Patriots Experience valuable in Super Bowl LI vs. young Falcons
When the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots both razed their opponents, in the NFC and AFC championship games, it appeared the fans had gotten the Super Bowl match-up they wanted.
Two high flying offenses that can put up a bunch of points in a hurry.
The savvy veteran Tom Brady, against the up and comer Matt Ryan.
David vs.Goliath.
But can this game live up to the hype?
The New England Patriots hold one distinct advantage that gives them the edge over the Falcons in this match up; Experience.
Lets start with the Atlanta offense.
No question that these guys can put up some points. Led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, Atlanta had the highest scoring offense in the regular season and are averaging forty points a game so far this post season.
But neither of their top players has ever played in the big game.
Not to mention Matt Ryan's lackluster 3-4 record in the post-season.
As for the Patriots?
Tom Brady has played in seven Super Bowls. That's two more games experience than the whole Falcons team.
And he performs while he's there.
Brady is the all time leader in completions, touchdowns and passing yards in the Super Bowl. Not to mention the four rings on his finger, or three Super Bowl MVP awards.
Advantage Patriots.
Then there are the coaches.
Bill Belichick has been the head coach of New England since the year 2000. And during his tenure, he has racked up quite the playoff resume.
He is the winning-est coach in NFL post-season history, sporting a 25-10 record. His 36th appearance on Sunday will tie him with Tom Landry for most ever among head coaches. And the Patriots have appeared in 11 AFC championship games with Bill at the helm.
That's pretty impressive.
Don't get me wrong, it is not my intention to slight Dan Quinn.
The head coach of Atlanta has a ring from his pair of Super Bowl appearances, as the defensive coordinator of the “Legion of Boom” in Seattle (If you ask Marshawn Lynch, he should have two). But Quinn has only been at the helm of the Falcons since 2015. A 21-13 career record for Quinn as a head coach isn't bad.
But it's far off from the 261-115 record that Belichick is sporting.
Advantage Patriots.
What about the defense?
New England's D was ranked #1 in points allowed this season allowing a meager 15.6 points per game during the regular season, and 16.5 points a game in the post season. Anchored by veterans Patrick Chung, Devin McCourtey and Rob Ninkovich, the Patriots have 11 games of Super Bowl experience on their defense. This does not include the other 18 players on the roster who have played in the championship.
The linebacker core for Atlanta is the only area who have ever played in the big game. Dwight Freeney, Courtney Upshaw, Philip Wheeler and Dashon Golson will have to come up big for the young Falcons on the defensive side of the ball.
When looking at the New England Patriots franchise, they can truly be compared to a Goliath in the NFL. Their playoff experience speaks for itself.
Which leaves Atlanta ready to play the role of David.
To Belichick though, the experience means nothing if the players decide not to play on Sunday.
The Falcons better hope that's the case.
