Super Bowl LI: Patriots vs. Falcons

[kskate2]

After much outcry from last year, the NFL are back to Roman Numerals:

Who will it be?

The evil empire

or the Birds?

 

[DarthFed]

So who does everyone have for the big game this Sunday?

It is Brady and Belichick vs. the surprise of the year in Atlanta. That statement alone makes you think New England is the heavy favorite but with the Falcons boasting one of the top offenses in NFL history it is not so cut and dry. The Patriots do have the #1 scoring defense in the NFL so it should be a great matchup there. On the other side of the ball the Pats offense is great as always and the Falcons defense has gotten much better as the year has gone on. I wouldn't say their defense is good but they have some serious speed and they got more pressure on Rodgers and his great offensive line than any other team has this year. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pats come out running the ball a decent amount which is a club in the bag that the Packers didn't really have.

I think it will be a good game, I suppose it's possible the occasion gets the best of Matt Ryan but he seems to have turned the corner this year. I can't pick against the Pats because this is maybe the best all around team (just talking this season) that the NFL has seen in a long time. Usually every team in the NFL has a weakness or two but there isn't any evident on the Pats right now, their defense is playing great, they can run the ball well and feature a bruiser in Blount and a shifty speedster in Lewis, they can beat you deep and Belichick's innovative short passing game has not been figured out yet. Pats win 31-27.

 

[Federberg]

go Falcons! I think they're the more complete team. Obviously if Bellichick does his magic with the Pats D then Brady will probably get his 5th. But I'm hoping like mad the Falcons prove they're the strongest team in the league

 

[DarthFed]

I'm with you, anyone over the Pats. But the fact that it is Belichick and I think the Pats are more complete is what makes me think the Pats find a way. They always do.

 

[kskate2]

As much as I believe Brady will play out of his skull w/ a chip on his shoulder, I can't see myself consciously picking the Empire. Hotlanta by a TD.

 

[DarthFed]

So far so good

 

[britbox]

Pats are getting handed their lunch.

 

[DarthFed]

Ironic thing is the Pats have done great in keeping Falcons off the field. That offense is just that good and the Pats have had the big miscues.

 

[DarthFed]

Ryan is choking the game away. I'm going to be sick

 

[DarthFed]

1st overtime in history, and pats get the ball first. Any doubt they go down the field and score here? Anyways this is maybe the biggest choke in sports history.

 

[britbox]

Wow man. What a comeback!

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Some come back...I am not sure if it was just the great comeback or a great choke or both.

 

[kskate2]

It's gotta be both, but it's the choke that allowed the comeback in the first place

 

[GameSetAndMath]

So, 2017 officially the year of old men and women in all sports. :snicker

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I am not quite ready to say that TB > JM. What do you folks think.

 

[DarthFed]

Greater choke than it was a comeback Baron. Atlanta embarrassed themselves for all the world to see and that's why it's tough to put guys like Matt Ryan as an elite player until you see how they'll perform when it counts. A fumble and taking a 14 yard sack when a field goal wins the game, he lost it for that team

 

[britbox]

Falcons problem was that they didn't play the second half. They went away from everything they'd been doing well with all year and started running an extremely conservative offence.

You've got to give the Pats some credit Twisted, Brady had a great second half and they did what they needed to do.

 

[DarthFed]

Of course the Pats deserve credit but that was twice as bad as I've seen McCarthy and GB do (the Seattle game 2 years ago) and that's saying a lot. The coaches deserve a lot of the blame but at the end of the day Ryan fumbled with a 16 point lead and then took a 14 yard sack when a field goal pretty much would've ended it. He choked hard.

It also has to be said, and yes I can't stand Brady, but for as great as the comeback was he threw a pick 6 that was at least a 10 point swing in the game. That play is what made it such a blowout in the first place.

 

[britbox]

He nearly got picked just the play before the ran it in.

 

[DarthFed]

He nearly got picked about 10 times but hey, those don't count. He didn't have a great game by any means, on top of the pick 6 he was missing wide open throws left and right and they would eventually get stalled, and then factor in that the Atlanta defense isn't any good. The New England defense quietly played awesome...yes Atlanta made some big plays on offense but New England made a bunch of big plays themselves and the time of possession was incredibly lopsided because they got the Falcons off the field quickly on a bunch of occasions. Give a defense half that good to GB over the years and we would've made a few more SB's with our superior QB (yes I said it and believe it). But as much as I hate NE, Belichick, and Brady, they are the GOAT's, greatest QB, greatest coach, and the greatest dynasty.