How the Patriots saved their season with a perfectly executed 2-point conversion

Super Bowl 51 was one for the ages. The New England Patriots dominated the second half after an abysmal start that put them in a 28-3 hole. Then a little magic from Tom Brady, and incredible fingertip catch by Julian Edelman and an incredible defensive stand by the Patriots defense led them back into the game.

They capped off the comeback with a 10-play, 91-yard touchdown drive to tie the game in the closing minutes, and converted the ensuing two-point conversion to tie the game.

The conversion was do or die for the Patriots. There was a minute left to play and they were out of timeouts. A failed conversion would mean they would have to recover an onside kick just for a chance to stay in the game, and even if they do recover it, they would need to drive down the field quickly with no timeouts.

So, the Patriots, as they usually do, ran a perfectly executed play to tie the game.

Tom Brady was alone in the backfield with five receivers lined up wide. The bottom of the formation showed receivers Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan lined up in the slot with Danny Amendola lined up wide. Cornerbacks Jalen Collins and Robert Alford are lined up in press coverage across from Hogan and Edelman, while rookie Brian Poole found himself across Amendola.

Amendola motions inside just before the snap, and Poole follows him towards the center. Brady takes the snap and instantly flings it towards Amendola. Hogan and Edelman provide nice blocks and Amendola crashes into the end zone for the two-point conversion.

How it worked

The Patriots called the perfect play for this situation.

First, they only needed 2 yards, and called a play that would get them exactly 2 yards. Two-point conversions are usually tough because the entire defense is lined up in such a small space that it’s hard to find an opening to exploit. A run up the middle can easily get stuffed by just the volume of bodies at the line of scrimmage alone. Passing into the end zone at such short yardage is difficult as there are rarely that many holes in the defenses coverage.

Once Amendola caught the ball, his only task was to get around the blocks of his fellow receivers before Poole could. Once he cuts towards the outside he just needs to put his head down and dive forward. He meets Poole and Collins at the goal line, but at that point he is already in.

This is not a play call that will gain any more than 2 yards, save a huge defensive mistake, and it was just enough to tie the game.

Pre-snap timing was also crucial to the play’s success. Amendola and Brady have to be perfectly in sync in order to get the play off. If the receiver begins his motion early he will start the play behind the two slot receivers and get flagged for illegal formation. If he begins his motion late, Poole will still be in position to make a play on him in the backfield. When Amendola begins to move inside, it forces Poole to back a few yards off of the line of scrimmage.

Following Amendola places Poole right behind his fellow corner when the ball is snapped. When Hogan pushed Collins back, Collins crashes into Poole. Poole cannot recover in time and Amendola reaches the goal line.

The Patriots also benefit from bending the rules a bit. By the strictest definition of the rules, Edelman and Hogan should have released their blocks a little earlier then they should have. The NFL only allows offensive player a yard past the line of scrimmage to initiate contact before the pass is completed. Hogan may have been a foot or two beyond that before releasing.

These screen plays, as they’re called, have become common in the NFL. The Falcons even scored on a similar play against the Seahawks in the divisional round. Referees have been overly lenient on calling offensive pass interference within 5 yards over the past few years, and in Hogan’s defense he did release Collins fairly early.

With so many moving pieces on what might have been the most important play of the NFL season, the Patriots needed everything to go perfectly. Everyone was on the same page, Brady delivered the perfect pass and Amendola fought his way into the end zone to set up what was arguably one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.