The moment has finally come that NFL fans all over the country and the world have been waiting for all season, the Super Bowl, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 5 at NRG Stadium in Houston Texas. The two teams that will go head to head are the AFC champion New England Patriots and the NFC champion Atlanta Falcons. Both teams come in with some of the most well-known names in the NFL coming to the limelight and fighting for the ultimate title.
Brady proves his legacy
The Patriots had high hopes, as usual, coming into the 2016 season, but it became a little dashed after quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the season after the 2nd U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the suspension that had originally been handed to him for his role in the deflategate scandal. Second-stringer Jimmy Garoppolo started the first two games. But after suffering a sprained AC joint in the second quarter of week two's match-up against the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots were forced to go to their third string QB Jacoby Brissett until Brady could return in week 5.
When Brady returned, there was no stopping him, and he proved that age doesn't slow him down. He finished the season with an 11-1 starting record, threw 291 complete passes, 3,554 yards, and 28 touchdowns with only two interceptions with a 67.4% pass completion. There was also a lot of help too from the offense, as running back LeGarrette Brown rushed for 1,161 yards and a league leading 18 touchdowns, and wide receiver Julian Edelman, who had 98 receptions and 1,106 receiving yards.
The Patriots will be making their sixth Super bowl appearance in 16 years and will try to win their fifth title and further cement the legacy of Brady and head coach Bill Belichick.
Matty Ice has MVP season
The Atlanta Falcons fought hard throughout the season and the playoffs so far, and will be making only their second Super Bowl appearance, their first being in Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999, in which they lost 34-19 to the Denver Broncos.
The main reason for the Falcons successful 2016 season was because of quarterback Matt Ryan. He led the way when it came to the Falcons offense as Ryan threw for 4,944 yards, 373 completions, and 38 touchdowns, second in the league behind Green Bay Packer's Aaron Rodgers 40 touchdowns. In his ninth season in the NFL, Ryan was improved overtime dramatically, as he has been perfect in the playoffs so far, after winning only one back in 2012.
There is much debate on whether or not he will be named MVP this season, but there are high hopes.
Another star that has been superb on the Falcons was wide receiver Julio Jones, who had 1,409 receiving yards, 83 receptions, and six touchdowns while running back Devonta Freeman rushed for 1,079 yards and 11 touchdowns. With a strong team that fought all the way, the Falcons will try to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. If they keep playing the way they have been all season, big things could happen as a result.
What will happen
The Patriots and Falcons are going head to head in Super Bowl LI this Sunday and there will be a lot of people watching to see if Brady will continue his historic legacy or the Falcons complete possibly a great sports upset that will forever be etched in people's minds and talked about for years to come.
The favorites that are coming in are the Patriots because of what they accomplished this past season after what they went through and because of their winning history, but that could change in this game. The Falcons played a championship driven team all season long because of Ryan and the strong offense, and they could go all the way. Whatever the outcome may be, the game will always be remembered.
