The biggest annual event in North American sports is almost upon us.
Super Bowl LI (51 for those of us who struggle with Roman numerals) is this Sunday and will feature a matchup between the historic New England Patriots and upstart Atlanta Falcons. As with every Super Bowl, it is all about the storylines. This year is no different.
The two teams competing for the 51st Lombardi Trophy, handed out to the winner of the Super Bowl, contrast each other in many ways.
Look no further than the two quarterbacks.
Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick of the Patriots’ in the 2000 National Football League (NFL) draft, the 199th overall pick. Not much was expected out of Brady—a career back-up role seemed to be in the cards for him.
A year later, then-Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured, forcing an inexperienced and undervalued Brady into the starring role.
New England never looked back. Four Super Bowls and two league Most Valuable Player awards later and Brady is now considered possibly the greatest player in NFL history.
Although a somewhat tedious argument when it comes to great athletes, the legacy question must be addressed. With a win this Sunday, Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would have more Super Bowl titles than any respective quarterback or coach in NFL history.
Sunday could mark the undisputed coronation of football’s greatest coach and quarterback. Their opponents? A franchise with a much less storied history. A team that lost its only previous appearance in football’s biggest game almost twenty years ago.
For the NFC champions, Matt Ryan was the third overall pick of the Falcons’ in 2008, with saviour status immediately being placed on him as the man to carry Atlanta out of the league’s basement.
Ryan was considered among the league’s best quarterbacks since entering the league, but had yet to take that next step to greatness and had been unable to get it done in the postseason—until now.
He has plateaued in recent years, begging the question whether he would ever be Atlanta’s saviour. Thanks to a number of free agent signings and Julio Jones, the league’s best wide receiver, finally staying healthy, the Falcon offence has been unstoppable.
Ryan has been the primary catalyst of the team’s success as its quarterback, and is expected to be named the NFL regular season MVP later this week.
His top-ranked offence will not only have to keep up with a Brady-led offence, a monumental task in itself, but also the Patriots defence, which was ranked as the NFL’s best.
However, Super Bowl LI will be defined by the individual matchup of an all-time great versus a future all-time great in the making. Brady is 2-0 versus Ryan in their only head-to-head matchups.
Two of the last three Super Bowls have been largely uncontested, but Sunday should be different. Expect an offensive shootout between two of the league’s best players.
Strap yourselves in, football fans—we are in for a classic.
