Can The Falcons Make Franchise History?

Both the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots have been in Houston all week as the finals days count down to the Super Bowl.

Similar to how the Atlanta Braves did in our state in the early 1990s, the Falcons have captured the attention of sports fans and non-sports fans alike with this magical season. It remains to be seen how the Super Bowl will play out, but the attention the franchise has received in recent weeks has been what the owners of all pro sports teams dream of.

One side note which has really been entertaining has been the back-and-forth between the sports talk show hosts in Atlanta and Boston. Granted, some of it has probably been contrived, but the natural cultural differences between the two areas of the country make a perfect setup to hype a game, which really doesn’t need any additional hype.

Of course, all of the attractions off the field are nice and help make this event one of the highest rated television events of the year. In order for that to be true, it has to draw in non-sports fans. Some watch for the commercials, some watch for the halftime show and some watch simply because the Super Bowl is hyped to the moon.

In the end, many of us do watch because it’s a football game and, in theory, it’s the game between the two best professional teams. Believe it or not, our state’s pro team has made it to the game and it’s only the second time in franchise history the Falcons have managed to do so.

For those Atlanta fans dreaming of another one-sided affair like what happened in the Green Bay game, you may be in for a rude awakening. New England is not going to go that quietly.

The Patriots may not possess the greatest defense in NFL history but you can rest assured that their brain trust will have a plan to at least slow down the Falcons. New England, meanwhile, has a pretty solid offense of its own led by Tom Brady, the player many will argue is the greatest quarterback in NFL history.

On paper, this game has the makings of a wild, offensive contest that could go down to late in the fourth quarter. A turnover could decide it or even a big play on special teams. The outcome could be decided by something as simple as which defense is able to limit the opposing offense to a field goal from time to time. It should be noted that New England prides itself on red zone defense, meaning the Patriots become very stingy about allowing opponents into the end zone once they cross inside their 20-yard line.

It’s not that the Falcons can’t win — they can — but it is not going to be a sure thing by any means. This is the ultimate big stage even for pro athletes who are used to the spotlight.

The fact that the New England coaches, as well as their top player, have been here numerous times before has to be an advantage for them.

We’ll get through the hours-long pregame show and the talk and all the million-dollar commercials and halftime show. Many no doubt will gather with family or friends to enjoy the event, which does have an added meaning with our state’s team in it.

I’ve been trying to process this game since the match-up was known several days ago and have gone back and forth several times. How does Atlanta win it and give Georgia a Super Bowl champion?

As much as this will disappoint some, I’m going to have to go with the Patriots winning 38-31. Fortunately, I don’t bet on games so my wallet won’t be any lighter regardless of what happens. And this should be of some encouragement to Falcon fans: my history of predicting winners of football games has a poor track record and that’s putting it mildly.

Enjoy the game everyone. We’ll know by next week’s edition whether my prediction was on target or off base.

Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.