Most people thought the Falcons had beaten the Patriots. Including the leading newspaper in Boston.
Via Field Yates of ESPN.com, an early edition of the Boston Globe declared victory for the Falcons with a headline that proclaimed: A Bitter End. Appearing under that was a photo of Falcons defensive back Robert Alford returning an interception from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to the end zone for a touchdown that put Atlanta ahead 21-0 in the first half. New England eventually would trail 28-3 in the third quarter.
Inevitably a collector’s item, the erroneous conclusion proves the danger of declaring any sporting event to be over before it is. Even when it seems to be.
The 25-point comeback for the Patriots more than doubled the 10-point fourth-quarter turnaround the Patriots managed two years ago. In both games, quarterback Tom Brady earned the MVP award after performing the kind of heroics rarely seen in NFL title games.