New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman made a catch for the ages to help propel his team to an epic win in Super Bowl LI last night.
How epic and unlikely was this once-in-a-lifetime grab?
It was … well, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of reception.
Edelman’s catch was the highlight of New England’s 91-yard game-tying drive, part of a record-setting Super Bowl comeback Sunday.
It was every bit amazing as what the New York Giants" David Tyree did nine years earlier to help upset the then-undefeated Patriots.
Whereas Tyree pinned an Eli Manning pass on his own helmet as he crashed to the turf, Edelman did something even more improbable.
He somehow got his hands pinned up against, and under, a Tom Brady pass that had bounced off Atlanta cornerback Robert Alford.
The ball hit Alford"s hands, knee, and shin before nearly falling to the ground, incomplete. Somehow, some way, Edelman reeled it in.
“I knew I caught it,” Edelman said. “I felt like I had it."
"I didn’t know if maybe a piece of the ball was touching. I don’t know what the dang rule is. Nobody knows what the rule is for a catch."
"I was like, ‘I’m pretty sure I caught it."”
Video review upheld that verdict, and gave the Patriots a 23-yard reception and the ball in Atlanta territory with 2:03 left in regulation.
The Patriots, who trailed 28-3 in the third quarter, scored the last five times they had the football, including that drive and in overtime,
After Edelman"s catch, the tying touchdown and James White’s game-winning 2-yard run to cap a 75-yard drive in overtime felt anticlimactic.
Not really, but Julian was the highlight.
Speaking of which, one has to wonder if he celebrated with a different kind of climax afterward!
Edelman, nicknamed "Mini-Tron," was the subject of social media fodder two years ago when he hooked up on Tinder after the Super Bowl.
Not this year … that we know of.
Check out his incredible catch one more time below and see how it compares to Malcolm Butler"s interception from two Super Bowls ago:
