This is it, the second most important holiday in February for those in a relationship and the most important holiday for the rest, the second biggest day for food in the U.S. and one of the most watched sporting events in the world, the Super Bowl.
This year’s installment of the battle for the Lombardi Trophy pits the NFC Champions, the Atlanta Falcons, against their AFC counterparts, the New England Patriots. The game will be held on Feb. 5 in Houston, Texas at NRG Stadium.
Atlanta will attempt to win the franchise’s first ever Lombardi Trophy, having lost in their only other Super Bowl appearance against the Denver Broncos in 1999. Meanwhile, the Patriots look to win their fifth Super Bowl in their record ninth appearance.
New England fans are all too familiar with success under head coach Bill Belichick. Since Belichick’s arrival, the Patriots have a record of 207-71 in the regular season and a 24-9 record in the postseason.
In his 17-year tenure, Belichick has had only one losing season, 14 playoff appearances, seven Super Bowl appearances and four Super Bowl titles. With a victory this year, Belichick would break Chuck Noll’s record for most Super Bowl Championships by a head coach.
Much of New England’s success can be credited to the consistently strong play of their future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.
Since taking over as the starter in 2001, Brady has been a 12-time Pro Bowler and a two-time MVP, not to mention a four-time Super Bowl champion. What has been most impressive is his success in the playoffs: He holds the NFL record for most games played, most games won, most touchdown passes and most passing yards by a QB in playoff history.
Given their tremendous history, the Patriots are three-point favorites against the Falcons. However, playing the role of underdog has been nothing new for the NFC champs.
In fact, as per the Westgate SuperBook, the Falcons were tied for the fifth worst Super Bowl odds of any team in the NFL at 80:1. It is not too difficult to see why Atlanta was not considered a legitimate contender this year. The Falcons were coming off a disappointing 2015 season, finishing 8-8 as starting quarterback Matt Ryan posted some of the worst numbers of his nine-year tenure in the League.
But that was 2015. This year, under second-year coach Dan Quinn, the Falcons have led the NFL in scoring with 33.8 points per game and 540 points total this year, tying the 2000 Los Angeles Rams for the eighth most all-time. Meanwhile, the Falcons posted an 11-5 record and earned a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Falcons offense was led by QB Matt Ryan. He is a likely MVP candidate after his 4,944 yards passing, 38 passing touchdowns and a completion percentage of nearly 70. His dominant performance has continued into the playoffs, throwing for 730 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions as the Falcons dominated the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks by a combined score of 80-41.
While the headlines leading into the game will certainly revolve around Ryan vs. Brady, these two gunslingers will be going against some stingy defenses. The Patriots have surrendered only 15.6 points per game this year, the best in the NFL, and the Falcons have routinely put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Credit for this is due in the most part to potential NFL Defensive Player of the Year Vic Beasley, who led the league with 15.5 sacks.
Despite these two talented defenses, I still expect the game to be quite a shootout between the two offenses. The over/under of the game is currently 58.5 and both offenses are loaded with weapons. Wide receiver Julio Jones has been a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, and Mohamed Sanu has proved to be a solid number two receiver for the Falcons.
With the New England defense expected to put attention on Jones, expect Sanu to be a target early and often. On the ground, the Falcons are armed with one of the best running back tandems in football. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman have both shown equal capability to make big plays in the running and passing game.
Although Brady does not have a receiver with the sheer star power of Jones, he has a history of making the most of what he’s got. His receivers include Julian Edelman, who will likely be Brady’s primary target. Other weapons include Danny Amendola, Martellus Bennett and Chris Hogan. The latter received national attention after his performance in the AFC Championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dion Lewis, the primary running back for the Patriots, has stepped up and shown himself to be a dynamic playmaker as well, contributing on the ground, through the air and in the return game, while LeGarrette Blount will be in play as the third-and-short and goal line back.
Despite both sides having numerous key players at their disposal, Hopkins freshman Nick Lemanski believes that the game will not come down to who does the most right but who does the least wrong.
“The game could come down to the very last drive, and every possession will count, which is why I believe the game will be won by the team who makes the fewest mistakes,” Lemanski said. “Both teams have thrived this year by capitalizing off of their opponents’ turnovers, penalties and other mistakes. Brady and Ryan have both been remarkable this season. One fumble, one interception or one dropped pass could ultimately decide who comes out on top.”
Whether a fan of either side, a fan of football in general or someone that just wants to watch the games for the commercials, Super Bowl LI is poised to be an exciting game. At the end of 60 minutes, will it be Ryan’s Falcons who finally capture their first Lombardi Trophy, or will it be Brady’s Patriots who raise their fifth?
