Here we bloody well go, sports fans. The race is on to the big dance.
The NFL‘s championship game, Super Bowl LI, will see Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons go up against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, with both teams cruising their way through their respective conference championship games earlier today.
For Ryan and the Falcons, it was an offensive clinic as they picked apart a hapless and beat-up Green Bay Packers secondary en route to a 44-22 rout in the NFC Championship game, in a scoreline that wound up being profoundly kind to the visiting Packers.
The last game ever in the Falcons’ fabled Georgia Dome saw Ryan and his potent receiving-core put up 24 points to nil in the first half against an Aaron Rodgers-lead Packers outfit that had steamrolled through – ran the table on, if you will – the latter half of the season.
The Pack D had no answer for Ryan, who threw for a whopping 396 yards and completed 27 of 38 passing attempts on his way to slotting 4 touchdown passes for the day. Receiver Julio Jones was particularly brutal on the Packers’ extremely depleted secondary, hauling in 180 yards for 2 TDs.
The Falcons now fly over to the Super Bowl for just the second time in franchise history, and the first time since 1998, as they chase an elusive first-ever league title.
Meanwhile up in Foxborough, it’s a familiar story heading out of the AFC. The New England Patriots demolished the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second half of their AFC Championship clash, sending the Pats to the Super Bowl for the 7th time in the Brady/Belichick era.
Brady’s 384 passing yards from 32/42 attempts helped wide out Chris Hogan have an absolute field day on a frigid night in Massachusetts. Hogan reeled in 9 catches for 180 yards with 2 TDs, as the Pats beat the Steelers black-and-yellow in a clinical 36-17 win.
So now it’s down to the Falcons and the Patriots.
Matt Ryan chases a Super Bowl ring to cap off what’s in all likelihood going to be a league MVP year.
Meanwhile, depending on what side of the fence you sit, Tom Brady either avenges a grand injustice beset upon him by a vengeful NFL, or he is rewarded for his egregious cheating by getting the chance to chase Super Bowl title number 5.
Either way, let the Simpsons gags commence!
Super Bowl LI goes down on Monday, February 6th (Australian time) from the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty.
