If Belichick, the famous disciplinarian, attempted to tighten his team up in the locker room, it appeared to have done little good. A Stephen Gostkowski field goal to end the half was as good as it got for the four-time champions as they went into half-time 21-3 down. Even the Patriots cheerleaders appeared to be smiling through gritted teeth as they danced in the end zone during the break for the two-minute warning. The task went from challenging to positively vertiginous when Brady, under pressure from Atlanta’s pass rushers, was intercepted with 2:36 left in the first-half by Robert Alford, who had a long time to savor the highlight of his career as he trotted 82 yards into the end zone largely unopposed.

A quick glance of the record books showed the task ahead of the Patriots: no team had ever won the Super Bowl after trailing by more than 10 points. The Falcons were running, the Patriots gasping. In his first Super Bowl, it was Ryan’s seventh pass attempt before he failed to find a receiver: he made up for that on his eighth, a beautiful pass to the rookie Austin Hooper to make it 14-0. But Ryan has developed a taste for the limelight after what had been, until this remarkable season, a career of mild underachievement. Given the unspectacular play so far, it was fitting that it came from a short run by Devonta Freeman.

But the high-scoring contest nearly every expert had predicted refused to emerge and the first quarter ended scoreless – the two best quarterbacks in the league this season had managed just 59 yards of passing between them. The game had been billed as the experience and wile of Brady and his head coach Bill Belichick against the explosive offense of the Falcons, led by Matt Ryan and the extravagantly talented wide receiver Julio Jones.

2017 super bowl score