Super Bowl LI should be a shootout

It’s that time, again: After an extremely up-and-down NFL season, the Super Bowl has arrived!

On Sunday, the New England Patriots will take on the Atlanta Falcons at 3:30 p.m. on Fox.

New England finished the regular season 14-2, losing only to the Buffalo Bills and the Seattle Seahawks. The loss to the Bills came while quarterback Tom Brady was sitting out due to the deflategate suspension. The Falcons finished their season 11-5, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Seahawks, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs.

In the playoffs, the Patriots have dominated their opponents, holding both the Texans and Steelers below 20 points while scoring over 30 in each game. The Patriots’ trip to the Super Bowl is their ninth in franchise history, and they seek their fifth victory. For Brady it’s a seventh Super Bowl; he has won four of the six he has played in.

It’s a huge chance for Brady to make one more case that he may be the best quarterback in NFL history. If he wins Sunday, he’ll set the NFL record for most Super Bowl wins as a quarterback, passing both Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.

It won’t be easy, though, as the Falcons’ offense put on a show in two playoff games, scoring 36 against Seattle and 44 against the Green Bay Packers. Atlanta has only made it to the Super Bowl once, in 1998 when the Falcons lost to the Denver Broncos.

Matt Ryan is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league, and is seeking his first Super Bowl win. This year was one of his best seasons: He had the second-most passing yards behind Drew Brees and the second-most passing touchdowns behind Aaron Rodgers, but earned the NFL’s highest quarterback passer rating.

Super Bowl LI looks like it could be a shootout, with Atlanta averaging 415.8 yards of total offense this season and New England averaging 386.2 yards. The Falcons are averaging 33.8 points this season, leading the NFL; the Patriots are not too far behind with 27.6 points per game. Atlanta leads the NFL in touchdowns this season with 63, while New England scored 51.

Because of these two high-powered offenses, the game could come down to the better defense. The teams tied for 16th in the league in sacks this season, with 34. New England’s defense has grabbed 13 interceptions, one more than the Falcons’. The Patriot defense has forced 19 fumbles this season, while the Falcons have forced only 17. However, the Atlanta defense scored five touchdowns off turnovers, while the Patriots did not have any defensive touchdowns this season.

When it’s all said and done, oddsmakers give New England and Brady the edge.

The Patriots are favorites to win the game by three points and the over/under is 58 points.