Super Bowl 51 online streaming: How to watch Falcons vs. Patriots live online

The Patriots and Falcons will face off in the biggest game of the season, and here’s how you can watch it online.

Feb 4, 2017, 3:00 PM UTC

Divisional Round - Seattle Seahawks v Atlanta Falcons

Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Thirty NFL teams have already called it a season and are going back to the drawing board. Only two remain, set to face off in the biggest game of the year: Super Bowl LI.

The Atlanta Falcons, on the back of an MVP-caliber season from quarterback Matt Ryan, are fighting for their franchise’s first-ever Lombardi Trophy. They’re taking on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, who are no strangers to playing in, and winning, Super Bowls.

Super Bowl LI is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium in Houston. The game will be broadcast by FOX, with a live stream available online for free via Fox Sports GO. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will call the action in the broadcast booth.

The game features two incredibly stellar offenses. Atlanta has been on the cusp of being a competitor for many seasons now. Ryan has been a steady quarterback, especially since the team acquired wide receiver Julio Jones. But the defense has always lagged behind, and the Falcons have been inconsistent in the playoffs.

This year, though, Ryan has put up the best performance of his career. Most importantly, he’s completed above 70 percent of his passes and has thrown seven touchdowns in two playoff games. On top of that, he hasn’t thrown a single interception this postseason.

Brady, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, has been good, but he’s had some issues in the postseason. Not huge issues, mind you, but he’s looked beatable. Brady has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 671 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions in two games this postseason.

However during the regular season, he was phenomenal. He completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,554 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. That was in just 12 regular season games, due to his four-game DeflateGate suspension to start the season.

In the regular season, the Falcons ranked second in the league in total yardage, trailing only the New Orleans Saints. The Patriots weren’t too far behind, ranking fourth. The Falcons were atop the league in scoring offense, with 33.8 points per game, ahead of the Patriots, who averaged 27.6 points per game.

Defensively is where things get interesting. The Falcons defense is clearly much improved over years past, and they have a pass rush that’s actually getting to opposing quarterbacks. But they ranked 25th in the league in yards allowed, while the Patriots rank eighth.

Atlanta fares even worse when it comes to points allowed, ranking 27th in the league with 25.4 point allowed per game. The Patriots, on the other hand, ranked at the top of the league in points allowed, with opposing offenses scoring just 15.6 points per game.

However, the Falcons have looked fearsome on defense in the playoffs, giving up an average of 20.5 points per game — most of which came after they had the games in hand.

Keeping up with Brady will be a tall task for anybody, even someone like Ryan, who has Jones to throw to. With the stingy Patriots defense, it will be even tougher. But the Falcons have never looked as good as they have in the past few weeks, and many feel the time is right for the organization to win its first-ever Lombardi Trophy.

But they’ll have to get past a Patriots team that is quite good at winning Super Bowls, and is more than used to the pressure of the big game. Below is all you need to know to watch the game.