10 reasons to watch the Patriots and Falcons in Super Bowl LI
We’re just days away from the biggest football game of the year. The New England Patriots will meet the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Houston in Super Bowl LI.
If you’re not a football fan, support the Patriots or Falcons, or even a fan of the Super Bowl, you may not be planning on watching the Big Game. But you should consider it.
If you’re undecided, here are a list of reasons to watch:
BRADY-BELICHICK
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick have taken six trips to the Super Bowl together since 2001 and have won four rings. Could Super Bowl LI be No. 5?
DYNASTY
Speaking of the Brady-Belichick pairing, the Patriots are the Super Bowl dynasty team with four titles (2001, 2003, 2004 and 2014) in the past 15 years. Will it continue?
MATT RYAN
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has spent his entire NFL career with Atlanta, but this is his first trip to the Super Bowl. Ryan began his career with the Falcons in 2008.
CINDERELLA STORY
The Patriots are favored by 3. But if the Falcons win, it will complete the 2016 Year of the Underdog, as the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Cavaliers ended long title droughts last year.
The Falcons have been to the Super Bowl once, but have never won after losing to the Denver Broncos 34-19 in 1999.
TROPHY HANDOFF
This could get awkward.
With the Deflategate scandal in the past, the awkwardness between Brady, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Belichick and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell might remain. If the three Patriots have to face Goodell on the podium to accept the Vince Lombardi trophy, it could be interesting.
COMMERCIALS
Come on, does this really need explaining? Super Bowl commercials are notorious for being the best, and most entertaining, commercials of the year. And companies pay millions of dollars to air their commercials during the game.
When the first Super Bowl aired in 1967, a 30-second commercial cost $42,000. For Super Bowl LI, FOX is charging $5 million for the 30-second spot — that works out to $166,666 per second.
PARTY
The Super Bowl is an easy excuse to party, and Las Vegas kind of gets into partying for the Super Bowl. And, yes, that’s an understatement.
If you’re new to town, not planning on partying at home or just not sure where to celebrate and watch the game around town, Las Vegas has you covered with a plethora of watch parties. You can check out the list here.
FOOD
And speaking of parties, no party is complete without a good spread, and Super Bowl food … well, need we say more?
HALFTIME
Left Shark won’t return to the world’s biggest stage this year, but Lady Gaga will. Gaga sang the national anthem in last year’s Super Bowl, and she’ll perform this year as the halftime entertainment. Gaga has said she’s been planning her Super Bowl halftime show since she was 4, so you know it’s going to be good.
PROP BETS
If you like to bet, the props are where it gets fun.
Who will win the opening coin toss? Which team will have the first penalty? Will Brady throw an interception? Those and more Super Bowl prop bets can be viewed here.
And if you’re looking for some less serious prop bets, Station Casinos are offering a few, and they are even Las Vegas-themed.
For instance, you can bet on UNLV’s football season wins versus the total touchdown passes. You can check out the Las-Vegas themed prop bets here.
Contact Kira Terry at kterry@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3880. Follow @kiraterry on Twitter.
