If you’re just catching up on this NFL season, you’re catching up just in time. Super Bowl 51 will kick off in Houston on Sunday night, shortly after 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
Super Bowl 2017: Who is playing for the NFL championship?
The Falcons and Patriots battle for all the marbles.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The participants: the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.
The Patriots are trying to win their fifth Super Bowl, which would tie them with San Francisco and Dallas for the second-most all-time, behind Pittsburgh’s six. The Falcons are trying to win their first Super Bowl ever.
Atlanta will be the overwhelming rooting favorite in most parts of the country, owing in large part to the Patriots’ huge success over the years, the Falcons’ comparative lack of it, and the polarizing nature of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. This is Brady’s seventh Super Bowl appearance; he’s 4-2 so far, and 4-0 against teams other than the New York Giants. A win would bolster Brady’s case as the best quarterback to ever play.
The Super Bowl pits the league’s highest-scoring offense against its top scoring defense. Atlanta scored 33.8 points per game this year, and New England only gave up 15.6. But the Patriots’ totals came largely against bad competition, and it’s still fair to say this game will be more a battle of offenses than anything else. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan and New England’s Brady are going to put up plenty of points.
Before kickoff, former president George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush will do the ceremonial coin toss at midfield. An hour and a half (or so) after that, Lady Gaga will perform the Super Bowl’s halftime show.
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