This article is the debut article for our new writer Matthew Shultz
The 2017 Super Bowl
By Matthew Shultz
Our country has always loved upsets. During our early years, we faced the most powerful military that the world had ever seen. The British Empire spanned the entire globe with seemingly limitless resources. Despite this, however, the American people rose up and did the impossible. In 1941 the Americans once again declared war on an unstoppable force, the axis forces of Germany, Japan and Italy. Through determination and God’s will, we won again. Despite our victory, we were left with a daunting task, to lead the world. Never had so much power resided in the hands of so few. With rapidly evolving technology, the ability to control many has become a nightmare seen only by science-fiction writers.
The last 4 months have been rife with upsets. From Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians. Despite these comebacks, the American people thought that they had their fill of amazing rebounds. Then Tom Brady beat the Steelers. In the 2015 season, Brady was accused of deflating footballs to get a better grip on the ball. Whether or not this actually happened, it should have been dealt with immediately. The NFL’s commissioner, Roger Goodell even rallied to have Brady booted out of the league completely. Despite Goodell’s cries, Brady received a 4-game suspension rather than an expulsion. In addition to his suspension, Brady received a lot of hate for supporting his friend, Donald Trump.So, with their greatest player out, no one thought the Patriots could amount to much. But they rose above. Brady came back and defeated team after team to make it all the way to the final game. The pregame show was the usual dog and pony show of commercials and celebrities, but broke from pattern by showing clips of a recent Donald Trump interview where he predicted a Patriots win. If we learned anything from this past election, it is that Trump knows a thing or two about predictions.
When the last two teams standing faced off in the Houston stadium, no one could have anticipated what they would see. Many believed that, based off of their overwhelming victory over the Packers, the Falcons would be going home with their first Super Bowl win. With so much drama surrounding the game, one thing could be sure: we were in for a good matchup. The game started off very slow, with the defenses of both teams stopping any advance. Slowly, but surely, the Falcons began to take the lead. By the second half many thought that the game was basically over. The score was 21-3 and no one had ever comeback from more than a 10-point deficit in a Super Bowl game. Those rooting for the Patriots hoped for a miracle, an upset. The patriots would have to score on nearly every drive and get at least one turnover. The chances of this happening were below 5%.
The halftime show was surprising, with Gaga avoiding any political talk and even putting on a decent show. While this was going on, we can only imagine what was being said in the Patriots’ locker room. With the ending of the concert, the falcons took the ball. The beginning of the third quarter emulated the first with very little happening. Then the unthinkable happened. The Patriots started scoring touchdowns. With the score slowly growing closer, the Falcons began to panic and Matty Ice began to melt.
The fourth quarter has always been the times when games are won. Sure, the first three quarters are important, but they serve to set up the endgame. With a quarterback-coach combo with 4 Super Bowl wins, the Patriots had experience the Falcons lacked. After countless dropped passed, Pats receivers began to catch the ball (Most notably the Julian Edelman grab). With the Patriots tying the game, the Super Bowl headed into overtime for the first time ever. After winning the coin toss, the Pats marched down the field and won the Lombardi Trophy.
Perhaps the most satisfying part of the Super Bowl was not the game itself, but was how stupid Goodell looked. The man who tried to kick out one of the greatest quarterbacks to have ever lived was forced to hand the trophy to that QB. No one listened to Goodell’s short talk, mostly because of the boos drowning out his voice, but rather sat in anticipation of Brady’s victory speech. Rather than shoving this great win in the faces of those who opposed him, Brady took his victory in stride and showed us all how to act when we have won so bigly.
