![]() 1 in the NFL in points allowed per game at 15.6, and it gave up only 326.4 yards per game, eighth-best. And, by game's end, the Patriots had forced two turnovers. Then there was the stand late in the second quarter, when the Steelers had first-and-goal at the 1-foot line and wound up settling for a field goal. Right from the get-go, too: On Pittsburgh's first two drives, nine plays yielded a total of 26 yards. New England opened the season with a 3-1 record despite using two backup quarterbacks while playing those games without Brady after he went through a lengthy court battle in an unsuccessful bid to have his ban overturned for what became known as "Deflategate." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Brady because the league said it determined the Patriots intentionally underinflated footballs used in an AFC championship game victory two years ago.ĭuring Sunday's game in Foxborough, Massachusetts, spectators mocked Goodell by chanting "Where is Roger?" - he chose to attend the game in Atlanta instead.Īnd as well as Brady played - 32 for 42 for 384 yards, those three scores and zero interceptions - it was the way New England's defense played that stood out. Oddsmakers didn't even wait for the second game to end before making New England a 3-point favorite over Atlanta in the Super Bowl. Later Sunday, the 39-year-old Brady tied Hall of Famer Joe Montana's record with a ninth three-TD postseason game, helping the Patriots beat Ben Roethlisberger 36-17 for the AFC championship. "We did exactly what we've been doing all year and it feels really good," Ryan said after becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least three TDs in four consecutive postseason games. The guy nicknamed "Matty Ice" went 27 for 38 for 392 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions, while adding a rushing TD, to boot, leading Atlanta past Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers 44-21 on Sunday in the NFC championship game. The club's never had a quarterback quite as good as Ryan, though. This will be Atlanta's second trip to the big game it lost to Denver in 1999. ![]() The Falcons have never won the Super Bowl. "This team showed a lot of mental toughness over the course of the year," Brady said. This will be the franchise's league-record ninth appearance in the Super Bowl, including titles in the 2002, 2004, 20 editions. "We'll enjoy this," Ryan said after earning his first Super Bowl trip in his ninth season, "but we've got some work to do."īrady and coach Bill Belichick will be seeking their - and the Patriots' - fifth Lombardi Trophy, and second in three years. ![]() NFC champion Atlanta (13-5) has won its past six in a row, scoring at least 33 points in each. AFC champion New England (16-2) has won nine consecutive games - and hasn't even trailed since Nov. Ryan, the truly key matchup could be Atlanta's score-at-will offense, which produced the most points during the regular season, against the unheralded defense of New England, which allowed the fewest.Īnd these two teams are playing their best football at the most important time. 5 in Houston will be focused on Brady vs. While much of the attention between now and the NFL championship game on Feb. A season that began with Tom Brady serving a four-game suspension will end with him in the Super Bowl, where his New England Patriots will take on Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons.
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