With the Super Bowl upon us, many people are rushing to make their predictions before the big game kicks off on Sunday. Since we have the high-powered Atlanta Falcons taking on the historically-dominant New England Patriots, this is not an obvious win either way, and there are great points to be made for both teams potentially winning.
However, as an Atlanta fan, I have to say that the Falcons are my pick to win it all and my reasoning behind that opinion is a little more complicated than just pure bias. The Falcons are a top ten offense in the NFL’s history in terms of points scored, and they deserve to be taken more seriously than many media outlets have taken them.
The most obvious reason that the Falcons will topple the Patriots this Sunday has to be their offensive firepower. Their quarterback, Matt Ryan, was 56 yards shy of a 5,000 passing yard season, according to ESPN.
He is probably the frontrunner for the NFL MVP this season, as he has broken the NFL all-time passing yards per attempt record for a 16-game season and has absolutely shredded every defense he has played this year, including the likes of Seattle’s Legion of Boom.
The Falcons have arguably the best wide receiver in the league as well, Julio Jones. Jones has played basically the entire season hurt and has not even played in every game, yet has almost 1,500 receiving yards.
Unlike other teams with massive receiving threats though, Atlanta has two other deadly weapons in their receiving corps with Taylor Gabriel and Mohamed Sanu, who have both come up with clutch catches in the latter half of the season.
The Falcons also do not stop in their passing game. They have not one, but two amazing running backs. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are essentially interchangeable, and both can break away for a huge ground gain or even catch a screen pass for a much-needed first down if need be. With this in Atlanta’s arsenal, they are set apart from other teams in the league, as the Patriots will have to account for both of their running styles and both of their hot streaks. All of these offensive weapons are anchored by a much-improved offensive line.
Pro Football Focus ranks them as the number four O-line in the league as of now, calling them “much better than anyone expected”. The offseason signing of Alex Mack at center plugged the one hole Atlanta had in the line last season, which was frankly the biggest issue they had as a team. This offense is far and away the most complete in the NFL this season, and for that matter one of the best of all time. They have proven that they can destroy any team, no matter what defense they face, and the Patriots will be no different.
While the defense might be what most would call Atlanta’s weakness, it certainly is not something to sneeze at recently. While admittedly starting the season off poorly, the defense has recently picked up its game and is proving to be respectable.
With the likes of Vic Beasley improving to the point of being in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year and rookie studs Keanu Neal and Deion Jones outplaying expectations, all it will take for the Patriots to fall behind is one turnover.
This defense does not need to control the game to win; it simply needs to put pressure on Tom Brady. While that might be easier said than done, the Falcons’ defense is in a position to make plays, and I believe they will make more than just one.
In a nutshell, the Falcons are an 11-5 regular season team with the toughest schedule in the league. They have only improved as the season has progressed, they sport a historically great offense, and their defense has enough big names to make stops and force turnovers.
Many sports journalists have cited their 33.8 points a game and have stated that the first team to make a turnover in the Super Bowl will be at a huge disadvantage, and I am inclined to agree.
The Ringer even states that “In the history of the league’s championship game, 88 percent of the teams that won the turnover battle also won it all.” It will be incredibly easy to fall behind the Falcons if every opportunity is not taken advantage of.
Tom Brady is going to have to have a flawless game to have a hope of stopping the Falcons, and I just do not see that happening. Brady might be on the NFL’s mount rushmore of quarterbacks, but this Falcons team simply will not be denied. This is their year to fly high.
