The 17 most stunning comebacks in sports history

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1. 28-3 (2017)




In Super Bowl LI, Tom Brady and the Patriots trailed Atlanta 28-3 with 18 minutes remaining and then - well, you pretty much know the rest. Looking back at the Pats' 25-point flurry, it wasn't the comeback itself that was most amazing, though that was pretty good too. (According to the win probability tool on Pro Football Reference, the Patriots had a 0.1% chance to winning the game when Brady threw an incomplete pass on third down with 6:12 left in the third quarter. But the Pats went for it on fourth, converted and scored a touchdown four minutes later.) The bigger surprise was how easy the comeback felt once it got started. Despite the 25-point lead and the necessity to score two touchdowns with two successful two-point conversions in the final six minutes, there was only one moment when the game truly felt over: When Matt Ryan hit Julio Jones for a 27-yard reception with 4:40 remaining and the Falcons up eight. The pass moved Atlanta to the New England 22-yard line and a game-clinching field goal seemed to be a mere formality. Instead Devonta Freeman had a one-yard loss on 1st down, Matt Ryan was inexplicably sacked for a 12-yard loss on 2nd, Jake Matthews was called for holding on 3rd and, after an incomplete pass on the replayed down, a first-and-10 from almost chip-shot field-goal range had turned into fourth-and-33 from near midfield

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