The Super Bowl is undoubtedly the most watched sporting event of the year. Whether you watch it for the commercials, halftime-show, or the great football on display, practically everyone tunes in. This year it is the game that catches everyone’s attention. The matchup in Super Bowl LI is the New England Patriots vs. the Atlanta Falcons. It seems that the Patriots are in the Super Bowl every other year, whereas the Falcons haven’t appeared in one since 1999.

The Falcons are the “new kid in town”, but they are no ordinary new kid. Atlanta just so happens to be the eighth highest scoring offense in a single season ever. Their potent offense is what got them here, and it is what will give them their best shot at winning. They arguably have the MVP in quarterback Matt Ryan who has been playing out of his mind this season. Ryan has posted career highs in passing yards, completion percentage, touchdowns, and QBR. Along with this he led the Falcons to their best record (11-5) since 2012 (13-3). Ryan is accompanied with two of the most explosive playmakers in the league in Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman. Jones is a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses. He stands at 6’3 220 pounds and is lightning quick, making most believe he is the best receiver in football. As if that isn’t enough, Devonta Freeman stands in the backfield and is a threat to score each and every time he touches the ball. Freeman is a threat in the rushing and receiving game making the potent Falcons offense nearly impossible to guard.

The Patriots on the other hand are less skilled individually, but much more skilled from a team standpoint. They don’t have a clear playmaker like the Falcons, but they do have possibly the greatest quarterback-coach duo in NFL history in Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Belichick always comes prepared with a gameplan that gives the Patriots a chance to win each and every time they take the field. Even if they don’t have the best skill players, they still have Tom Brady. Brady is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, and he is extremely experienced on this stage. This is his seventh, yes seventh Super Bowl he has appeared in. Brady has won five of them and looks to add more to his already incredible resume. Although the Pats offense is inferior, their defense is far superior to the Falcons. Their secondary which features player such as Malcolm Butler should make it tough on the Falcons passing game and their front seven should be able to put a lot of pressure on Matt Ryan and make him uncomfortable. The Patriots also have another motive to win the big game, and it has to do with the deflategate. Earlier this year Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the season due to being accused of deflating footballs, making them ineligible to be used in games under league standards. Many players on the Patriots feel very strongly about this issue and want to “show up” commissioner Goodell by winning the Super Bowl.

The personnel combined with the coaching, and the underlying motive to win makes the Patriots the favorite to win this years Super Bowl. Roger Goodell will be handing the Lombardi Trophy to Tom Brady, and you won’t want to miss it.

FINAL PREDICTION: Patriots 27 Falcons 21.