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What is the largest Super Bowl halftime deficit a team has overcome?

Tom Brady holds the Lombardi Trophy over his head, as broadcaster Terry Bradshaw watches, after a Super Bowl win.
New England quarterback Tom Brady celebrates after leading the Patriots to a 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, 2017 in Houston.
(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
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The Kansas City Chiefs trail the San Francisco 49ers 10-3 at halftime in Super Bowl LVIII.

The Chiefs were behind by 10 at the intermission of last year’s Super Bowl against the Philiadelphia Eagles, before rallying for a 38-35 win.

That was a big comeback — but not close to the biggest halftime deficit a team has overcome in Super Bowl history.

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The Atlanta Falcons led the New England Patriots 21-3 at halftime during Super Bowl LI.

No team had ever erased a double-digit halftime deficit to win the Super Bowl.

But none of those teams had Tom Brady as their quarterback.

Patrick Mahomes finds Mecole Hardman on a three-yard touchdown pass in overtime, lifting the Kansas City Chiefs to a 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Feb. 11, 2024

The Patriots would make history by climbing out of that 18-point halftime hole and stunning Atlanta 34-28 in overtime for their fifth Super Bowl title with Brady and coach Bill Belichick.

They also set the record for largest overall deficit overcome to win a Super Bowl, after Atlanta quarterback and league MVP Matt Ryan led his team on an 85-yard touchdown drive for a 25-point lead midway through the third quarter.

Then Brady started playing like the legend he is.

Down by 16 with less than six minutes remaining in regulation, Brady led drives that culminated in a six-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola (and a conversion run by James White) and a one-yard touchdown run by White (and a Brady-to-Amendola conversion pass) to tie the score at 28.

The Patriots won the coin toss to start overtime, and the Falcons offense never saw the field. Brady started the drive with five straight completions for 50 yards. Four plays later, White ran the ball two yards into the end zone to complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

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