, 9:00, 4th quarter

Coleman picks up 8 yards. On 2nd & 2, Coleman gets stuffed after a one yard gain and he’s hurt on the play.

Updated

Patriots 12-28 Falcons, 9:44, 4th quarter

Gostkowsk’s kick goes to the Atlanta 17 where Justin Hardy receives the kick and takes it ten yards to their 27 where their drive will begin. A chance to bleed out the clock here.

Michael P thinks it’s not quite over:

And as much as loathe the Brady bunch, I do know, they are capable of a miracle or three…

Field goal (Patriots) Patriots 12-28 Falcons

Patriots 12-28 Falcons, 9:48, 4th quarter

Bad news for the Pats, who need all he tim in the world as Jarrett sacks Brady for a five yard loss. Brady’s next pass to White gets them to the Atlanta 10. Time keeps ticking.

And Jarrett gets sacked once again. That’s a 5 yard loss. And here comes… Gostkowski? Why? This is the same as conceding at this point.

His 33 yard field goal try is good but that’s a win for Atlanta.

Patriots 9-28 Falcons, 12:20, 4th quarter

Brady throws to Mitchell. That’s a 18 yard gain, so hey good for them. They’re at the Atlanta 41 yard line.

Brady passes to White, who gets 9 yards. They’r 2nd & 1 at the Atlanta 32. Brady’s throw is incomplete, he looks to the judges for a flag but there’s none coming.

No matter, Brady finds Bennett for a gain of 25 yards1 The Patriots are at the Atlanta 7!

Patriots 9-28 Falcons, 13:21, 4th quarter

Brady finds Mitchell for 7 yards. Pats in shotgun now. On 2nd & 3, he finds White for 6 yards.

Brady targets Edelman again on 1st & 10, incomplete. More than a minute’s already off he clock here.

Patriots 9-28 Falcons, 14:51, 4th quarter

Bosher’s punt will put the Patriots at their own 13. Brady’s first throw of the drive goes 15 yards to Mitchell, who gets to the 28.

TREMENDOUS email from Justin K:

So how the hell is the President of the United States going to explain being such TREMENDOUS friends with this Brady Bunch of losers tomorrow? Oh that’s right, he’ll have Sean Spicer come out and read the alternative result in the morning. Or Kellyanne Conwoman will claim it was all fixed by the so-called line judge,the so-called back judge, the so-called side judge, the so-called center judge, and just, just, just… judges in general…terrible people…

Patriots 9-28 Falcons, end of the third quarter

The Falcons get called for a delay of game penalty in punt formation. That’s a 5 yard penalty and that will take us to the end of the third.

Patriots 9-28 Falcons, :52, 3rd quarter

Under pressure, Ryan throws a pass to Hooper to escape a sack, but Chung pushes the ball out to force an incompletion. 3rd and 11.

No escape on the next play, Ryan gets sacked for a loss of nine and the Falcons have to punt.

Patriots 9-28 Falcons, :59, 3rd quarter

Ryan throws to Hooper for a 9 yard completion to the New England 32. There’s offensive holding on the next play, 10 yard penalty. And Atlanta takes a 30 second timeout as we hit the quarter’s final minute.

Patriots 9-28 Falcons, 2:06, 3rd quarter

And there’s a five yard penalty on the kick, an illegal touch on Gostkowski. That’s an additional five yards, enforced at the New England 46.

Onside kick (Atlanta recover)

Patriots 9-28 Falcons, 2:06, 3rd quarter

At this point, I don’t think you’re in trouble here. Man, in retrospect, maybe go for two there?

They attempt an onside kick, and Atlanta recover it.

Touchdown, Missed Extra Point (Patriots)! Patriots 9-28 Falcons

Patriots 9-28 Falcons, 2:06, 3rd quarter

And the Patriots punch in their first touchdown. Blount gets the ball to the 5 yard line and Brady connects with White for the touchdown!

But Gostkowski’s extra point is no good, it hits the upright, even when things go right for New England they go wrong.

Patriots 3-28 Falcons, 3:17, 3rd quarter

Patriots at the Atlana 20 after that 15 yard scamper. They hand the ball over to Blount, who picks up 4 yards. They go to Blount again who just gets to the Atlanta 7. That’s another first down for the Patriots, but man the clock is draining down.

Patriots 3-28 Falcons, 4:49, 3rd quarter

1st and 10 on the Atlanta 37, Brady throws to Amendola, a short pass, 2 yard gain. 2nd and 8, Brady can’t quite connect with Edelman. 3rd & 8, Brady takes it himself and goes through the middle and gets to the 20 yard line

Patriots 3-28 Falcons, 6:04, 3rd quarter

Patriots in shotgun. Brady throws to White who picks up 12 yards. On 1st & 10, Lewis picks up 8 yards. Not sure why the Patriots are running the ball here.

And then get the ball to Lewis, who gets pushed off for a yard loss. On the next down, the Patriots attempt a lateral with Edelman throwing to Lewis and nothing doing.

And they’re staying on the field for 4th and 3, Brady finds Amendola… and they get 17 yards! Pats still alive here.

Patriots 3-28 Falcons, 8:31, 3rd quarter

Bosher’s kick goes to the end zone. Another touchback. Brady throws to Lewis who manages to grind out a mere 2 yards.

Touchdown (Falcons)! Patriots 3-28 Falcons

Patriots 3-28 Falcons, 8:36, 3rd quarter

Freeman picks up 6 yards. On 2nd and 1, Freeman gets stuffed for a 3 yard loss. On 3rd and 4, it looks like the Patriots have the stop, but Butler rightfully gets called for defensive pass interference. That’s a 3 yard penalty and first down.

And the Falcons only need the one down, Ryan throws to Coleman for the touchdown. Bryant’s extra point is good and this could be over.

Updated

Patriots 3-21 Falcons, 10:26, 3rd quarter

And the Falcons have the big lead but they’re not slowing things down at all. Coleman goes off for 5 yards. Then, Ryan throws deep to Gabriel and just like that, the Falcons are at the New England 28. A 35 yard gain from Gabriel.

Coleman gets pushed out for no gain on 1st & 10, but of course Ryan’s next throw is on the money. Ryan makes a pass to Mohammed Sanu for 13 yards and they’re at the New Englan

Patriots 3-21 Falcons, 12:45, 3rd quarter

Ryan throws to a leaping Gabriel who makes a catch good for a 17 yard gain and a first down. Falcons at their own 32.

Patriots 3-21 Falcons, 12:52, 3rd quarter

Brady throws to Edelman, who drops the pass. And that’s the end of that, the Patriots go backwards on the drive and have to punt the ball. A huge win for Atlanta. Weems makes a fair catch of Allen’s punt at their 15.

Patriots 3-21 Falcons, 12:57, 3rd quarter

The Falcons challenge the spot on Edelman’s return. It turns out that Edelman is out at the New England 47 instead. Brady throws to Hogan, incomplete. Brady’s pass to Amendola gets all screwed up for an 8 yard loss. Plus there’s an offensive pass interference call against New England, which they decline.

And the Falcons take a timeout.

Patriots 3-21 Falcons, 13:01, 3rd quarter

And Edelman takes Bosher’s punt 34 yards to the Atlanta 45. Excellent starting position for the Pats if they want to strike first here in the second half, which they sorta have to.

Patriots 3-21 Falcons, 13:24, 3rd quarter

Freeman gets pushed back 3 yards on first down. On 2nd & 13, Ryan and Freeman connect for 7 yards. On 3rd & 9, Ryan’s throw to Gabriel is incomplete. And there’s the 3 and out the Patriots desperately needed.

Second half starts!

Patriots 3-21 Falcons, 15:00, 3rd quarter

Falcons receive the kickoff. Weens receives Gostkowski’s kick and takes it 14 yards to the Atlanta 19.

Alright we’re getting back into sports mode here, I think. The Falcons have the ball to start off the second half and a quick touchdown could very put this game away very early. Everywhere advertisers who paid for those late fourth quarter ads are making quick prayers.

Did that count as a statement? I’m fairly certain she didn’t summon Satan. Which is a disappointment, really, as that would have been totally meme-worthy.

Lady Gaga briefly goes into “Just Dance” before moving into something dreary off of her new album which also doubles as symbolic of how Patriots’ fans felt before the game and how they feel at halftime.

And half of New England.

I was still way more in synch than the Patriots offense.

Halftime!

A reminder that we’ll be liveblogging Lady Gaga’s halftime show in full over here at our other Super Bowl blog!

Updated

Email from Andy G:

Heading: Alternative reality

I predict Fox News showing the “Alternative Half-time Show” staring Kellyanne Conway and Breitbart wins by 30.

End of the first half!

Patriots 3-21 Falcons, end of the first half

And here in MA my systems all completely freeze up at the key moment, which is a perfect metaphor for the first half of play for New England.

Updated

Field goal (Patriots)! Patriots 3-21 Falcons

Patriots 3-21 Falcons, :02, 2nd quarter

Brady throws to Edelman, that’s incomplete. 2nd and 10 on the Atlanta 15. Brady throws to White who gets it to the 3 and there’s a holding call on Bennett. That erases the play and pushes the Patriots back 5 yards. On 2nd & 15, Brady throws to Bennett who loses 3 yards on the play.

The Patriots settle for a field goal from Gostkowski which is good but this drive is pretty much a total failure. Patriots take their final timeout.

Updated

Patriots 0-21 Falcons, :23, 2nd quarter

Brady throws to Edelman, it’s incomplete to Edelman who’s deep. Next throw, Brady throws to White for a 28 yard gain. Patriots at the Atlanta 29.

Brady throws to Hogan, that’s a 8 yard gain. Patriots to the 21. Brady’s pass to Hogan is incomplete, and that takes timeout. On 3rd down, Brady finds White for a 6 yard gain. That’s a first down!

Patriots timeout.

Patriots 0-21 Falcons, 1:43, 2nd quarter

Brady is hit and almost loses the ball but Bennett matches to make the catch and get the ball to the 43 yard line.

There’s an injury on the play, for Atlanta, and that’s going to be an injury timeout.

Email from Catherine M:

The largest comeback in Super Bowl history is 10 points, which has happened twice. So if the Pats win it’ll be the biggest comeback in 50 years.

And now it’s something of an even taller task.

Patriots 0-21 Falcons, 2:00, 2nd quarter

The Patriots will start from their own 35 after a touchback. Man this looks like tough going from here on out. White picks up 3 yards that takes us to the two minute warning.

PICK SIX (Falcons)! Patriots 0-21 Falcons

Patriots 0-21 Falcons, 2:36, 2nd quarter

Brady throws to Bennett and, hey, that works out a tad better, a 13 yard gain that gets the Patriots to the 27 yard mark.

On 1st and 10, Lewis picks up 4 yards. 2nd and 6, Lewis gets absolutely blocked. On 3rd and 6, Brady throws… THAT’S PICKED OFF BY ROBERT ALFORD AND TAKEN TO THE END ZONE! It’s a pick six!

The extra point is good! The Falcons are up by three touchdowns! And they have the ball to start the second half!

Patriots 0-14 Falcons, 5:12, 2nd quarter

Brady’s throw is incomplete BUT ATLANTA COMMITS HOLDING AGAIN. It’s on Poole again.

Brady gives it to Blount who gets stuffed again. Time to maybe try something new?

Patriots 0-14 Falcons, 5:16, 2nd quarter

Patriots at the Atlanta 46. Blount squeezes out a yard on first down, so much for the Falcons’ problems stopping the run. On 2nd & 9, Brady throws incomplete to Lewis. Atlanta take their first timeout.

Patriots 0-14 Falcons, 6:53, 2nd quarter

Patriots at their 42. Blount goes off… and gets nada. 2nd and 10. White gets six yards before a shoestring tackle from Alford. On 3rd and 4, Brady’s throw is incomplete.

BUT there’s a holding call on Atlanta, on Brian Poole. That’s another first down.

Patriots 0-14 Falcons, 8:02, 2nd quarter

Brady’s first pass to Edelman is incomplete and his second, thrown to a double covered Amendola, is nearly picked off. On 3rd & 10, Brady throws to James Whtie… short of the first down. There’s a flag on the play however and it’s holding on the defense. That’s a five yard penalty and an automatic first down. Killer penalty for Atlanta.

Patriots 0-14 Falcons, 8:48 2nd quarter

Matt Bosher’s kick goes into the end zone for a touchback. This is something of a critical possession for New England, one would think.

Patriots start at their own 25, Brady throws to Michael Bennett for a 12 yard gain. Decent start, quick first down.

Touchdown (Falcons)! Patriots 0-14 Falcons

Patriots 0-14 Falcons, 8:48 2nd quarter

Everything going right for Atlanta early on. A score here will put the Patriots in “catching up” mode, something they haven’t had to do much recently.

Ryan throws to Taylor Gabriel for a 24 yard gain and they’re already at the New England 38. And here comes Julio Jones again, who gets it to the 20.

Coleman picks up a single yard. It’s 2nd and 9 and Ryan’s throw to tight end Austin Hooper is… no good. 3rd and 9, can the Patriots make a stop?

Nope, nope, they can’t. Ryan finds Hooper in the end zone for a touchdown. There’s a flag, but it’s a defensive pass interference on the Patriots. They will decline because duh.

The Falcons bungle the extra point attempt, but another Patriots penalty gets them an extra shot at it, which is good.

Patriots 0-7 Falcons, 10:45, 2nd quarter

After the scoreless first quarter, it takes the Falcons less than two minutes to score the game’s first touchdown.

The Patriots start at their own 16 after Dion Lewis misjudges a kick off return. Brady throws incomplete to Mitchell. Lewis picks up 3 yards. Brady fires off to White, who is tackled short of the first down.

My Dion Lewis MVP prediction is looking poor. Here comes Ryan Allen to punt, it’s not an ideal one, going only 38 yards. The Falcons will start at their own 38.

Touchdown (Falcons)! Patriots 0-7 Falcons

Patriots 0-7 Falcons, 12:20, 2nd quarter

I’m going to go take a wild guess and say that this isn’t going to remain scoreless too long. And it doesn’t, Freeman takes it right into the end zone for the touch down. The rare lost fumble ends up hurting the Patriots big time.

Matt Bryant’s extra point is good and the Falcons take an early lead.

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 12:20, 2nd quarter

Ryan throws to Julio Jones who fights Malcolm Butler for the ball, he keeps ahold of it for a 19 yard gain to the Atlanta 48. Ryan targets Jones again and he catches the ball and takes it to to the New England 29. Wow the Falcons are going fast here.

Freeman takes the ball and gets the ball for a 14 yard carry. Falcons at the New England 14. 1st and 10, Freeman gets it to the New England 5 and the Patriots take a desperate timeout, the first of the game.

Fumble (Falcons recover!)

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 14:19, 2nd quarter

Brady throws to Edelman for a 27 yard again! To the 33 yard line! That’s a start to the 2nd quarter.

Except that Brady fumbles the ball! Deion Jones jars the ball loose and Robert Alford recovers a the Falcons 29!

There’s offensive holding on the play, but the Falcons are going to decline it because duh.

Michael P:

Pats owe Goddel for destroying the spy tapes too.

That did neither side any favors on the P.R. front.

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, end of the 1st quarter

Bosher’s punt pins the Patriots to their own 9 yard line after Edelman receives the ball and goes absolutely nowhere. Let’s see if the Patriots offense start cooking here.

Brady goes with what has worked the best these last few months, in shotgun, Brady throws to Edelman for a 13 yard gain. Blount gets 7 yards, to the Patriots 38. Blount runs again, and gets to the 40 and that will do it for the first quarter where we have, somewhat astonishingly, a scoreless game.

Lot of defensive players making name for themselves this quarter.

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 2:27, 1st quarter

Tevin Coleman runs 9 yards to the Atlanta 21. That’s a quite doable first down and, as it turns out, the Falcons are looking for a tad more. Ryan finds DiMarco for a 10 yard gain. That’s good for a first down on their own 31.

Freeman picks up 2 yards and Coleman gets the next carry, getting 5 yards. It’s a 3rd & 3 situation and Alan Branch sacks Ryan for 2 yard loss. Here comes the punting team again.

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 5:08, 1st quarter

Well. Apparently both teams’ defenses heard all of the talk about this being a high scoring offensive battle and got a tad fired up.

Eric Weems makes a fair catch of Ryan Allen’s punt at the Atlanta 12.

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 5:14, 1st quarter

…And Brady gets sacked by Courtney Upshaw for a loss of 8 yards. On the next play, Brady makes a spectacular throw…. that James White CAN’T hold on to. On the very next play, Brady is sacked again! Grady Jarrett for a one yard punt. And Ryan Allen comes in to punt!

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 7:15, 1st quarter

1st & 10 on their own 40, the Patriots go to Blount who picks up 2 yards this time around. Brady finds Malcolm Mitchell, a Patriot who apparently exists for a 7 yard gain. 3rd and a long 1, Brady finds James White for a 11 yard gain, and the Patriots are in the Atlanta 40. Everyone’s getting involved with this drive.

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 9:22, 1st quarter

Edelman picks up 2 yards before getting pushed out of bounds. Next play, Brady finds Danny Amendola, a gain of 13 yards. Then Brady finds Chris Hogan for a 15 yard gain. The Pats get to their own 40.

Charles G:

Mark E. is not quite right. Whatever the final score, that is the one Trump predicted earlier today. Sean Spicer will confirm that tomorrow.

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 10:41, 1st quarter

Freeman picks up another three yards to the Atlanta 48. Matt Ryan throws his first pass of he game to Patrick DiMarco to the 50. On 3rd and 5, Trey Flowers sacks Ryan for a 10 yard loss. For a second it looks like Rob Ninkovich has recovered the ball for a Patriots interception, but the officials correctly rule the ball down by contact. The Falcolns bring out the punt team, pinning the Patriots at their own 10 after a short Edelman punt return.

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 13:37, 1st quarter

Ryan Allen’s punt goes to the Atlanta 15, but a penalty puts them back to the 8. No worries for Atlanta, Devonta Freeman burns the New England rushing defense by going 37 yards to the Atlanta 45 before being brought down by Devin McCourty.

Ryan Allen’s punt goes to the Atlanta 15, but a penalty puts them back to the 8. No worries for Atlanta, Devonta Freeman burns the New England rushing defense by going 37 yards to the Atlanta 45 before being brought down by Devin McCourty.

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 14:26, 1st quarter

Patriots start at their own 25. On 1st and 10, Tom Brady takes a hard hit from De’Vondre Campbell and throws incomplete to Julian Edelman. 2nd and 10, Brady throws complete to Edelman for 9 yards. On 3rd down, LeGarrett Blount gets stuffed for no gain. That’s a 3 and out for the Falcons defense, a good way to start the game.

Kickoff

Patriots 0-0 Falcons, 15:00, 1st quarter

So the Patriots will get the ball to start the game. Atlanta’s Matt Bosher kicks off, and it goes into the end zone for a touchback.

Coin toss

George H.W. and Barbara Bush, both recently hospitalized, come in for the ceremonial coin toss. The Falcons win the coin toss and they defer.

Updated

I had the Seahawks by like three touchdowns. (Sighs.) Yes that was the Panthers, and that was on me.

I... I don’t want to talk about the last Super Bowl. Let’s talk about this one.

Updated

National anthem

You know, I liked Luke Bryan’s version fine, held the last note a tad too long. Simple is sometimes better, unless you’re Whitney Houston. And nobody is Whitney Houston anymore. 7/10.

Email from Mark E:

Hi Hunter

I’m going with Falcons 27 Pats 24, however, Sean Spicer will announce in tomorrow’s White House presser, that the result was Pats 24 Falcons 16. Brady and co will visit the White House later in the year

And the cast of “Hamilton” sing “America the Beautiful.” Because they are legally required to make an appearance in literally every major event in this country until somewhere in 2018.

I have been informed that the guy responsible for “7 Years” was, in fact, Lukas Graham and not our upcoming National Anthem singer Luke Bryan and just had to delete about 250 words of pure invective. I feel so embarrassed.

Michael P:

I got a gut feelin’ the falcons will get their tuck fluke interception win. Pats have too much bad Karma and Goodell will get his last laugh. Falcons 31- Pats 30

This brings us to an important note: There is one possible way that this game could unite our broken country: America can all come together and agree that Roger Goodell is a disgrace to the sport.

If the Patriots win today, they might have the NFL commissioner to thank. Goodell’s four game Deflategate suspension to Brady may have ended up doing nothing but giving him fresher legs come playoff time and an extra bit of motivation to win their fifth Super Bowl.

Since I’m blogging here from Somerville, MA, I suppose I should use my local knowledge to answer this theoretical question: Does the fact that Matt Ryan was a Heisman Trophy caliber quarterback for Boston College at all alter people in Massachusetts’ rooting interest in this Super Bowl?

Answer: Hahahaha. No.

We refuse to accept that college football is, in fact, a thing. We pretend that it got shut down sometime after Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass.

Portents of the New World Order Dept.All the Brexit Britain journalists have been herded together on the very back row. No idea where the Russians are, but imagine they have good seats.

Prediction

Do I really have to make a prediction here? The hope here is that we have a close game, something which we mostly haven’t had this postseason, but that means that it’s not one that’s easy to predict. I’m going to reveal my biases and say that it’s going to be the Patriots by four points, with MVP Dion Lewis running in a late touchdown to account for the winning points after the Falcons take a late lead in the fourth quarter.

By the way, our president’s prediction is that the Patriots will win by at least eight points. I’m not saying it’s the end of the world if he’s right, but let’s face it, the end of the world is always in play when it comes to him.

Your thoughts? Email them to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com or tweet to @HunterFelt.

An unscientific survey of fans in and around the stadium: I reckon 40% Pats, 25% Falcons and [does hard sum] 35% Steelers/Cowboys/Real Madrid/Lady Gaga. Biggest cheer for player during the warm up: Tom Brady. Biggest boo for player during the warm-up: Tom Brady.

Updated

(Shamefully moves hand out of bag of Snickers minis. Wipes crumbs from keyboard.)

I wish I could say that I don’t know what you mean.

Paolo Bandini is monitoring the price of beer at the Super Bowl:

Hydration and dehydration will both cost ya, it turns out.

Never mind what I said earlier: I am now totally psyched for the Lady Gaga halftime show:

Inactives

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons center Alex Mack is attempting to play on a broken leg.

Preamble

So, oh yeah, it’s Super Bowl time isn’t it? It feels like this is the least hyped Super Bowl in a while, something that could be explained by a combination of things: a genuine (although mostly temporary) dip in NFL ratings, a mostly mediocre slate of postseason games and plus the ongoing disruption of the social order coupled with a sense that this is very different different country than it was last time around when the Denver Broncos upset the Seattle Seahawks , Carolina Panthers.

But screw that! We have a game to play and not just A game but THE game, this country’s biggest and most AMERICAN event, where our love of bombastic, colorful warfare is symbolically replicated on the field in between long stretches of time filled by bursts of celebrations of capitalism at its naked and most desperate. In between all of this we get a really, really overblown half-time show filled with what historically is an embarrassing display of bland pop music maximalism. Today, Lady Gaga will be playing the obligatory role of a once entertaining performer who continues to enjoy pop cultural ubiquity despite the fact that they haven’t been good for several years. Last year, you may recall that this spot was filled by Peyton Manning. (There’s so much going on that we have a separate blog just for the commercials, the halftime show and the media wackiness).

But mostly this will be a football game and, actually, it should be a relatively decent one too! We have the two best offenses in the league with the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. It’s an underrated team from a city notorious for underperforming in the playoffs vs a team looking for its fifth championship. It’s Matt Ryan, the NFL MVP, and Julio Jones, the best running back in the league overt the past few seasons vs Tom Brady & Bill Belichick, maybe the best quarterback-head coach combo in league history.

It should be a great few hours to turn away from politics and just enjoy football played at its highest level. Or it would be if that quarterback-head coach combo hadn’t also didn’t double as the (ahem) “divisive” new president’s BFFs. Dang it, why can’t this country have nice things?

In any case, ONE nice thing, is having one last NFL game to liveblog for you wonderful people. Want to contribute tonight? Just send us your commentary on the Big Game by emailing it (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or tweet it (to @HunterFelt). It’s the New England Patriots vs the Atlanta Falcons at Houston’s NRG Stadium! Kickoff is scheduled to start around 6:30pm EST but we’ll be back well-before then. Tom Lutz will be giving us updates from Houston, while I’ll be covering the game here from the comforts of home.

Updated

Hello, and welcome to Houston (although you’re probably not reading this in Houston, so scratch that). The Patriots have just run out onto the field for warm-ups to huge cheers and a smattering of boos. On the way here, I was struck just how grey Houston is, until I stepped off the coach into sunshine and realised the media coach had tinted windows. The sky has since clouded over a little but it’s a warm, Texas winter’s day - a little muggy. Then again, we’re in a roofed stadium with aircon.

Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Paolo Bandini’s game prediction:

Atlanta led the NFL in scoring during the regular season, with Ryan averaging a ridiculous 9.3 yards per passing attempt and generally performing at a level above anything he had produced in his (already solid) career. Meanwhile, no team gave up fewer points than the Patriots.

It’s worth noting that the Falcons have not just been running up the scores against bad teams. According to Football Outsiders’s advanced DVOA metrics, they faced the second-most efficient group of defenses of any team in the NFL this season. Atlanta put 38 points on Arizona, 29 on Kansas City, 23 on Denver and then 36 on Seattle last month in the playoffs.

The Patriots have barely faced a team all season with anything close to this offensive potential. They did restrict the Steelers to a combined 33 points in two meetings, but Pittsburgh were missing Ben Roethlisberger in week seven, and lost Le’Veon Bell early in the AFC championship game.

For the full game report:

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