Patriots RB James White Has Record-Setting Super Bowl 51

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady may have been named MVP of Super Bowl LI, but running back James White was the true star.

On a night when the New England Patriots offense was off a step for the first 45 minutes, James White was a one-man wrecking crew.

And White didn’t stop until scored the winning touchdown in overtime, leading the Patriots to a 34-28 Super Bowl victory. The three-yard touchdown run by White in overtime completed a comeback which saw the Patriots down 28-3 early in the third quarter.

Quarterback Tom Brady racked up a Super Bowl record 466 yards and 43 completions to go along with his record fifth Super Bowl victory. A season of suspensions and emotions culminated in Brady’s fourth Super Bowl MVP.

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And while Brady is deserving, White deserves just as much credit as the quarterback does.

White carried the ball only six times for 29 yards, but two of those carries went for touchdowns. He was also able to pick up key blocks when the game was on the line.

It was White’s receiving, though, in which he truly thrived in the Super Bowl. Brady missed on a couple of open throws, receivers dropped passes, but White remained a constant force on offense. He finished with a Super Bowl record 14 receptions, beating the record set last season by Demaryius Thomas of the Denver Broncos.

His five-yard touchdown reception from Brady made the score 28-9 with 2:06 left in the third.

White later also converted on a two-point conversion, taking a direct snap to make it a 28-20 game in the fourth quarter.

The running back also had a 12-yard reception called back on New England’s only scoring drive of the first half. Tight end Martellus Bennett was called for holding, negating White’s reception which had taken the Patriots down to Atlanta’s three-yard line.

White’s one-yard touchdown run provided the final touchdown of regulation, leading to Danny Amendola‘s two point conversion.

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The third-year running back out of Wisconsin had only one carry in the 2017 postseason and four receptions. While an MVP award might have been nice, there is no doubt about White’s contribution to this game.

Plus, how many players get to say they scored the winning touchdown in overtime of a Super Bowl game?

For now, there’s just one.

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Patriots RB James White has Record-Setting Super Bowl

By Jason Haskins | Feb 6, 2017

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady may have been named MVP of Super Bowl LI, but running back James White was the true star.