Match Up: The New England Patriots are the early 3-point betting favorites over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51.
Under the leadership of owner Arthur Blank and coach Dan Quinn, the Falcons took care of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, winning the final game ever at the Georgia Dome, 44-21. The Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-17 in the AFC Championship Game.
This is the second Super Bowl appearance for the Falcons, who lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII after the 1998 season. For the Patriots, this is their ninth Super Bowl and second in three years.
The Falcons' victory in Sunday's NFC Championship Game certainly thrusts QB Matt Ryan into the category of the elite, if the likely NFL MVP wasn't there already. Ryan masterfully directed the league's top-scoring offense to yet another dominant performance, one that included a heavy dose of the familiar connection between Ryan and top receiver Julio Jones.
The Patriots are headed to their seventh Super Bowl appearance under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. In their cast of characters, there are some new faces, like Martellus Bennett.
After the win, Bennett made sure to have fun in celebrating, so with his championship hat on, he went over to the cheerleaders, grabbed some pom poms, and danced to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." |