Super Bowl LI

"2017 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 2017 season, see Super Bowl LII.

Super Bowl LI
DateFebruary 5, 2017
StadiumNRG Stadium
Houston, Texas
MVPTom Brady, quarterback
FavoritePatriots by 3[1]
RefereeCarl Cheffers[2]
Attendance70,807[3]
Ceremonies
National anthemLuke Bryan[4]
Coin tossFormer U.S. President George H. W. Bush,
Former U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush[5]
Halftime showLady Gaga[6]
TV in the United States
NetworkFox
AnnouncersJoe Buck (play-by-play)
Troy Aikman (analyst)
Erin Andrews and Chris Myers (sideline reporters)
Mike Pereira (rules analyst)
Nielsen ratings45.3 (national)
57.0 (Atlanta)
54.3 (Boston)
U.S. viewership: 111.3 million est. avg.[7][8]
Cost of 30-second commercial$5.02 million
Radio in the United States
NetworkWestwood One
AnnouncersKevin Harlan (play-by-play)
Boomer Esiason (analyst)
James Lofton and Tony Boselli (sideline reporters)

Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017,[9][10] to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 season between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Atlanta Falcons. Featuring the largest comeback in Super Bowl history,[11][12] the Patriots defeated the Falcons 34–28, erasing a 28-3 deficit from late in the third quarter onward to emerge victorious. The game was also the first Super Bowl (and first league championship since 1958) to be decided in overtime.[13][14] Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for a record fourth time and was the oldest player to receive the honor at 39; he would surpass both records in Super Bowl LV.

The Patriots' victory was their fifth, moving them into a three-way tie with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers for the second-most Super Bowl wins. After finishing the regular season with a league-best 14–2 record, New England advanced to their record-setting ninth Super Bowl appearance and their seventh under the leadership of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. The Falcons, led by the league's top offense and MVP quarterback Matt Ryan, finished the regular season with an 11–5 record, the second best record in the NFC, and were seeking their first Super Bowl title in their second appearance.

Atlanta scored three consecutive touchdowns to take a 21–3 halftime lead, which they increased to 28–3 midway through the third quarter. However, the Patriots scored 25 consecutive points to tie the game in the final seconds of regulation. In overtime, New England received the kickoff after winning the coin toss and scored a touchdown to claim the title. More than 30 team and individual Super Bowl records were broken or matched during the game,[15] including Patriots running back James White's 14 receptions and 20 points scored,[16] and Brady's 43 completed passes, 62 pass attempts, and 466 passing yards.

Super Bowl LI is often remembered as one of the greatest super bowls of all time,[17][18] with several media outlets regarding the game as the best ever played.[19][20][21] NFL.com's "100 Greatest Games" ranked it the ninth-greatest game and the fourth-highest among Super Bowls.[22] Fox's broadcast of the game averaged around 111.3 million viewers, slightly down from Super Bowl 50's 111.9 million viewers. In contrast, the total number of viewers for all or part of the game hit a then record number of 172 million viewers,[23][24] which would get eventually surpassed by Super Bowl LVIII's total viewership seven years later. Average television viewership for the halftime show, headlined by Lady Gaga,[25] was higher at 117.5 million.[26]

  1. ^ Williams, Cody (January 22, 2017). "Super Bowl 51: Patriots Open As Favorites Over Falcons". Fox Sports. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Super Bowl 51 officials was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Super Bowl LI Game Summary" (PDF). NFL.com. NFL Enterprises. February 5, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  4. ^ "Luke Bryan to sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LI on Fox". NFLCommunications.com. NFL Enterprises. February 3, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. ^ Chasmar, Jessica (February 3, 2017). "George H.W. Bush to flip coin at Super Bowl LI". The Washington Times. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  6. ^ "Lady Gaga headlines Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises. September 29, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  7. ^ Otterson, Joe (February 6, 2017). "Ratings: Super Bowl LI Posts Huge Numbers, Just Shy of Record (Updated)". Yahoo!. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "Super Bowl LV Draws Nearly 92 Million TV Viewers". Nielsen Media Research. February 9, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  9. ^ "Houston Super Bowl Host Committee announces date of Super Bowl LI". KTRK-TV. Houston: American Broadcasting Companies. May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  10. ^ Clayton, John (February 5, 2017). "Ranking all 51 Super Bowls". Houston: ESPN. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  11. ^ "Super Bowl LI Box Score". The Football Database. Patrick Gilligan. February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  12. ^ Wesseling, Chris (February 5, 2017). "Patriots erase deficit, defeat Falcons in Super Bowl LI". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  13. ^ "Falcons-Patriots first teams to play in SB overtime". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises. February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  14. ^ Boren, Cindy (February 5, 2017). "What happens in overtime in the Super Bowl?". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  15. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (February 6, 2017). "At least 30 records set or tied in Super Bowl LI". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  16. ^ "Dozens of records were set or tied in Super Bowl LI. The list …". The Denver Post. Digital First Media. February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  17. ^ Brinson, Will (February 10, 2025). "Ranking every Super Bowl, 59-1: Eagles' demolition of Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX ranks low on all-time list". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  18. ^ Harrison, Elliot. "Ranking all 52 Super Bowls". NFL.com. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  19. ^ Carpenter, Les (February 6, 2017). "Simply, the best Super Bowl ever". The Guardian. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  20. ^ Steele, David (February 6, 2017). "Seeing is believing: Patriots' comeback made for best Super Bowl ever". Sporting News. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  21. ^ Gagnon, Brad (February 6, 2017). "Super Bowl LI Was the Best Ever". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  22. ^ "'NFL 100 Greatest' Games, No. 9: Patriots-Falcons in Super Bowl LI". NFL.com.
  23. ^ "Super Bowl LI Audience Hits a Record 172 Million Viewers". ComingSoon.net. February 6, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  24. ^ Battaglio, Stephen; James, Meg (February 7, 2017). "Super Bowl's TV ratings slip for the second straight year". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  25. ^ Melas, Chloe (February 6, 2017). "Lady Gaga brings message of inclusion to Super Bowl halftime – oh, and drones". CNN. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  26. ^ Schwindt, Oriana (February 6, 2017). "Super Bowl LI Pulls in 111.3 Million Viewers on Fox, Shy of 2015 Ratings Record". Variety. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
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