Written by Benjamin Hoffman at New York Times. com
The New England Patriots will compete in their N.F.L.-record ninthSuper Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 5 in Houston, matched up against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons’ top-ranked offense. Here’s what to look for in Super Bowl LI:
■ Tom Brady set a personal postseason record with 384 passing yards in the Patriots’ A.F.C. championship victory, but he may have even more opportunities against a Falcons defense that had been weak all season until it delivered a shockingly-effective performance against Green Bay in the N.F.C. championship game.
■ The Falcons were able to pummel an injury-depleted Packersdefense, but will have a lot more trouble against a New England defense that traded away two of its biggest stars and seemed to only get better, holding opponents to an N.F.L.-low 15.4 points a game this season.
■ Both teams will be looking for more from their running games. The Patriots managed just 57 rushing yards and the Falcons, despite a pair of highly-regarded running backs in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, had just 101, with 23 coming from quarterback Matt Ryan.
■ While Brady and Ryan may not provide much bulletin-board material in the weeks leading up to the game, fans and journalists can look forward to extended access with the outspoken Martellus Bennett of the Patriots. And people may finally get a chance to appreciate just how great Julio Jones of the Falcons has been throughout his career.
The Patriots are certainly not lacking Super Bowl appearances, with this representing the seventh chance for a ring in the Tom Brady Era. The Falcons are in mostly uncharted territory for them, as the team has not appeared in a Super Bowl since the Chris Chandler-led 1998 team. Tevin Coleman, one of the team’s running backs, was only 5 when the Falcons lost to John Elway and the Denver Broncos.
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