The biggest sporting event in the USA is back again: Super Bowl, and this year the New England Patriots are set to take on the Atlanta Falcons at the NRG stadium in Huston, Texas. The Patriots will be looking to win their fifth Super Bowl title, while the Atlanta Falcons will be looking to win their first Super Bowl title in just their second appearance in the NFL's championship game.
Also read: Here are 8 reasons why we're cheering for the New England Patriots!
The New England Patriots have a lot of experience playing at the Super Bowl, having won it four times with their most recent win coming in 2014, when they defeated the Seattle Seahawks. And with them playing a Atlanta Falcon's team who are just making their second appearance in the Super Bowl, they will be highly confident prior to this match.
The Patriots coach Bill Belichick said that his side is ready to go having covered everything except for their meetings and stuff, but their work on the field is done and said that his quarterback, Tom Brady is ready too after he had a sharp week of training.
"We're ready to go. We've covered everything. With a little more than 48 hours to kickoff, we'll finish off our meetings and stuff, but we're done on the field. We've done this all year. Everybody's got a job to do. We play for each other, coach for each other."
"Nobody can do anybody else's job. We all have to do what we each have to do. We're prepared. They've worked hard. We need to have confidence in our teammates, which I know we do, and confidence in ourselves that we'll do our jobs."
"Tom's pretty consistent. He's been in these games and big games before. Each week is different, every defense is different, and our plays are different, based on what the defenses are. But he's not an up-and-down preparation guy. He's consistent, and he was this week. He had a good week," ESPN quoted the Patriots coach as saying.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was recently named the NFL MVP, capping a career-best season in which he guided the team to its first Super Bowl appearance since 1999. He also won the Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.
The Falcons quarterback said in a video message that he was incredibly honoured by this award and also thanked his teammates saying without them this would not be possible.
"I just want to say thank you, and this is an incredible honour for me. Obviously, there are so many other great candidates and players who had amazing seasons. I want to thank all of my teammates; obviously without them, none of this is possible. We've had so many guys on our team make great plays and have great seasons for us, so thank you to those guys," Ryan was quoted as saying.
The Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn said at a press conference that he has been hugely inspired by the extraordinary legacy of the New Zealand rugby team. They have established themselves as one of the most successful team in any sport, and Quinn has long-looked at rugby for extra insight into tackling techniques in the National Football League.
"I did read an interesting book last year about the New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks, and the culture they've had, the winning they've had. I've studied rugby from tackling and it's been a driving influence on our leverage tackling, using our shoulder tackle, keeping our head out. So, my interest for rugby was already there."
"And then when I found out more about their [the All Blacks'] culture, what they stood for, how they had long-term success for years and years, that book of legacy was certainly one that left a big impression on me" Quinn was quoted as saying.
The contest between the two quarterbacks will certainly be an exciting watch between Tom Brady and Matt Ryan. Despite Brady playing only 12 games this season he has managed 3,554 yards passing while throwing for 28 scores and only two picks. The future Hall of Famer has been nearly impossible to slow down, let alone stop.
The Atlanta Falcons have established themselves as one of the premier offensive attacks in NFL history and lead the league with an average of 33.8 points per game and their quarterback Matt Ryan has been central to that finishing with 4,944 passing yards while tossing 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
Where to watch
The Super LI match between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons is set to start at 6:30pm ET ( 5:00am IST, 11:30pm GMT)
TV and Live streaming information
India: TV: Sony ESPN/HD.
US: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Fox Sports Go
UK: Sky Sports, BBC 1. Live Streaming: BBC iplayer, Sky Go
Australia:Seven Network, ESPN.
Canada: TV: CTV. Live Streaming: CTV.ca
