The Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots will collide Sunday night at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas for Super Bowl LI.
How to watch Super Bowl 2017 live online, TV schedule, radio and more
Defense wins championships.
The game will air on Fox at 6:30 p.m. ET, and you can stream it online for free on Fox Sports Go. There are several options for those who want to listen to the game on radio, including NFL Game Pass, WestwoodOne, SiriusXM, Tunein, and Entravision.
It’s easy to say that Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will have big roles in this game. Ryan, who won the NFL’s MVP award this season, orchestrated Atlanta’s high-powered offense in 2016 and led this team to its second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
Brady started the season serving a four-game DeflateGate suspension, but returned to the Patriots in Week 5 and dominated like he always does. New England went 11-1 with the 39-year-old under center, and he is now playing in his seventh Super Bowl.
Both teams will score points, but Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower and Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley Jr. will help determine which team will hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Hightower is coming off his first Pro Bowl selection this season. As the leader of New England’s defense, the 26-year-old is responsible for calling plays and making sure everyone is lined up correctly.
The Patriots had the top-ranked scoring defense and eighth-ranked overall defense in the NFL, and they continued to play well in the postseason. This unit is only surrendering 16.5 points per game in the playoffs.
Hightower and the rest of the New England defense get their biggest test yet in the Super Bowl. Atlanta’s top-ranked scoring offense can score on the ground and through the air, so the young linebacker must have this defense prepared.
Beasley, a first-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, has been a game-changer this year when rushing the passer. The 24-year-old raked up a league-high 15.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.
The second-year linebacker has been stellar all season, but the rest of the defense hasn’t. Atlanta had the 25th-ranked defense in the regular season, and the secondary’s inexperience was a glaring issue for this team.
On the other hand, the Falcons’ defense is playing well in the postseason. Beasley and the front seven must get to Brady quickly to help out this young secondary. If they give Brady too much time in the pocket, he will carve up the Falcons’ defense.
As the saying goes, defense wins championships, and both teams will face the task of defending one of the league’s best offenses.
How to Watch
When: 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
TV: Fox
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, and Chris Myers.
Online: Fox Sports Go
Radio: NFL Game Pass, WestwoodOne, SiriusXM, Tunein, Entravision
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