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*** Official Super Bowl LI Thread - Falcons vs Patriots *** (1 Viewer)

This was my predicted SB matchup when the playoffs started and I had Falcons winning and feel even more confident. Should be a good game, hope so because we've only had like two good playoff games this year but I really like balance of Falcons right now and see them winning.

 
This will probably be a decent game but it's the Super Bowl nobody wanted.  Atlanta barely pays attention to the Falcons

 
Can't wait to watch Brady play against a well put together, healthy team for the first time since Denver in week 15, by then nearly 2 months ago.
Really? Will u ever give NE credit for anything? The steelers weren't well put together? Healthy (yup lost bell during game, but his replacement is pretty good) the steelers didn't have a good def? Honest to god so many of u just never give it a rest.  Should NE win the SB we know what you will say and it will be anything but any sort of credit; of that we can be sure. It will be all about how bad atl stinks or some other excuse. Oh well.... 

 
I think Atlanta is better, though their defense isn't great, but the pressure does worry me. I wish they played next week. There's a lot of time to get tense, and we all know the patriots have been their a million times before. So I'm pretty worried. Please god, no more patriot super bowls.

 
Really? Will u ever give NE credit for anything? The steelers weren't well put together? Healthy (yup lost bell during game, but his replacement is pretty good) the steelers didn't have a good def? Honest to god so many of u just never give it a rest.  Should NE win the SB we know what you will say and it will be anything but any sort of credit; of that we can be sure. It will be all about how bad atl stinks or some other excuse. Oh well.... 
The Steelers were a deeply flawed team that was ripe to be taking apart. You can't have one receiving threat, no pass rush and a crappy secondary and beat good teams. How does Antonio Brown destroy teams when there's nobody else to worry about? I don't know but a good coach won't let it happen. From everything I can see there's a lot of bad coaches out there.

The AFC was awful this year, reminded me of the old days when the NFC ruled the world.

 
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Really? Will u ever give NE credit for anything? The steelers weren't well put together? Healthy (yup lost bell during game, but his replacement is pretty good) the steelers didn't have a good def? Honest to god so many of u just never give it a rest.  Should NE win the SB we know what you will say and it will be anything but any sort of credit; of that we can be sure. It will be all about how bad atl stinks or some other excuse. Oh well.... 
Jeez, you're sensitive. 

 
Jeez, you're sensitive. 
Meh, if u were on teh other side of the coin u wouldn't say that. There are so many who pretty much no matter what NE does will always denigrate and belittle their accomplishments. Weak schedule blah, blah, always get a bye blah blah, pitt is not a good team blah, blah. I understand it stems from the grief of seeing NE win so often, so many are perpetually stuck in the denial stage. It would be nice to see some of these people say nice game, this should be a great SB, but in the end eff emm for all i care, just callin a spade a spade.

 
Game will be decided by whether or not the Atlanta front four can get pressure on Brady.  If he sits back there sipping on a cup of coffee while he scans the field for 3 minutes without anyone getting within 20 feet of him like he did tonight then it's all over.

 
Game will be decided by whether or not the Atlanta front four can get pressure on Brady.  If he sits back there sipping on a cup of coffee while he scans the field for 3 minutes without anyone getting within 20 feet of him like he did tonight then it's all over.
Idk. ATL is one of the few teams who can keep up with NE offensively, if not surpass them. What I'm saying is I don't think it's automatically game over if consistent pressure can't be brought to Brady. The big key for their defense is to see who they can get to step up aside from Beasley, because Belichick will neutralize him as the only clear pass rushing threat coming into this game.

 
I think this game is going to come down to longevity. They are evenly matched on offense, how the defense reacts will be key. NE definitely has the better secondary but ATL might have the better pressure up front. I think that pressure will be the deciding factor and that they will eventually wear down the Pats line. They will go punch for punch to start then ATL will pull away and NE finally stumbles

 
There is something relaxing about this game right now...it's not like playing a team like Pittsburgh or Baltimore where this is legit hate/dislike...or a team like the Giants where there is the whole NY v. Boston thing...it is kind of like when the Pats played Carolina...this is no knock on Atlanta because they are a very good team but outside of the fact it is who they are playing there is no history with this team and right now it is just about focusing on the game itself...that being said my guess is the fans of those other teams will join the Falcon bandwagon and provide the hate for this game...

 
Can't wait to watch Brady play against a well put together, healthy team for the first time since Denver in week 15, by then nearly 2 months ago.
I could have sworn that's what everyone said before they destroyed PIT.

It could just be that NE is just, well, kinda good.

 
Initial thoughts:

* Bill B. is going to take away Julio. Bank on it. We've seen other D's do it, and ATL and Ryan are ok with it. It will be done.

* Ryan will be forced to move up the field with secondary options and the run game. NE does a good job limited "chunk" plays on D. Whether or not Ryan makes any mistakes on the biggest stage will be key.

* ATL does seem to get pressure but  is this on the outside or up the gut? Houston provided the blueprint. The Steelers couldn't duplicate it because they didn't have the personnel. Does Atlanta?

* In the end I think NE vs ATL offense is a wash and it comes down to the defenses. Have to give the edge to NE and like their chances vs. ATL D in forcing enough mistakes to make the difference.

 
Jeez, you're sensitive. 
The whining Pat fan is a strange phenomenon. They spend far more time worrying about being disrespected than they do enjoying their success.

This guy even had even had to start another whining thread to complain about Cecil not giving the Pats defense their due, because there aren't enough threads for him to cry in.

It's strange because Boston is such a fun city. You'd think they would just enjoy the ride.

 
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Idk. ATL is one of the few teams who can keep up with NE offensively, if not surpass them. What I'm saying is I don't think it's automatically game over if consistent pressure can't be brought to Brady. The big key for their defense is to see who they can get to step up aside from Beasley, because Belichick will neutralize him as the only clear pass rushing threat coming into this game.
As a Patriots fan living in Atlanta, I've probably watched more of these two teams than most people.  The Falcons defense is built on speed and athleticism but has significant problems in the secondary, where many teams have carved them up. I think the Patriots pass catching weapons can overwhelm Atlanta's defense and the young guys in the front 7 will have a difficult time getting pressure on Brady.

On the other side of the ball, the Falcons best weapons against this Pats defense are the pass-catching ability of the running backs. I don't think the Patriots have an answer for Freeman and Coleman coming out of the backfield and I'd expect Shanny to have both of them in there at the same time and killing NE with the underneath stuff and wheel routes, which has given the Patriots problems over the years. It's a scheme flaw that many teams have exploited if they have the right personnel and I'd expect ATL go lean heavily on it. The Falcons, for all of their explosiveness, struggle in the red zone some times and could end up settling for FGs against the Patriots, who tend to step up inside their own 20.

This feels like a 31-27 type game in favor of the Pats.

 
A Bell-less Pitt. Some ferocious team right there.  :thumbup:
I have kept quiet about the NE-has-never-rally-faced-the-Killer-B's-story-line, which to me is just a lame excuse. The Patriots didn't have Brady for 4 games and went 3-1. New England didn't have Gronk most of the year and went 12-0 without him. Having Bell the entire game would not have changed who won, not even a little bit, unless he put on a head set and called better schemes on defense. Had the Patriots still crushed PIT even with Bell playing, then I'm sure the narrative would have been NE must have cheated. Nothing is going to change that the Steelers had a real poor game plan.

 
The Steelers were a deeply flawed team that was ripe to be taking apart. You can't have one receiving threat, no pass rush and a crappy secondary and beat good teams. How does Antonio Brown destroy teams when there's nobody else to worry about? I don't know but a good coach won't let it happen. From everything I can see there's a lot of bad coaches out there.

The AFC was awful this year, reminded me of the old days when the NFC ruled the world.
your user name fits you too a T

 
Just like the Championship Game threads, I am going to post observations on a lot of things. Consider them or ignore them . . . up to you.

Teams that scored 40+ points in a conference final went 3-5 in the Super Bowl.

The #1 scoring team in the NFL in that season has gone 10-10 in Super Bowls.
The #1 defense in fewest points allowed in that season has gone 14-6 in Super Bowls.
Twice the #1 offense and #1 defense were the same team (1996 GB and 1972 MIA) and both were SB winners.
The #1 offense in scoring has played the #1 defense in scoring 4 times, The #1 defense has gone 3-1. 

 
The Steelers were a deeply flawed team that was ripe to be taking apart. You can't have one receiving threat, no pass rush and a crappy secondary and beat good teams. How does Antonio Brown destroy teams when there's nobody else to worry about? I don't know but a good coach won't let it happen. From everything I can see there's a lot of bad coaches out there.

The AFC was awful this year, reminded me of the old days when the NFC ruled the world.
Wait, the story I heard all week was that PIT was on fire throughout their long winning streak, The much improved defense, the triplets, the leadership of Big Ben, the pass rush . . . where were the reports of them being a "deeply flawed team" all week?

 
A Bell-less Pitt. Some ferocious team right there.  :thumbup:
Bell was averaging 3.3ypc before he went down, and has never scored while holding a measly 3.7ypc in his career vs NE. 

The Patriots have faced seven running backs who were in the top 10 in rushing this season and didn’t allow any of them to rush for over 100 yards. Overall, they haven’t allowed a rusher to gain 90 or more yards in any of their past 24 games.*

Let's not pretend Bell would have made much of a difference. 

* Source: WEEI's Ryan Hannable

 
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Wait, the story I heard all week was that PIT was on fire throughout their long winning streak, The much improved defense, the triplets, the leadership of Big Ben, the pass rush . . . where were the reports of them being a "deeply flawed team" all week?
Roethlisberger had thrown six touchdown passes to eight interceptions over his last five games heading into the Pats game. All I heard was how bad of a road QB he was - and is.

The whole AFC was flawed this year. The Pats were clearly the best team and should have, and to their credit did, make it to the Super Bowl. Why would Pats fans even care if they had an easy road there? The Pats are the best run organization in the sport. They have the best head coach by far. They have a Hall of Fame QB. Enjoy the ride. 

 
Roethlisberger had thrown six touchdown passes to eight interceptions over his last five games heading into the Pats game. All I heard was how bad of a road QB he was - and is.

The whole AFC was flawed this year. The Pats were clearly the best team and should have, and to their credit did, make it to the Super Bowl. Why would Pats fans even care if they had an easy road there? The Pats are the best run organization in the sport. They have the best head coach by far. They have a Hall of Fame QB. Enjoy the ride. 
Sagarin has the AFC with 3 of the 5 top teams, but only 5 of the top 15, this year. 

The AFC is excellent at the top, but doesn't run quite as deep as the NFC. 

 
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Pats fan/BC grad. I love Matt Ryan, does everything right on and off the field, a lot like Brady in that regard. Hoping for a great game where they both play well and the Pats win but will be very happy for Ryan if Atlanta comes out on top. Really nothing not to like about the Falcons.

 
Game will be decided by whether or not the Atlanta front four can get pressure on Brady.  If he sits back there sipping on a cup of coffee while he scans the field for 3 minutes without anyone getting within 20 feet of him like he did tonight then it's all over.


Idk. ATL is one of the few teams who can keep up with NE offensively, if not surpass them. What I'm saying is I don't think it's automatically game over if consistent pressure can't be brought to Brady. The big key for their defense is to see who they can get to step up aside from Beasley, because Belichick will neutralize him as the only clear pass rushing threat coming into this game.
ATL did a really good job of pressuring Rodgers. Didn't get many sacks but he was harassed all night, and GB has a really good pass-blocking OL.

 
Biggest factor for me is how much better the Falcons defense has gotten as the season progressed even without (arguably) their best player in Desmond Trufant. Beasley is a completely different player, and rookies Keanu Neal, Deion Jones, DeVondre Campbell, and Brian Poole all stopped being rookies weeks ago. 

Youll look at our total defense ranking and it won't look great, but the improvement week to week has been immense. 

 
The last time the Falcons were in the Superbowl in 1999, they faced a strong Bronco team lead by John Elway. If I remember correctly the Falcons were 7 point dogs. Elway managed the game perfectly and the Broncos won the game 34-19.

Sorry Falcon fans, I see a very similar result this time around.

 

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