Fox got the job done at Super Bowl LI

With so many eyeballs on the Super Bowl, any error is magnified, any misstatement is immediately heard and any problems are not forgotten. For the most part, Fox got the job done for Super Bowl LI and as the game went from what was an apparent Atlanta blowout to a historic New England comeback and the first-ever Big Game overtime, the production stepped up as did Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

In the first half, Buck confused Patriots wide receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, but that was his only real mistake of the game. As the broadcast progressed deeper into the 4th quarter, Buck and Aikman made reference to the Patriots running more offensive plays than the Falcons despite being behind and it did come back to bite the Atlanta defense as it could not make a stop late in the game.

Fox’s replays were clear especially showing the Falcons pick-six by Robert Alford that put Altanta up 21-0 in the first half. There were the spectacular angles that showed Julio Jones making a catch on the sideline during a drive that could have sealed the game for the Falcons, but ended up in a punt and giving the ball back to the Patriots. And again with Julian Edelman literally making a circus catch preventing the ball from hitting the ground that sparked the game-tying drive putting the Super Bowl into overtime.

Buck kept an even keel throughout the broadcast. Both he and Aikman kept on top of the original trend of the game of Atlanta’s speed giving the Patriots fits, but as New England was making its comeback, they quickly switched gears to the point where the Tom Brady train was full speed ahead.

With hardly a controversial play in the game, officiating analyst Mike Pereira was hardly used except to judge the Edelman catch on which he agreed was a catch.

Just like CBS did last year, Fox used the Super Bowl to debut a new graphics package and increase the size of its scorebug from the regular season. The graphics did not break the mold as far as graphics are concerned, but like the production crew and the announcers, they got the job done.

The first-ever overtime had the Patriots driving down the field for their game-winning touchdown and again, Fox replays came through showing a pass interference call at the goal line and then James White’s touchdown, The use of pylon cam showed that White clearly scored giving the Patriots the first-ever walkoff TD in the Super Bowl.

However, the NFL on Fox Twitter account admitted the network did not have any material prepared for the extra period as there had never been an OT in the first 50 Super Bowls:

https://twitter.com/nflonfox/status/828440385680769024

At least Fox was being honest, but no matter, the network was able to rise the occasion despite this admission.

As far as the four-hour pregame show was concerned, a feature on analyst Howie Long and his son Chris playing for the Patriots was one of the better segments as was a subsequent interview with Long’s wife on the set. The red carpet interviews with Charissa Thompson and Cooper Manning ended up being extremely awkward and added little to the broadcast. And there was the now-mandatory interview of President Trump during the pregame which turned out to be a promotion for parts two and three that will air on Fox News later in the week.

The online audience watching through Fox Sports Go found themselves in a black hole when the app crashed in the midst of the Patriots comeback during the 4th quarter. It left viewers in the dark for about ten minutes, but it came back right after the Pats cut the lead to 28-20.

But for the game broadcast on TV itself, Fox served the viewers well and that’s all one could have asked for.