Five reasons why Patriots-Falcons could be terrific — and very awkward
New England Patriots (16-2) vs. Atlanta Falcons (13-5)
NRG Stadium, Houston
Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox
Halftime show: Lady Gaga
Here are four reasons why Super Bowl LI could be terrific and historic … and one reason why it could be terribly awkward, too:
1. Falcons, Patriots going for historic wins
The Atlanta Falcons are playing in their second Super Bowl in franchise history. The Falcons’ first was 18 years ago in the XXXIII loss to the Denver Broncos. This is a franchise that fired its coach two years ago and nearly retooled its front office. But Dan Quinn’s second season as head coach has been an incredible one, and the city once known as “Losersville” could win its first pro sports title since the Braves won the World Series in 1995.
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The Patriots will be appearing in their ninth Super Bowl as a franchise and going for their fifth victory. Quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick already hold the record (four) for most wins by a QB-coach combo.
This actually will be Belichick’s 10th Super Bowl appearance — eight with New England and two with the New York Giants — which means that he will have coached in slightly less than 20 percent of all the Super Bowls. Think about that!
Quinn will have an idea how things go on Super Sunday. He was there twice with the Seattle Seahawks as their defensive coordinator, winning once and losing (to Belichick and Brady) the other time. This will be Quinn’s third Super Bowl appearance in a four-season span.
2. Super Bowl experience
The Patriots have several players on their roster who have played in a Super Bowl, many of whom were on the 2014 team and a few — Brady and Stephen Gostkowski — who have been there multiple times with the Patriots. But we also should note that, like most Patriots teams, there’s a lot of turnover on the roster. Thirty of the 53 current members were not on the 2014 squad, in fact, even if a lot of key players and members of the coaching staff were there.
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On Super Bowl Sunday, Brady also will pass former Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Mike Lodish by making his seventh Super Bowl appearance — the most in NFL history.
But the Falcons’ players are mostly new to all of this. This will be defensive end Dwight Freeney’s third Super Bowl, the previous two with the Indianapolis Colts. Safety Dashon Goldson, who was inactive Sunday, was on the San Francisco 49ers team that lost to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.
The only other member of the Falcons that we could find with Super Bowl experience was defensive lineman Joe Vellano, who was called up to the active roster just this past week and received a few snaps in the NFC title game win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Vellano was — yes — a member of the Patriots’ XLIX team, although he did not play in the win over the Seahawks.
3. History for Brady, Ryan at stake
Brady might be going for No. 5, which would break a tie with the Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw and the 49ers’ Joe Montana for the most ever by a quarterback.
But No. 1 would be hugely important for the legacy of Matt Ryan, too. He has been labeled a quarterback who lacks the clutch gene in the NFL, but his recent playoff experience suggests that’s a narrative that perhaps should be put to bed. After all, he didn’t leave Boston College with the nickname of “Matty Ice” for nothing.
The talk of Ryan perhaps making the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day has started, but he needs more. A Super Bowl victory — and playing well against a Belichick-coached defense — would go a long way toward pushing him one day toward Canton.
4. Patriots defense vs. Ryan
The list of quarterbacks the Patriots have beaten this season en route to the league’s best scoring defense is … well, not that impressive.
Carson Palmer, Ryan Tannehill, Brock Osweiler (twice, once in a playoff game), Tyrod Taylor (twice), Charlie Whitehurst (and Cody Kessler and Terrelle Pryor … hey, it’s the Cleveland Browns), Andy Dalton, Landry Jones, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Fitzpatrick (twice), Jared Goff, Joe Flacco, Trevor Siemian, Matt Moore and Ben Roethlisberger.
A few of them are capable starters, and Wilson and Roethlisberger are battle-tested and borderline elite QBs. But Ryan might be the best the Patriots have faced this season. The Falcons have faced four of the top-10 scoring defenses this season — the Seahawks (twice), Broncos, Chiefs and Eagles — and averaged 25.2 points in those games. In their other 13 games, playoffs included, the Falcons averaged 38 points.
Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia have their work cut out for them in terms of crafting a plan to slow down the high-flying Falcons’ passing game and two-headed rushing attack. Ryan turned the ball over nine times in 18 games this season, and the Patriots thrive on turnovers with 28 forced turnovers in their 18 games.
5. OMG, imagine Roger Goodell handing Lombardi to Brady
Brady and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spent a lot of time the past few years meeting together in deflate-gate meetings and conferences, surrounded by lawyers behind closed doors. But if the Patriots and Brady win it all in two weeks, what a meeting that will be.
Goodell traditionally hands the Lombardi Trophy to the winning coach and quarterback on the field, and there have been a few awkward ones. Anyone remember Al Davis, who was in the process of suing the NFL, and former commissioner Pete Rozelle? That was a fun one.
But it will look like a day on the golf course compared to the awkwardness that would be impending with a Patriots victory. Could Belichick refuse to accept the trophy from Goodell himself? What about Brady? After all, the commissioner hammered the team and quarterback with insane fines that didn’t fit the crime — if there even was a crime — of Brady being “generally aware” of a few footballs being below the legal PSI level.
Additionally, if Brady wins MVP there would be another ceremony the day after the Super Bowl in which the commish hands him keys to a new car. Better check the tire pressure on that jalopy, TB.
Remember, when Goodell handed the trophy to Brady, Belichick and the Patriots two years ago, the deflate-gate controversy was in its infancy and Goodell had not yet laid down the hammer. It should be a fun two weeks leading up to the game, but this has the potential to be the wildest postgame ever if Brady and Goodell meet again.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
