Behind The Scoreboard
After clearing the slate in the NFL last Sunday – just two teams remain.
The New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons have punched their tickets to Super Bowl LI.
Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons routed Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers 44-21 for the NFC championship title.
Ryan threw for 392 yards and four touchdowns, but it was his 14-yard scoring run (his first TD on the ground since 2012) that really set the tone. Julio Jones gave a stellar performance, too. Suffering from a lingering toe injury, Jones finished off the Packers with a 73-yard catch and run in the second half, pushing the lead to 31-0. Jones also led the way with nine catches for 180 yards. Jones’ second TD came in the first half on a 5-yard pass with three seconds left on the clock. Going into the locker room, the Falcons held a 24-0 advantage.
From the start, the injury-depleted Packers defense didn’t stand a chance to slow down Ryan and the Falcons.
Rodgers finished the game with 287 yards and three passing touchdowns, but it was not nearly enough to keep the pace with Ryan and the Falcons.
Were Tom Brady and the New England Patriots too much for Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers later that day?
Brady threw for a franchise playoff best 384 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-17 victory over the helpless Pittsburgh Steelers to capture the AFC championship title.
Brady’s main weapon was Chris Hogan. Hogan caught nine balls for 180 yards and two scores.
The ending for Roethlisberger and the Steelers was anything but perfect. They lost star running back Le’Veon Bell late in the first quarter to an injury.
Moving forward – the Super Bowl matchup on February 5 is set. So, get ready for a showdown in Texas. The Falcons paced the league with 58 offensive touchdowns this season while the Patriots finished third with 51. The Patriots will be aiming for a fifth NFL title and Bill Belichick as coach. Belichick will make his seventh appearance in the Super Bowl – a record for a head coach. And the Falcons will seek the franchise’s first championship. This will be the second Super Bowl appearance in Atlanta’s 51-year history. Eighteen years ago, the Falcons lost to Denver in John Elway’s final game.
So, will the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick add a fifth Super Bowl title to their legacy or will Matt Ryan and the Falcons finally earn a title for Atlanta? As of late Sunday night, the Patriots are the favorites to win.