Which Patriots Super Bowl victory was more improbable?
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Which Patriots Super Bowl win was more improbable? The game-saving interception on the 1-foot line or comeback from down 28-3 late in the third quarter? — @TOSTbmc
Love this question, which is an offshoot of my column this morning counting down Belichick’s 17 Patriots teams from worst to best. I mean, read the question again and then remind yourself that most sports fans don’t get to cherish one incredible victory like that in a lifetime. Patriots fans got two of ‘em in five years.
We’re at the point where Adam Vinatieri’s second championship-winning kick is no better than the fourth-best ending in Patriots’ Super Bowl history. Ridiculous.
Malcolm Butler’s interception is on the very short list of my favorite moments in a lifetime of following sports, not only for the magnitude of what it meant but because he was such a humble guy. I was glad to see that happen for him.
But as improbable as that was, it was also born of preparation. We’ve seen the footage of him getting beat on that route during practice in the buildup to the Super Bowl. He corrected his mistake and recognized exactly what he needed to do when the moment came. His coaches prepared him, and they all were prepared for the pass there. Perhaps the most improbable thing was that he actually caught the ball. That was a dart from close range. It stuck to him like he was Lester Hayes.
The comeback over the Falcons was much more improbable because the math was working against them. With 17 minutes and 8 seconds left in the game, they were down 25. It didn’t look possible to come back from that, even if the Falcons offense cooled off. They needed about a dozen things to happen – most importantly, Dont’a Hightower’s strip-sack – just as they did and exactly when they did to have a chance. And somehow, improbably if not impossibly, they all did.
What do you guys say? Which Super Bowl victory of the past two was the most improbable? I’ll hear you in the comments.
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