On Sunday, the culmination of America’s most popular sport’s season will take place: the Super Bowl.
The Atlanta Falcons will play in their second ever Super Bowl, losing their only other one to the Denver Broncos in 1998. Now, with one of the NFL’s best offenses, Matt Ryan and part-human, part-football playing alien Julio Jones spearhead Kyle Shanahan’s league-destroying force into Houston, Texas for a shot at Atlanta’s first ever championship.
In the Super Bowl, they will take on the New England Patriots. The Patriots are playing in their seventh (seventh!) Super Bowl since 2001. Tom Brady will once again represent the AFC in the league championship with Machiavellian football connoisseur Bill Belichick as the mastermind behind an organization that has defined success in the modern NFL.
Unfortunately the Chicago Bears will not participate this year. But that’s okay for now. Because the thing about this Super Bowl is that it is a salivating matchup for football fans, not just for fans of the teams involved. I’m particularly excited, because no matter which team wins it will cap off a thoroughly entertaining season.
Let’s take the New England Patriots first, because, unless you live around Boston, odds are you hate the Pats. But you shouldn’t hate them (at least as much) this season.
Deflategate was the worst smear campaign outside of the political realm that took place in the last year. It was a non-story. The Patriots did not deflate footballs. Period. There’s absolutely no indication that any of that took place whatsoever. It was cold in Boston in January (surprise) and the air pressure in the balls went down as a result. That’s all that happened.
Yet Brady was suspended for four games and Roger Goodell firmly established himself as the most incompetent leader in all of the United States (before being eventually being bumped to number two on the list after January 20). To see Goodell hand over the Lombardi trophy to Robert Kraft and the Super Bowl MVP trophy to Tom Brady would be the best exaction of justice so far this year.
Also, this may be the last time the Patriots make it this far with Brady and Belichick together. For real. Brady is 39 years old and one big hit away from riding off into the Foxborough sunset for good. We may never see a QB as good as him ever again, so appreciate the greatness while you still can.
Not to be outdone, the Atlanta Falcons have to be one of the most likeable teams in the NFL from a neutral perspective. They’re playing such an entertaining brand of football. Matty Ice is spreading the ball around (he has hit thirteen different receivers for touchdowns this season, which is both an NFL record and absolutely crazy) and Julio Jones might not be a human but he’s still allowed to play against normal humans anyway, which is amazing to watch. Atlanta also has not won a championship, in any sport, since 1995. The city deserves it.
The only thing I’m afraid of is one of these teams blowing the other out. That would be really sad. But other than that, I’d be equally happy to watch Tom Brady turn into the People’s Champ and stick it to Greedy Goblin Goodell or the high flying Falcons prove that offense can win championships. Either one is fine with me.
So go Pats! No, wait go Falcons! Ah, who cares? Like the great Terrell Owens said, “Just get your popcorn ready, ‘cause it’s going to be a show.”