Sunday, February 5, 2017

Official JFLANland Super Bowl 51 Prediction

The big game is finally here.  Patriots vs Falcons. #1 scoring defense vs the most explosive offense in football.  Tom Brady, possibly the greatest of all time, vs Matt Ryan, the NFL MVP.  Storylines abound, but you have had two weeks of all that.  What is my pick?

Patriots 27, Falcons 24

I don't even know who I want to win this game, to be honest.  I, like the rest of America, am tired of the Patriots being so good.  It isn't that we hate them, it is just that most of us will never see our team (in any sports) be as dominant as the Patriots have been over the past 15 years.  Yes, Brady may be the best ever.  Yes, Bill Belichick may be the best coach ever.  But every great empire has to come to an end eventually.  Will I be angry if the Patriots win?  Nope.  But I won't be thrilled either.

Then there is Atlanta.  The plucky underdog.  The only team with a player from Syracuse (go Dwight Freeney!).  I wouldn't be angry if they won either.  But, Atlanta is an awful sports town.  It is, I'm sorry.  If you can't sell out World Series games, you don't deserve a championship in any sport.  That said, the Georgia Dome sounded pretty loud during the playoffs.  I also dislike Matt Ryan, since he went to Boston College (What? I hold grudges, and they killed the Big East. Let me be angry!).  However, it is easy to overlook my grudge and admit how fantastic he and that offense have been this season.  He deserved the MVP once Derek Carr went down.  I'd be fine if the Falcons were hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the night.

In the end, I just don't think it is wise to bet against Brady and Belichick.  That said, I won't be upset with the outcome, either way.  This is the most unenthusiastic I have been about a Super Bowl in a while.  Let's just hope it is a great game, much like all the other Super Bowls these Patriots have been in.

Enjoy the game!