The Evil Empire vs. Dirty Birds II. Matty Ice vs. Tom Terrific. The incomparable Julio Jones vs. ... Chris Hogan?
That’s right. It’s the New England Patriots vs. the Atlanta Falcons. Not exactly the matchup the football world has been clamoring for, but an intriguing matchup nonetheless in Super Bowl LI.
While not always following the rules — See: Spygate, Deflategate, etc. — the Patriots have become Super Bowl regulars and one of the true dynasties in NFL history. This makes a league-record nine Super Bowl appearances by the Patriots, a record seven Super Bowl starts for quarterback Tom Brady, and a record seven Super Bowl games as head coach for Bill Belichick.