The Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots meet in
Super Bowl LI this weekend in Houston, Texas. One team is the subject of
constant chatter amongst fans throughout the National Football League while the
other was relatively unnoticed for most of the year. It’s not rocket science to
figure out which is which.
This season, thanks to a four-game suspension to quarterback
Tom Brady, the Patriots were right back in the national discussion as the
Deflategate saga wore on. Now, this week, as the buildup intensifies with
kickoff just over 72 hours away, it’s hard to watch a sports television show
without hearing about Brady’s extra motivation to receive the Lombardi trophy
this year from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
It seems like the Falcons are taking a back seat to New
England this week in Houston, and they’re probably just fine with that. Coming off
a Super Bowl appearance last year, the Carolina Panthers were the clear
favorite to win their third consecutive NFC South division title. However,
Atlanta won four out of five to open the season and looked like the real deal
out of the gate. But, plenty remained leery of Atlanta given the hot start the
Falcons got off to last season winning their first five games and six of their
first seven only to finish 8-8. Back-to-back losses to Seattle and San Diego
and a week 10 loss in Philadelphia left Atlanta at 6-4 heading into its bye
week and certainly did not quell the doubts. However, the Falcons returned from
their bye to end the regular season by winning five out of six and clinching
the NFC South and a first-round bye. But, those five wins were all against
teams that finished the year below .500 and the one loss was to the playoff-bound
Kansas City Chiefs. It seemed like many people, myself included, needed a
show-me win from the Falcons to feel like they were a legitimate Super Bowl
contender.
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| David Goldman/Associated Press The Falcons celebrate with owner Arthur Blank after defeating the Packers to advance to Super Bowl LI. |
The Falcons gave us just that and then some in the playoffs.
A 36-20 whitewashing of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC divisional round
allowed the nation to see just how good the Falcons were. Yet, despite being
favored in the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers, it felt
like many analysts were leaning towards Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers was on a
mission. He’s the MVP. The Packers haven’t lost since they were 4-6 and Rodgers
said they would run the table. I fell for all of that too and was yet again
suckered only to see another playoff blowout in the Georgia Dome’s last hurrah
as Atlanta trounced Green Bay 44-21.
Which brings us back to Houston. As most of the hot takes leading
up to the Super Bowl are centered around Brady and the Patriots, here are the
Falcons in a role they’ve seemingly thrived in all season. They finished the
regular season with the number one ranked offense statistically in the NFL. New
England finished first in total defense. The five previous times the number one
offense met the number one defense in the Super Bowl, the team with the top-ranked
defense won four times, another narrative that generates Patriots’ buzz. Wouldn’t
it be fitting for Atlanta to wrap things up this way? Regardless, full credit
to second-year coach Dan Quinn, his staff, and the entire organization for
having an outstanding season no matter what the score is on Sunday.
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