Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn enters the 2024 NFC Championship Game with experience from 2016 to help him. That postseason, the former Atlanta Falcons HC was at the helm of the NFL‘s worst Super Bowl meltdown against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
We take a look back at the events of that fateful second half and how Quinn got things wrong.
Revisiting How Dan Quinn, Atlanta Falcons Blew 28-3 Super Bowl Lead
Quinn’s background as the orchestrator of the Seattle Seahawks’ iconic “Legion of Boom” defense was on full display in the first half of Super Bowl 51. The Patriots were unable to fashion a touchdown, punting thrice and committing two turnovers, including a pick-six.
And when cornerback Robert Alford waltzed into New England’s end zone, the Falcons seemed to have a chokehold on the game outcome.
Quinn’s defense also held the Patriots in check during their first drive of the second half. Soon after, Atlanta scored a touchdown to stretch its lead to a humongous 28-3 margin. With less than 20 minutes of game clock left, most onlookers wrote Brady and Co. off for the night.
However, Brady breathed some life into the game with a 13-play touchdown drive that took 6:25 of game clock. Though they missed on the two-point conversion, the Patriots soon forced a punt and scored a field goal.
Soon after, New England forced a sack-fumble off quarterback Matt Ryan to set up a short touchdown drive. The next Falcons drive proved to be pivotal as their then-offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, relied on their passing game and wide receiver Julio Jones rather than forcing the Patriots to burn timeouts and stop the clock.
New England then sacked Ryan on third down to force Atlanta out of field-goal range. Brady then led the Pats 91 yards down the field for a 10-play touchdown drive in just two minutes and 26 seconds. They also converted on the ensuing two-point play to tie it all up, finishing the improbable 28-3 comeback.
With the Falcons mentally shot and gasping for air, the Patriots forced another punt on Atlanta’s final possession. They then proceeded to lose the toss for overtime possession, and by this point, fans knew that their chances were up in smoke.
Brady and the Patriots offense marched 75 yards down the field in 3:58 of overtime and took home his fifth Super Bowl trophy. It is undoubtedly the most iconic NFL comeback of all time and will forever haunt Falcons fans’ memories.
Quinn hopes to rely more on his team’s running game in Washington’s upcoming NFC Championship Game than the Falcons did during the second half of their fateful Super Bowl 51 meltdown.
