It doesn't really make sense to call Super Bowl LI a David vs. Goliath sort of matchup considering the Falcons scored the seventh-most points in a single NFL season ever, Matt Ryan is pretty clearly this year's MVP, and the line is just three points. Yet for some reason, this game really does feel like it features an ant trying to take down a juggernaut.
Imagine Luke blowing up that AT-AT Walker in "The Empire Strikes Back."
The reason why? Super Bowl experience. The Patriots are almost always playing for a championship while the Falcons almost always aren't.
Consider the following: Tom Brady has played in more Super Bowls than the entire Falcons roster -- combined.
That's why it feels like this game really does pit an underdog against a favorite when the fact is the two teams involved are evenly matched. Anyway, with the game just days away, let's take a closer look back at each team's Super Bowl history.
We'll start with the Falcons, but their section will be brief, especially compared to the Galactic Empire Patriots.
Falcons: 0-1 in the Super Bowl
The Falcons, a franchise that's existed since 1966, has paid the Super Bowl a visit just once in their history. That appearance came back after the 1998 season in Super Bowl XXXIII, which was played on Jan. 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami.
The Falcons, who entered the game after a 14-2 regular season, went up against John Elway, Terrell Davis, and the Broncos, who were looking to become repeat winners. Unfortunately for the Falcons, their most memorable moment from the game actually happened before kickoff.
That's because Falcons safety Eugene Robinson, who snagged four interceptions during the regular season, was arrested on a charge of soliciting sex from a police officer, who was working undercover. That arrest happened the night before the game. According to ESPN, Robinson called it the "worst night of my life."
Robinson would end up playing in the game, but it hardly mattered. After the Falcons opened up the scoring with a field goal, the Broncos ripped off 17 unanswered points -- a run that culminated with Elway's 80-yard touchdown bomb to Rod Smith.
The Falcons never recovered. They never held the lead after that early 3-0 advantage.
In the end, they lost 34-19. Quarterback Chris Chandler was picked off three times, and the defense allowed Elway to throw for 336 yards and Davis to rumble for 102 yards. Falcons running back Jamal Anderson showed up for his team, rushing for 96 yards on 18 carries, but the early deficit proved to be too substantial to overcome.
As you can see below, via Pro Football Reference, the Falcons never really stood a chance.
The Falcons have never been back to the big game -- until this season.
Patriots: 4-4 in Super Bowls
Super Bowl LI marks the Patriots' ninth Super Bowl appearance. That's an NFL record by the way, as the Patriots left behind the Cowboys, Steelers, and Broncos -- all of whom are tied with eight.
OK, let's look back at those eight visits ...
1. Super Bowl XX after the 1985 season (L)
Against the famous 1985 Bears, the Patriots never had a chance. The 1985 Bears are one of the greatest teams of all time. The ordinary Patriots lost, 46-10.
Not much more analysis is needed here.
2. Super Bowl XXXI after the 1996 season (L)
Though the Patriots fell into a quick 10-0 hole to Brett Favre's Packers, the empire struck back (see what I did there?) by ripping off 14 unanswered, taking a 14-10 lead into the second quarter. But that's where their run ended.
The Packers scored 17 unanswered to retake the lead, which they wouldn't relinquish. The Packers won, 35-21.
Despite that early run, the Patriots were never really in it.
3. Super Bowl XXXVI after the 2001 season (W)
This game will only be remembered only for the final 81 seconds, but those final seconds turned Tom Brady -- a sixth-round pick who only got the starting job due to an injury -- into Tom Freakin' Brady. The legend of Brady began in those 81 seconds.
With 1:21 showing on the clock, the Patriots and Rams were knotted up at 17 points apiece. Instead of kneeling and heading to overtime, Belichick decided to trust Brady -- well, sorta.
"I go up to (offensive coordinator Charlie Weis) and say, 'What're we doing?'
He says, 'We're going.'
So I said, 'Alright. What's the first play?'
And Charlie says to me, as I'm sure Bill said in his ear, he better take care of that ball. So Charlie yells at me, 'Hey! Take care of that ball!'
And Drew (Bledsoe) was kinda standing next to me ... He says, 'F-- that. Go out there and sling it.'"
That's what Brady did. Brady went 5 of 8 on that series for 53 yards. Two of his incompletions were spikes to stop the clock. He took the Patriots to the Rams' 30-yard line. Adam Vinatieri drilled a game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired.
Brady won MVP, even though he only threw for 145 yards and a touchdown. On the other hand, Rams quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 365 yards.
But Brady won -- just like he almost always does.
4. Super Bowl XXXVIII after the 2003 season (W)
Again, this game will only be remembered for the final minutes. After Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme tied the game at 29-29 with just over a minute remaining, kicker John Kasay made an unforgivable mistake, booting the kickoff out of play and letting the Patriots begin their game-winning drive at the 40-yard line.
Brady went 4 of 5 on the drive for 47 yards. He set up Vinatieri at the 23-yard line. Vinatieri made the game-winning kick.
At this point, even though he started at the 40-yard line, the legend of Brady and his game-winning drives was booming.
5. Super Bowl XXXIX after the 2004 season (W)
The Patriots won back-to-back titles (three in four years) by beating the Eagles, 24-21, in a game that featured Andy Reid going full Andy Reid, as I wrote about a year ago when he did it again in the postseason:
On Feb. 6, 2005, the Eagles faced the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, the Eagles needed a quick score. Instead, Donovan McNabb methodically worked his way down the field on a 13-play drive, eventually scoring a touchdown to cut the Patriots' lead to three. That drive started with 5:40 left in the game. By the time the Eagles reached the end zone, only 1:55 remained in the game. They ended up running out of time.
Anyway, Brady was awesome in this game, throwing for 236 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. But it was Deion Branch who walked away with MVP honors. He caught 11 passes for 133 yards.
6. Super Bowl XLII after the 2007 season (L)
We all remember this one, because it's the game the Patriots blew their undefeated season by losing to the Giants, 17-14. It's the game that included the following events in the final three minutes:
- Brady hits Randy Moss for a go-ahead touchdown.
- Brandon Jacobs runs for a Giants first down on fourth down.
- Eli Manning somehow escapes a sure sack and chucks up prayer to a well-covered David Tyree (who?).
- Tyree catches the ball by pinning it against his helmet, which became known as The Helmet Catch.
- Manning throws the game-winning touchdown to Plaxico Burress.
- Brady throws a perfect bomb to Moss, which would've put the Patriots in field goal range, but Moss is unable to bring it in.
- Belichick stirs up a mini-controversy by leaving the field before the game officially ends.
- The Giants win.
I still can't believe the Patriots lost.
7. Super Bowl XLVI after the 2011 season (L)
Once again, the Giants took down the Patriots. Once again, the Patriots lost because of an incredible play by Manning.
Trailing 17-15 with under four minutes remaining, the Giants had the ball at their own 12-yard line. On the first play of what ended up being a game-winning drive, Manning threw the perfect sideline pass to Mario Manningham for a gain of 38 yards. The Patriots unsuccessfully challenged the catch. The Giants took the lead when Ahmad Bradshaw failed to stop himself at the 1-yard line and fell into the end zone with a minute remaining.
The Giants won, 21-17, but only after Brady's final Hail Mary landed inches from Rob Gronkowski in the end zone.
8. Super Bowl XLIX after the 2014 season (W)
The greatest Super Bowl ever -- yeah, I said it -- was played between the Patriots and Seahawks.
Here's why:
- It was a great game from start to finish -- both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter, including two scores in the final 31 seconds.
- It featured the greatest Super Bowl comeback of all-time -- Brady overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit against the Legion of Boom.
- It featured a catch as great as the helmet catch -- Jermaine Kearse, lying on his back, somehow came down with a tipped pass to move the Seahawks into position to score a game-winning touchdown.
- It featured the greatest play in Super Bowl history -- Malcolm Butler picked off Russell Wilson at the 1-yard line in the final seconds.
- It featured one of the greatest controversies of all time -- the Seahawks should've handed the ball to Marshawn Lynch instead of throwing it, right?
The Patriots won, 28-24.
Does experience matter?
No, not really.
The Wall Street Journal crunched the numbers: Teams with more Super Bowl experience are 16-22 in the last 40 years of the game. Even at the most important position, quarterbacks with Super Bowl experience are 9-10 against quarterbacks without it. Brady, after all, did beat Kurt Warner in his first go-round in the Super Bowl, and he lost to Eli Manning in the latter's first try.
It all goes down Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
