Tom Brady entered the 2016 NFL season tied with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the quarterbacks with the most Super Bowl rings, at four apiece. The season ended in epic fashion with Fox broadcaster Joe Buck saying, “Brady has his fifth!”
At the age of 39, Brady had another Pro Bowl season for the New England Patriots. He got a late start—the aftermath of allegations over deflated footballs from 2014 meant a four-game suspension to start the year. But in the end, he threw 28 touchdown passes against just two interceptions and averaged 8.2 yards-per-attempt. LeGarrette Blount went over 1,100 yards running the football and Julian Edelman did the same catching it. The Patriots ranked third in the NFL for scoring offense. And a defense that didn’t have stars great as a unit, leading the league in scoring defense.
The Miami Dolphins also contended in the AFC East. Jay Ajayi ran for over 1,200 yards, Jarvis Landry was a Pro Bowl wide receiver and 34-year-old Cameron Wake recorded 11 ½ sacks from his defensive end spot. All of it was enough to overcome some spotty, mistake-prone play by quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Miami got a key win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in mid-October, finished 10-6 and got what was then the last spot in the playoffs as the 6-seed.
Meanwhile, New England ran away with the division. They beat Miami in Week 2, and again to close the season. They knocked off playoff teams in the Houston Texans and the Steelers. The Patriots wrapped up a vintage 14-2 season as the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders each had big years in the AFC West. The Chiefs had a terrific secondary, with All-Pros in corner Marcus Peters and safety Eric Berry. Defensive end Dee Ford picked up 10 quarterback sacks. Offensively, Alex Smith played mistake-free football and he had an All-Pro target in Travis Kelce. The emerging star at tight end caught 85 balls for over 1,100 yards. Tyreek Hill was an electric return man, the best in the league, giving K.C. some juice in special teams.
Oakland had a terrific receiving duo of Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, who combined to catch 172 passes for over 2,100 yards. Derek Carr rode those big targets to a Pro Bowl year at quarterback, throwing 28 TDs against just six interceptions. All-Pro guard Kelechi Osemele anchored the offensive line. The Raider defense had problems as a unit, ranking just 20th in points allowed. But they had Khalil Mack at linebacker, who won Defensive Player of the Year.
For much of the year, Kansas City and Oakland were joined by the Denver Broncos in the AFC West race. Denver was the defending Super Bowl champs, but were also in transition after the retirement of the great Peyton Manning. The Chiefs beat the Raiders 26-10 in mid-October and again knocked off Oakland, 21-13 on a Thursday Night in early December. Both teams beat the Broncos on Sunday Night Football. In a Christmas Night prime-time slot, Kansas City hammered Denver 33-10 and eliminated the Broncos from contention.
The Raiders still led the division on the final week, with a 12-3 record, while the Chiefs gave chase at 11-4. But with Carr injured, Denver played spoiler and knocked off Oakland 24-6. Kansas City beat the San Diego Chargers to take the division title, the #2 seed and the first-round bye that then came with it. Oakland had to settle for the 5-seed and going into the postseason with an injured quarterback.
Pittsburgh captured the AFC North behind a balanced team that ranked 10th in the NFL for both points scored and points allowed. The Steelers had a “Big Three” on offense of Pro Bowl quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the potent and versatile Le’Veon Bell in the backfield and All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown who caught 106 passes for nearly 1,300 yards. The Steelers opened the year by going into Washington and pounding the contending Redskins 38-16 on a Monday Night. They blew out the Chiefs 43-14 on a Sunday Night in early October. And the biggest win of them all was a dramatic Christmas afternoon triumph over their archrival, the Baltimore Ravens. The 31-27 win secured the division crown and Pittsburgh entered the playoffs as the 3-seed.
The AFC South was defined by mediocrity, but it was a balanced mediocrity that created an interesting race for the division title and the 4-seed. The Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and Indianapolis Colts all got in the race. Houston was the one who got the clutch wins. They swept Andrew Luck’s Colts and beat the Titans 27-20 in early October. Behind 1,000-yard rusher Lamar Miller and the league’s 11th-ranked defense, Houston finished 9-7 and snuck into the postseason.
Atlanta had the most explosive offense in the NFL. Matt Ryan had an MVP year for the Falcons, throwing for over 4,900 yards, completing 70 percent of his passes, and posting a 38/7 TD-INT ratio. Julio Jones was an elite wide receiver, catching 83 balls for over 1,400 yards and making All-Pro. Devonta Freeman gave the attack balance, with a 1,000-yard rushing season and 54 receptions out of the backfield. The defense, though, was a problem—27th in the league in points allowed, in spite of a terrific pass rusher in All-Pro Vic Beasley.
When Atlanta lost their opener to a competitive Tampa Bay team, 31-24, it didn’t look like a special season was in the offing. But Atlanta bounced back by beating Oakland 35-28 a week later. They won a 33-32 thriller over Green Bay on a Sunday Night at the end of October. Four days later, they took revenge on the Buccaneers with a 43-28 win. When all was said and done, the Falcons were 11-5 and the #2 seed in the NFC. Tampa Bay, at 9-7, just missed the postseason.
The pace in the NFC during the regular season was being set by the Dallas Cowboys and a pair of rookies. Ezekiel Elliott exploded onto the scene, running for over 1,600 yards, and winning the rushing title. Elliott ran behind a fantastic offensive line that had three All-Pros with Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, and Tyron Smith.
But even bigger story took place at quarterback. Dallas’ season looked like lost when veteran starter Tony Romo fractured his vertebrae. But rookie Dak Prescott stepped up. Prescott won Offensive Rookie of the Year and sent Romo to the CBS broadcast booth not long thereafter.
The NFC East was competitive, and the New York Giants had the second-best defense in the league. Defensive tackle Damon Harrison and safety Landon Collins were both All-Pro, while corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted six passes. The offense was a problem, but Odell Beckham still racked up over 1,300 yards receiving, catching the passes of 35-year-old Eli Manning. New York nipped Dallas 20-19 to open the season.
Washington was the defending division champ, and where the seemingly hopeless Cowboys were headed on Week 2. The Redskins would get a Pro Bowl year from quarterback Kirk Cousins, and 11 sacks from edge rusher Ryan Kerrigan. But Dallas went into D.C. and knocked off the ‘Skins 27-23. Washington then turned around and beat New York the following week, 29-27. The race was on in the NFC East.
Dallas would knock off Green Bay in mid-October and win a 35-30 game with Pittsburgh in mid-November. In a high-profile Thanksgiving Day game, the Cowboys edged the Redskins 31-26. Dallas kept right on surging to 13-3, the division crown, and the #1 seed in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, New York played consistent football and got big wins over Dallas and the Detroit Lions in December. The Giants went 11-5 and made the playoffs. They ended the year by winning a 19-10 decision over the Redskins, a result that dropped Washington to 8-7-1 and sent them home.
Another big preseason injury to a quarterback happened in Minnesota. Teddy Bridgewater went down in August and did not return. The Vikings, the defending NFC North champs, went 8-8. The division race came down to the perennially contending Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions.
Green Bay got another vintage year from Aaron Rodgers, who threw 40 touchdown passes against just seven picks and made the Pro Bowl. Rodgers threw to the combo of Jordy Nelson (97 catches/1,257 yards) and Davante Adams (75/997). The Packer offense finished fourth in the league for scoring. A more pedestrian defense ranked 21st, but got 11 sacks from outside linebacker Nick Perry and five interceptions from Pro Bowl safety Ha-Ha Clinton Dix.
Detroit’s offense was carried by Matthew Stafford throwing the football to Golden Tate. Both had big years, although the lack of balance kept the Lions at 20th in the NFL for points scored. An above-average defense helped keep Detroit afloat.
Green Bay won a September game with Detroit, 34-27 in Lambeau and went on to beat the Giants on a Sunday Night in early October. The Lions nipped the Redskins 20-17, and then beat the Vikings in early November. The Packers started to struggle and fell to 4-6 after a disastrous two-week stretch in November when they gave up a combined 89 points. Green Bay looked finished.
But Rodgers would say “I think we can run the table” And that’s what the Packers did. They beat Houston. They blew out Seattle. They knocked off Minnesota. The final Green Bay-Detroit showdown was a flexed Sunday Night game in the season finale. Both teams were in the playoffs, but the division was still at stake. The Packers won 31-24, finished 10-6 and took home the 4-seed. At 9-7, the Lions settled for the 6-spot.
Seattle filled out the playoff field. The Seahawk defense ranked third in the NFL, led by All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner. They had a tough pass-rushing combo, with ends Cliff Avril and Frank Clark combining for 21 ½ sacks. While the offense as a whole was mediocre, Russell Wilson still threw for over 4,200 yards and both wide receiver Doug Baldwin and tight end Jimmy Graham made the Pro Bowl. Seattle’s season was highlighted by a 26-24 win over Atlanta in October, and then a 31-24 Sunday Night win against New England in November. The Seahawks’ 10-5-1 record claimed the NFC West and got the 3-seed.
Wild-Card Weekend was marked by blowouts or non-descript games. The Raiders, playing without Carr, couldn’t get anything going in Houston. The Texans got a comfortable 27-14 win. That night in Seattle, the Seahawk defense did its thing and bottled up the Lions en route to a 26-6 triumph. Pittsburgh rolled past Miami 30-12 on Sunday afternoon. And the weekend ended with Green Bay still running the table, as they put a 38-13 beatdown on the Giants.
Saturday of Divisional Round Weekend was more of the same. Atlanta coasted past Seattle 36-20, and New England predictably dismantled Houston, 34-16. Sunday was when things finally started to get exciting.
A heavy storm in Kansas City forced the Chiefs-Steelers game to be pushed from early afternoon to prime-time. So, the Packers-Cowboys game in the late afternoon spot began the day. When Green Bay took a 21-3 lead it seemed like we were on our way to the seventh straight blowout of these playoffs. But Dallas stormed back.
With four minutes left, the Cowboys tied the game 28-all. Mason Crosby hit a 56-yard field goal for the Packers with 1:33 left. Dallas got a field goal of their own to tie. Rodgers only needed 35 seconds to put Green Bay back in field goal range. This time, Crosby hit from 51 yards out. The Packers had a thrilling 34-31 win. The Sunday Night show in Arrowhead was almost as good. Pittsburgh clung to an 18-10 lead. K.C. scored with less than three minutes to go. But the Steelers stopped the two-point conversion and ultimately preserved an 18-16 win.
By Championship Sunday though, we were back in blowout mode. It started in Atlanta. The Falcons beat the Packers 44-21 and it wasn’t even that close—Green Bay didn’t do anything offensively until they were down 31-0 in the third quarter. That night in Foxboro, New England systematically took apart Pittsburgh in a 36-17 win.
A postseason defined by blowouts seemed to be on its way to a fitting conclusion when Atlanta took a 28-3 lead on New England in the third quarter of the Super Bowl. Little did anyone know that Brady was all about to pull off the most dramatic display of his already incredible career. He got the Patriots to within 28-12. A strip-sack from the league’s best defense set up New England for another score and a two-point conversion. The Falcons seemed on the verge of a clinching field goal before a penalty took them out of range.
Brady got another chance. He drove the Patriots to a touchdown, and then to a game-tying two-point conversion. New England won the coin toss in history’s first overtime Super Bowl. They drove one more time, with a James White touchdown run sealing the deal. The 34-28 win was the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. And it gave Brady a historic fifth ring.