Super Bowl Preview
The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons will play in Super Bowl LI on Sunday, February 5th at 5:30 on FOX. The Patriots will be making their seventh Super Bowl appearance in 16 years, while the Falcons will be going to their second Super Bowl, hoping to win their first.
The Patriots came into the playoffs with a 14-2 record. The team overcame losses like Future Hall of Famer quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the season due to a suspension in the Deflategate case, and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who had season ending back surgery. But they finished with the best record in the NFL. The won the AFC East for the eighth straight year.
The Patriots are led by MVP candidate Brady. At age 38, Brady put up elite numbers. He threw 28 touchdowns and two interceptions in twelve games this season, which broke an NFL record for best TD:INT ratio, according to NFL research.
Cornerback Malcolm Butler will be leading the Patriots defense. In Super Bowl XLIV, he made a goal line interception against the Seattle Seahawks to secure a Super Bowl win for the Patriots. Since then, has been the number one Pro Bowl cornerback for the Patriots. He has led the defense to lead the entire league in points allowed allowing 15.7 points a game.
The Falcons headed into the playoffs with a 11-5 record. They won their division and ended up being the #2 seed in the playoffs. They clobbered the Packers in the NFC Championship game. The Falcons have been red hot all year. They have one of the most high profile offenses in the league.
Players like wide receiver Julio Jones who is averaging over 100 receiving yards a game. Matt Ryan their quarterback has a passer rating of 133.3 in his last six games which includes playoff games, that is the highest any Super Bowl starter leading up to the game. They also have some studs on defense including season sack leader Vic Beasley. But they also have one of the worst scoring defenses giving up 25.4 points per game this season. If the Falcons win the Super Bowl they would be the worst scoring defense in NFL history by giving up on average 25.4 points per game.
Arrowhead Senior Nick Noll said, “I am taking the Patriots to win the game, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will find a way to get their fifth Super Bowl title.”
Arrowhead Senior Chris Marmes said, “I am rooting for Hotlanta to get their first Super Bowl victory as a franchise. It will be a close game but they will do it.”
The Super Bowl will be a great game. The teams both have high powered offenses and stellar defenses. Both teams dominated in the playoffs and regular season. The teams both have MVP candidate quarterbacks in Matt Ryan and Brady. We will have to wait to see if the Pats and company can get their Fifth Super Bowl title or if Atlanta will win its first in franchise history. Let’s just hope the game is good and the commercials are funny.
