Atlanta Falcons

In the third quarter, the Falcons had a 99.5% probability to win the Super Bowl

Published Feb. 6, 2017 9:21 a.m. ET

Pete Blackburn

Anyone who watched Super Bowl LI knows how incredible the Patriots' second half comeback was. Down by 25 points, Tom Brady and company stormed back and shocked the world. It was unlike anything ever seen in NFL history before.

It's impossible to tell the full story in a chart, but the "Win Probability" graph is really something to behold.

Before the seismic shift in the fourth quarter, the Falcons' win probability got as high as 99.6-percent. By the numbers, Atlanta nearly had a guaranteed victory slip out of their hands with less than 15 minutes to play.

But, again, sometimes a graph and numbers can't tell the full story. Win probability is just that -- probability -- and sports are unpredictable, especially when Brady and Bill Belichick are on the opposing sideline.