Two weeks are left before the fifty-first NFL Super Bowl happens at the NRG Stadium in Houston, and now we know which teams with be competing in it. There’s a sense of mythical and epic scale in this particular matchup, due to certain milestones being reached by the teams on their way here. The National Football Conference champions the Atlanta Falcons have a lot riding on them after they make the Super Bowl game for only the second time in their entire franchise history, while the American Conference champions the New England Patriots have set a new NFL record by appearing for the ninth time.
Both teams triumphed decisively over their Championship opponents and soon they’ll be taking on one another.
Falcons fly high
In a way, the Atlanta Falcons' win over the Green Bay Packers for the NFC championship has some bittersweet undertones, in that this game will be the last the team will play in their 25-season home stadium of the Georgia Dome, after which they will relocate to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium this 2017. Quarterback Matt Ryan drove fans to frenzy with his 392 yards of passes and four touchdowns plus one. The Atlanta offense was a sight to behold, with a score right off the bat in its opening drive, now the eighth straight time they’ve pulled it against their past opposing teams.
By halftime, they had the Packers trailing by 24 points, the first time it ever happened in their team history. Head coach Dan Quinn noted how hard his players worked to reach that point and what challenge still lies ahead. The Falcons first played in the NFL Super Bowl in XXXIII of 1998, losing to the Denver Broncos. All hope is that the second outing will see them win.
Patriot game
With the New England Patriots prevailing over the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2016 AFC championship despite some concerns over player injuries, they are poised to surpass quite a number of NFL records with their own. Bill Belichick could soon break his tie with Chuck Noll for the most Super Bowl wins – both at four – even as he cements his record most Super Bowl head coach appearances total (seven).
Tom Brady now has the most all-time over-300-yard throws post-season (11). Come Super Bowl LI, he’ll beat out Mike Lodish for most Super Bowl games for a player (7). And of course we have the Patriots showing for the ninth time.
Song and dance
Team info out of the way let’s look at what the NFL has in store for entertainment on the big day. Slated to sing the national anthem at Houston this February 5 is country music singer-songwriter Luke Bryan taking up after last year’s Lady Gaga, who this year will be the headline act for the big Super Bowl LI halftime extravaganza.
