What does Pascack Hills Think About Super Bowl?
By Josh Cooper
This Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots will play in the final NFL game of the season. The most important game of the year will be played in the warm weather of Houston, Texas. Both teams have been one step ahead of the rest of the pack, and they will finally play against each other in what will hopefully be an instant classic.
As usual, many sports fans are torn on who they think will emerge with the Lombardi trophy at the end of the game. In weeks past, teachers Owen Haveron and Brooks Alexander voiced their opinions, both predicting the Patriots to win the game. Previously, Haveron predicted who would be playing the game.
“Of course I have New England winning the Super Bowl. I am a huge fan of Bill Belichick. The team the Patriots will play against, in my opinion, will be the Falcons. Although I don’t think they will win, the Falcons are an underrated team who can give the Patriots a run for their money.”
Also, Kevin Kirkby, a lifelong Patriots fan, will be pulling hard for the Boston team to win yet another championship under the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady regime.
Jared Christophel, who will be rooting for the Falcons, said “I think the Patriots will demolish the Patriots; they have the better quarterback and the more talented team.”
Quarterback Tom Brady and Head Coach Bill Belichick are looking for their fifth Super Bowl win together, which would cement their already well deserved status as future hall of famers. These two have been a big part of the dynasty New England has created over the past two decades, and will surely hope to continue their success in years to come.
While the Patriots are currently the favorite to win, the Atlanta Falcons do have their supporters. Adam Gillman, a sophomore football player for the Cowboys, will be a passionate supporter of the Falcons this weekend.
“The Falcons have a stellar defense, paired with the dynamic offensive duo of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, that should combine to provide a real threat to the Patriots. With a win, Matt Ryan deserves to receive the Super Bowl MVP award.”
Matt Ryan, who graduated from Boston College in 2007, has certainly been playing excellent football during the playoffs. In just two games, the quarterback has thrown for 730 yards and seven touchdowns. He has kept the ball secure, throwing zero interceptions and only fumbling the ball once. Ryan’s favorite target, Julio Jones, has been accounted for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the two games. The pair are frightening to play against; New England’s defense will not be taking a stroll through the park against this offense. Atlanta’s defense is led by Vic Beasley, a pass rusher who attended Clemson University. Beasley was a nightmare to match up against in the regular season, as he tackled the opposing team’s quarterback 15.5 times, two more sacks than anyone else in the league.
The Super Bowl’s most important matchup comes at football’s most vital position: quarterback. Tom Brady and Matt Ryan are two of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks. Many experts believe that the outcome of the game will be dependent on which quarterback has the better game. In fact, Christophel thinks that Brady will be the driving force for a Patriots championship.
“I foresee Brady having a fantastic game. He will raise the level of his teammates, and he will lead them to a championship. He is definitely a candidate for Super Bowl MVP.”
Gillman, on the other hand, believes Matt Ryan will motivate the Falcons to hoist the Lombardi trophy. “Ryan will definitely show up in this game. I would be surprised if Brady had the better game. Matt Ryan is my Super Bowl MVP, simply because without him, the Falcons probably wouldn’t have made the playoffs.” Both quarterbacks are essential to their teams’ successes.
In a clash that sees two highly potent, complete teams battle each other, viewers can only hope that the game doesn’t become one-sided, as it did in 2014, when the Seattle Seahawks infamously obliterated the Denver Broncos. In all likelihood, viewers will be entertained with an enjoyable game played by the two best teams in the league. The current betting line surprisingly projects the Falcons to win by three. Time will tell, and the divided football fan base will be at rest after the game’s conclusion.