Choke or comeback? It probably depends on your perspective. Either way, the New England Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit (or the Atlanta Falcons blew a 25-point lead) in Super Bowl LI. In no particular order, here is how the game matches up to other high-stakes comebacks ... er, chokes ... er, erased deficits? Yes, we will go with that. Chime in with your thoughts!
So you think the Falcons blowing a 25-point lead is bad? Well, in 1993, the Houston Oilers were in a similar position during an AFC Wild Card game. Up 35-3 in the third quarter after a Bubba McDowell pick-six (sound familiar?), the Oilers had the Buffalo Bills dead to rights. Or maybe not. Quarterback Frank Reich, pictured, led the Bills to a 41-38 overtime win in a game that will forever be known as "The Comeback" (as opposed to "The Choke").
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard holds the UEFA Champions League trophy aloft after his squad stormed back from three goals down to tie vaunted AC Milan and win on penalties in 2005.
In 1995, during Game 1 of the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals, Reggie Miller took matters into his own hands. Facing the New York Knicks and the voluminous heckling of film director Spike Lee, Miller would see his Indiana Pacers down six points with fewer than 20 seconds left. Miller then scored eight points in about nine seconds -- including two 3-pointers in the span of three seconds -- to lift his side to victory. He then looked at Lee and put his hands to his own throat to signify a Knicks choke.
In the final round of the 1999 British Open, Jean van de Velde had a 3-stroke lead on the 18th hole and looked to be set for his first major title. But then he hit it into the water, opening the door for Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard in a playoff. Lawrie, who trailed by 10 strokes going into the final round, won the four-hole playoff by three shots.
The Philadelphia Flyers celebrate a Game 7 win in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Flyers beat the Boston Bruins in four straight games to erase a 3-0 series deficit, which had been done twice before in the NHL. But what makes this feat so interesting is that Philly also had to rally back from a 3-0 scoreline in Game 7.
"We were staring down the barrel at 8-1, but the boys didn't even flinch," Oracle Team USA skipper James Spithill said after his team pulled off the most improbable of sailing comebacks. Emirates Team New Zealand had won all but one of the first nine races in the 2013 America's Cup. The Yanks stormed back to tie the competition before winning the final race to secure a 9-8 victory.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox shook off the dreaded Curse of the Bambino, an 86-year-old World Series drought. But before that, they defeated the rival New York Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. In doing so, the Sox became the first Major League team to win after a 3-0 series deficit. They went on to easily beat the St. Louis Cardinals for the title.
Falling in an Olympic track event is generally a death knell. That wasn't the case for Finland's Lasse Viren during the 1972 Munich Games. Viren got tangled with Belgian runner Emiel Putteman on the 12th lap. He not only recovered, but he broke the world record with a time of 27:38:40 to win gold. Viren also accomplished the rare feat of winning the 5,000-meter race in that Olympics as well.
Henri Cochet was a zippy Frenchman who stood about 5-foot-6. His American opponent in the 1927 Wimbledon final, Bill Tilden, went by the sobriquet "Big Bill," for obvious reasons. Tilden got off to a hot start, winning the first two sets and staging a 5-1 lead in the third set before Cochet struck back, winning the final three sets in what could be the greatest comeback in tennis history.
There's blowing a lead and there's BLOWING a lead. In 1996, heading into the final round of the Masters, Greg Norman seemed to have the title sewn up with a 6-stroke lead. Nay. Norman, seen here after missing a chip shot on No. 15, lost the tournament to Nick Faldo, who won by five strokes.
In 1999, as in so many years, New Zealand's All Blacks cut a formidable figure on the world rugby stage. Many analysts had them favored to lift the William Webb Ellis Trophy at the Rugby World Cup. Up 24-10 over underdog France, the All Blacks looked to make good on that expectation. But Les Bleus charged back to win 43-31 and clinch a spot in the final, which they lost to Australia.
Perhaps the only tennis comeback to rival Tilden-Cochet -- given the stakes, of course -- came decades later when Gabriela Sabatini faced off against Mary Joe Fernandez in the women's quarterfinals of the 1993 French Open. Sabatini destroyed Fernandez in the first set and, up 5-1 in the second, looked en route to victory. You know what happened, right? Fernandez won the second set and then a marathon third set (10-8) for a trip to the semis. She eventually lost to Steffi Graf in the final.
The Billy Conn-Joe Louis rivalry is one of the greatest in boxing, in no small part due to their 1941 fisticuffs. Through 12 rounds, Conn had the edge on the scorecards -- 7-5, 7-4, 6-6. Louis' trainer, Jack Blackburn, worried that Conn could win by decision, told the "Brown Bomber" he had to knock Conn out. And so he did. With 2:58 left in the 13th round, Louis put Conn on the mat to secure his 18th defense of the world heavyweight title.
In the 2001 Final Four, the Maryland Terrapins quickly jumped in front, taking a 22-point lead with about seven minutes left in the first half. Duke looked done for, but the Blue Devils -- led by Nate James (pictured), Jay Williams and Shane Battier -- scrapped their way back, trouncing the Terrapins 57-35 in the second half to earn their ticket to the final, which they won.
In 1954, Hungary was known as the "Golden Team," owing to their 31-game unbeaten streak. Thus, West Germany played the underdog in the 1954 World Cup final. Hungary charged to a 2-0 lead minutes after the opening whistle, but West Germany quickly equalized in the 18th minute. The score remained level until the final minutes, when Helmut Rahn fired a low shot past goalkeeper Gyula Grosics for the upset.
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have had many remarkable games, no doubt. As NBA Finals games go, however, few, if any, can top 2008's Game 4. The Lake Show jumped to the biggest first-quarter lead in Finals history and led by as many as 24 in the third quarter. But Boston's Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce all contributed to a 21-3 run that flipped the storyline. They went on to win the series.
Hockey has had a few 3-0 series comebacks, beginning with the Toronto Maple Leafs downing the Detroit Red Wings in 1945. What makes the 1975 New York Islanders special is that, as a recent expansion team, they weren't supposed to be a match for the Pittsburgh Penguins. But after dropping three games, the Islanders won four straight to win the series. Unlike the first six games, Game 7 was a defensive affair, scoreless until the final minutes, when Islanders captain Ed Westfall slotted a backhander into the net.
