THE MAKING OF A COMEBACK

The Patriots engineered the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, overcoming a 25-point deficit to defeat the Falcons last night. Here are five of the signature plays from their second half surge:

Hightower lights spark

Skinny: With the Patriots trailing 28-12 with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter, Dont’a Hightower delivered the turnover his team needed. Screaming into the Falcons backfield on a blitz, he decked Matt Ryan just before he could get rid of the ball. Ryan lost the ball, Alan Branch recovered the fumble and the Patriots were in business.

James White for 2

Skinny: After Danny Amendola found the end zone with six minutes to go, the Patriots were trailing by 10 and needed a two-point conversion to make it a one-score game. They opted for an old favorite. In a shotgun formation, Tom Brady jumped backwards and James White stepped forward to take a direct snap. He went right up the gut, crossing the goal line to cut the Falcons lead to 28-20.

Flowers’ timely sack

Skinny: With time winding down, Atlanta had a chance to put the game away. They’d driven into field goal range, and a Matt Bryant kick could have made it a two-score game. Instead, Trey Flowers came up with a 12-yard sack, knocking the Falcons back to the 35 yard-line with just under four minutes left. After a holding call, the Falcons were forced to punt the ball back to the Patriots.

Edelman’s absurd catch

Skinny: Move over David Tyree, Julian Edelman delivered a catch that will be playing on highlight reels for decades to come. With 2:28 remaining, Edelman dove through three Falcons and displayed ridiculous concentration to haul in a ball that was an inch off the ground. The 23-yard grab brought the Patriots into Falcons territory.

White wins it

Skinny: The play itself wasn’t particularly spectacular, but its significance sure was. Facing a secondand-goal from the 2, White took a hand off around the right end, and dove across the goal line for his third touchdown of the game. The score capped a 25-point comeback, and gave the Patriots their fifth Super Bowl win.