The waiting is over.
With the New England Patriots set to face the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, the expert panel at Sportsnet provided their predictions for how the final game of the NFL season will play out.
The panel includes NFL editor Craig Battle, football editor-at-large Jordan Heath-Rawlings, staff writers Mike Johnston and Donnovan Bennett, and associate editor Geoff Lowe.
So who will hoist the Lombardi Trophy?
Donnovan Bennett
The Pick: Atlanta Falcons
The Score: 30-29
Super Bowl MVP: Matt Ryan
The Breakdown: I generally think the team with the best player and/or best quarterback wins in big games. The best player in the game is Julio Jones. The best quarterback in the game is Matt Ryan. Yes, I know Brady has the rings and is still great. But his superior legacy is good for no credit on Sunday and his pedigree alone can’t help him evade a pass rush. See the two Patriots Super Bowl losses to the New York Giants. The winning formula is: 1) great pass rush; 2) big and talented receivers; and 3) a hot quarterback. The Falcons have all of the above. Vic Beasley will get closer to Tom Brady than Roger Goodell will on Sunday.
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Craig Battle
The Pick: New England
The Score: 34–20
Super Bowl MVP: Tom Brady
The Breakdown: I picked the Patriots in the pre-season because, well, they’re the Patriots. That hasn’t changed. Also, on a micro level, I like New England’s chances of slowing down Atlanta’s high-powered offence better than I like Atlanta’s chances of slowing down New England’s. And if Brady has even a so-so game in the Pats’ win, he gets the MVP hands down. LeGarrette Blount would have to hit 200 yards with three TDs to pry it away.
Mike Johnston
The Pick: Atlanta Falcons
The Score: 30-25
Super Bowl MVP: Matt Ryan
The Breakdown: My 2017 Superb Owl pick is the North American Barn Owl because it picks apart its prey with precision… sort of like a falcon. My Super Bowl pick is the Falcons for the same reason. Atlanta’s meticulousness and elegance on offence plus their ability to adapt to opposing defences will be the difference.
Geoff Lowe
The Pick: New England Patriots
The Score: 27–21
Super Bowl MVP: Tom Brady
The Breakdown: After falling behind in the first quarter, the Patriots take control of the game with a heavy dose of LeGarrette Blount and a dink-and-dunk passing strategy to keep the Falcons offence off the field. Atlanta struggles to get pressure on Brady, who finishes the night with 300-plus yards and a pair of touchdown passes.
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Jordan Heath-Rawlings
The Pick: Atlanta Falcons
The Score: 34–24
Super Bowl MVP: Julio Jones
The Breakdown: Sure, sure — Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, history-in-the-making, etc. Enough of that. This has been a bad football season, and the best way to salvage it is for perhaps the most exciting receiver in the game (who is now, reportedly, 100–per cent healthy) to show the form that had him hanging a 300-yard game on last season’s champs and upstaging what a lot of people see as another Patriots coronation in the making. Screw it — Julio’s the best player in this game.