The NFL Thread: 2018 Preseason

[Empire of Cats]

I think it will be a great game, with a decent amount of scoring. The three-point line will prove to be dead on.

It could go either way, in my opinion, but I hope the Falcons get their first Super Bowl.

I hope so too.

It's fun seeing the Pats dominate superbowls.

Reality check.

The Patriots who have lost 2 of their last 3 super bowls are 4-4 all-time in SBs and have been blown out 46-10 and 35-21, yet have never won a SB by more than 4 points. If the Falcons beat them they'll have a losing record in Super Bowls at 4-5.

Meanwhile the Steelers are 8-2 with two losses of 6 and ten points. The Cowboys are 5-3 with several blow out wins and two losses by less than one TD. The Niners are 5-1 with blow out wins and a single loss by a FG. The NYG are 4-1 in SBs with two notable wins over the Pats, their lone loss was a shellacking by the Ravens 34-7 though. Finally the Packers are also 4-1 with a couple blow out wins and a loss by a TD.

None of the Steelers, Niners, Packers or Cowboys have ever been embarrassed by the final score of a super bowl. Therefore, the Pats (who have been outscored in SBs 210-166) are not exactly a team dominating in super bowls and don't even have a winning record in super bowls.

Also worth noting is that the Ravens have the highest winning percentage in Super Bowls (made and won two). When they beat the 49ers, they derailed their perfect record in Super Bowls. They are now 5-1.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

...The Cowboys are 5-3 with several blow out wins...

I had a fervent Bills fan in my homeroom class back in '91. That poor guy was so hopeful all four years.

The Bills at the other end of the spectrum with the Vikings. Not dominating anyone in SBs. To bad for them. Nice towns and folks.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

I think it will be a great game, with a decent amount of scoring. The three-point line will prove to be dead on.

It could go either way, in my opinion, but I hope the Falcons get their first Super Bowl.

I hope so too.

Reality check.

The Patriots who have lost 2 of their last 3 super bowls are 4-4 all-time in SBs and have been blown out 46-10 and 35-21, yet have never won a SB by more than 4 points. If the Falcons beat them they'll have a losing record in Super Bowls at 4-5.

Meanwhile the Steelers are 8-2 with two losses of 6 and ten points. The Cowboys are 5-3 with several blow out wins and two losses by less than one TD. The Niners are 5-1 with blow out wins and a single loss by a FG. The NYG are 4-1 in SBs with two notable wins over the Pats, their lone loss was a shellacking by the Ravens 34-7 though. Finally the Packers are also 4-1 with a couple blow out wins and a loss by a TD.

None of the Steelers, Niners, Packers or Cowboys have ever been embarrassed by the final score of a super bowl. Therefore, the Pats (who have been outscored in SBs 210-166) are not exactly a team dominating in super bowls and don't even have a winning record in super bowls.

Also worth noting is that the Ravens have the highest winning percentage in Super Bowls (made and won two). When they beat the 49ers, they derailed their perfect record in Super Bowls. They are now 5-1.

Thanks for bringing that up.
The two Ravens SB opponents had a combined 9-0 record until they met up with the Ravens. We have beaten the best. The undefeated. The Baltimore Colts beat the Cowboys for our other Baltimore SB trophy, another team with a top SB winning record.

[Trumpostan]

It's fun seeing the Pats dominate superbowls.

Reality check.

The Patriots who have lost 2 of their last 3 super bowls are 4-4 all-time in SBs and have been blown out 46-10 and 35-21, yet have never won a SB by more than 4 points. If the Falcons beat them they'll have a losing record in Super Bowls at 4-5.

True. But to get that kind of a record (4-5 or 5-4) first you need to get to 9 Super Bowls, which is a record And 35-21 is short of a blowout, had Pats special teams been on guard after our TD which made it 27-21 or the team scored a TD at any point in Q4 it would have been a one play game. But ifs don't count in football, I know.

Bill Belichick's Patriots have been to 6 Super Bowls and all were won or lost by a margin of 4 points of less. Just two plays removed from 6-0 (or four from 0-6 depending how you look at it).

Meanwhile the Steelers are 86-2 with two losses of 6 and ten points. The Cowboys are 5-3 with several blow out wins and two losses by less than one TD. The Niners are 5-1 with blow out wins and a single loss by a FG. The NYG are 4-1 in SBs with two notable wins over the Pats, their lone loss was a shellacking by the Ravens 34-7 though. Finally the Packers are also 4-1 with a couple blow out wins and a loss by a TD.

None of the Steelers, Niners, Packers or Cowboys have ever been embarrassed by the final score of a super bowl. Therefore, the Pats (who have been outscored in SBs 210-166) are not exactly a team dominating in super bowls and don't even have a winning record in super bowls.

Well it could be worse, we could be the Vikings... or the Bills... or the Jets... or the Lions... or...
At least we didn't suffer five blowout losses like the Broncos did.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Reality check.

The Patriots who have lost 2 of their last 3 super bowls are 4-4 all-time in SBs and have been blown out 46-10 and 35-21, yet have never won a SB by more than 4 points. If the Falcons beat them they'll have a losing record in Super Bowls at 4-5.

True. But to get that kind of a record (4-5 or 5-4) first you need to get to 9 Super Bowls, which is a record And 35-21 is short of a blowout, had Pats special teams been on guard after our TD which made it 27-21 or the team scored a TD at any point in Q4 it would have been a one play game. But ifs don't count in football, I know.

Bill Belichick's Patriots have been to 6 Super Bowls and all were won or lost by a margin of 4 points of less. Just two plays removed from 6-0 (or four from 0-6 depending how you look at it).

Meanwhile the Steelers are 86-2 with two losses of 6 and ten points. The Cowboys are 5-3 with several blow out wins and two losses by less than one TD. The Niners are 5-1 with blow out wins and a single loss by a FG. The NYG are 4-1 in SBs with two notable wins over the Pats, their lone loss was a shellacking by the Ravens 34-7 though. Finally the Packers are also 4-1 with a couple blow out wins and a loss by a TD.

None of the Steelers, Niners, Packers or Cowboys have ever been embarrassed by the final score of a super bowl. Therefore, the Pats (who have been outscored in SBs 210-166) are not exactly a team dominating in super bowls and don't even have a winning record in super bowls.

Well it could be worse, we could be the Vikings... or the Bills... or the Jets... or the Lions... or...
At least we didn't suffer five blowout losses like the Broncos did.

Thanks for correcting my typo on the Steelers SB record. I sure don't wanna hand them 2 more by accident.

You realize I was answering a claim by another poster namely that "the Patriots are dominant in SBs," which clearly they are not. They will have appeared in one more than 2 other teams which is not dominating SBs either. In the category what have you done lately, in the last 10 years the Pats have appeared in three, losing two. So anyway you look at it, currently, they aren't dominating Super Bowls. That being said, I do concede they have been the most impressive team in their ability to get there in recent years. That would indicate they are the most dominant team in the AFC which is a different lower level of dominance, but still very worthy of mention, LOL, so there.

[Trumpostan]

Thanks for correcting my typo on the Steelers SB record. I sure don't wanna hand them 2 more by accident.

You realize I was answering a claim by another poster namely that "the Patriots are dominant in SBs," which clearly they are not. They will have appeared in one more than 2 other teams which is not dominating SBs either. In the category what have you done lately, in the last 10 years the Pats have appeared in three, losing two. So anyway you look at it, currently, they aren't dominating Super Bowls. That being said, I do concede they have been the most impressive team in their ability to get there in recent years. That would indicate they are the most dominant team in the AFC which is a different lower level of dominance, but still very worthy of mention, LOL, so there.

No problem. And yes that other person did claim the Pats dominate Super Bowls, which isn't true in itself. As you say, if the argument was "the Patriots dominate NFL football in the 21st century" that would be closer to the mark, and indeed on a different level of dominance.

The Old Browns (since 1996) aren't doing so bad themselves. Especially not when compared to the New Browns (est 1999).
Having Ozzie Newsome around helps.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Thanks for correcting my typo on the Steelers SB record. I sure don't wanna hand them 2 more by accident.

You realize I was answering a claim by another poster namely that "the Patriots are dominant in SBs," which clearly they are not. They will have appeared in one more than 2 other teams which is not dominating SBs either. In the category what have you done lately, in the last 10 years the Pats have appeared in three, losing two. So anyway you look at it, currently, they aren't dominating Super Bowls. That being said, I do concede they have been the most impressive team in their ability to get there in recent years. That would indicate they are the most dominant team in the AFC which is a different lower level of dominance, but still very worthy of mention, LOL, so there.

No problem. And yes that other person did claim the Pats dominate Super Bowls, which isn't true in itself. As you say, if the argument was "the Patriots dominate NFL football in the 21st century" that would be closer to the mark, and indeed on a different level of dominance.

The Old BrownsRAVENS (since 1996) aren't doing so bad themselves. Especially not when compared to the New Browns (est 1999).
Having Ozzie Newsome around helps.

Makey nicey! Yes, the Baltimore Ravens do dominate all NFL teams in SB record that are expansion teams (since beginning of SB Era) or teams that relocated. We are also the only team to go into Gillette Stadium and win an AFC Championship.

[Empire of Cats]

At least we didn't suffer five blowout losses like the Broncos did.

That's true. If there was a team that epitomized Super Bowl collapse more than any other during the 80's early 90's, it would've been the Denver Broncos. Fortunately for them, they have managed to win three of their eight appearances, not a remarkable winning percentage, but respectable and much better than 0-8.

Their five blowout losses were:

Super Bowl XII (12) 1977 - Lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27-10
Super Bowl Rating: Depressing Loss
Super Bowl XXI (21) 1986 - Lost to the New York Giants 39-20
Super Bowl Rating: Depressing Loss, but We'll Be Back
Super Bowl XXII (22) 1987 - Lost to the Washington Redskins 42-10
Super Bowl Rating: Humiliating Blowout
Super Bowl XXIV (34) 1989 - Lost to the San Fransisco 49ers 55-10
Super Bowl Rating: What the Holy Living (very bad word) Just Happened?!?
Super Bowl XLVIII (48) 2013 - Lost to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8
Super Bowl Rating: Oh, Not AGAIN!

Take a look at Super Bowl XXIV - that margin of victory (45 points) is the largest ever in a Super Bowl. Also it's the largest number of points cored by any one team in a Super Bowl. Also the only time in SB history that a team has scored at least two touchdowns per quarter. A missed extra point is the only reason it wasn't 56-10.

Note the number 10. In three of their defeats, it was the total number of points scored by them. I find it ironic that in their most recent win, Super Bowl 50, they held the Carolina Panthers to 10 points. Also note that all of their victories and losses come against eight separate teams (Cowboys, Giants, Redskins, 49ers, Packers, Falcons, Seahawks, and Panthers). I wonder what the odds of that are.

Sorry if the history hurts, Broncos fans. I feel your pain, though.

[Kohr]

Reality check.

The Patriots who have lost 2 of their last 3 super bowls are 4-4 all-time in SBs and have been blown out 46-10 and 35-21, yet have never won a SB by more than 4 points. If the Falcons beat them they'll have a losing record in Super Bowls at 4-5.

True. But to get that kind of a record (4-5 or 5-4) first you need to get to 9 Super Bowls, which is a record And 35-21 is short of a blowout, had Pats special teams been on guard after our TD which made it 27-21 or the team scored a TD at any point in Q4 it would have been a one play game. But ifs don't count in football, I know.

Bill Belichick's Patriots have been to 6 Super Bowls and all were won or lost by a margin of 4 points of less. Just two plays removed from 6-0 (or four from 0-6 depending how you look at it).

Meanwhile the Steelers are 86-2 with two losses of 6 and ten points. The Cowboys are 5-3 with several blow out wins and two losses by less than one TD. The Niners are 5-1 with blow out wins and a single loss by a FG. The NYG are 4-1 in SBs with two notable wins over the Pats, their lone loss was a shellacking by the Ravens 34-7 though. Finally the Packers are also 4-1 with a couple blow out wins and a loss by a TD.

None of the Steelers, Niners, Packers or Cowboys have ever been embarrassed by the final score of a super bowl. Therefore, the Pats (who have been outscored in SBs 210-166) are not exactly a team dominating in super bowls and don't even have a winning record in super bowls.

Well it could be worse, we could be the Vikings... or the Bills... or the Jets... or the Lions... or...
At least we didn't suffer five blowout losses like the Broncos did.

I don't find Super Bowl records to be that important when you have 4 wins like the Patriots, or 3 like the Broncos. Then again, I'm a Vikings fan who would be happy with just one, so I probably don't know what I'm talking about.

[Outer Sparta]

Only some of them, like both Roosevelts if you're talking about the 1900s or Abe Lincoln if going further back. A lot of them aren't well known, and tend to get lost in the history books, just like the time of the NFL before the Superbowl. The Lions won four championships before 1966, but nobody cares about that. Since 1966 onward, Superbowls matter more. Those championships tend to be forgotten in history.

A lot of those early superbowls will be forgotten too in about 25-50 years. Count on it. If it's not in living memory, no one around saw it. US Presidents are important though, but average people on the street can't tell you who was president 20 years ago. People aren't getting smarter either, just lazier.

Some will still be remembered decades into the future, like SB 49 (Malcolm Butler, the undrafted free agent made that play), SB 34 (Rams win it by a yard) or take SB 16 (Montana with the game-winning drive). It still lives on in history. The Superbowl era will probably last for a long time, and those are the only championships worth counting.

[Empire of Cats]

A lot of those early superbowls will be forgotten too in about 25-50 years. Count on it. If it's not in living memory, no one around saw it. US Presidents are important though, but average people on the street can't tell you who was president 20 years ago. People aren't getting smarter either, just lazier.

Some will still be remembered decades into the future, like SB 49 (Malcolm Butler, the undrafted free agent made that play), SB 34 (Rams win it by a yard) or take SB 16 (Montana with the game-winning drive). It still lives on in history. The Superbowl era will probably last for a long time, and those are the only championships worth counting.

Very true. Though I wish Super Bowl 16 could've gone the other way. But still..one of the best ones yet. Other good ones-SB 3,23,42, and 43, IMHO.

[Outer Sparta]

Some will still be remembered decades into the future, like SB 49 (Malcolm Butler, the undrafted free agent made that play), SB 34 (Rams win it by a yard) or take SB 16 (Montana with the game-winning drive). It still lives on in history. The Superbowl era will probably last for a long time, and those are the only championships worth counting.

Very true. Though I wish Super Bowl 16 could've gone the other way. But still..one of the best ones yet. Other good ones-SB 3,23,42, and 43, IMHO.

Those blowout ones don't resonate as much compared to those that have game-winning heroics.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Reality check.

The Patriots who have lost 2 of their last 3 super bowls are 4-4 all-time in SBs and have been blown out 46-10 and 35-21, yet have never won a SB by more than 4 points. If the Falcons beat them they'll have a losing record in Super Bowls at 4-5.

True. But to get that kind of a record (4-5 or 5-4) first you need to get to 9 Super Bowls, which is a record And 35-21 is short of a blowout, had Pats special teams been on guard after our TD which made it 27-21 or the team scored a TD at any point in Q4 it would have been a one play game. But ifs don't count in football, I know.

Bill Belichick's Patriots have been to 6 Super Bowls and all were won or lost by a margin of 4 points of less. Just two plays removed from 6-0 (or four from 0-6 depending how you look at it).

Meanwhile the Steelers are 86-2 with two losses of 6 and ten points. The Cowboys are 5-3 with several blow out wins and two losses by less than one TD. The Niners are 5-1 with blow out wins and a single loss by a FG. The NYG are 4-1 in SBs with two notable wins over the Pats, their lone loss was a shellacking by the Ravens 34-7 though. Finally the Packers are also 4-1 with a couple blow out wins and a loss by a TD.

None of the Steelers, Niners, Packers or Cowboys have ever been embarrassed by the final score of a super bowl. Therefore, the Pats (who have been outscored in SBs 210-166) are not exactly a team dominating in super bowls and don't even have a winning record in super bowls.

Well it could be worse, we could be the Vikings... or the Bills... or the Jets... or the Lions... or...
At least we didn't suffer five blowout losses like the Broncos did.

If it helps, Broncos also won 3

But yeah, 3 of those SB losses came back when Elway was dragging them to the Super Bowl appearances and didn't have other all-pro weapons.

[Idzequitch]

I think it will be a great game, with a decent amount of scoring. The three-point line will prove to be dead on.

It could go either way, in my opinion, but I hope the Falcons get their first Super Bowl.

It's fun seeing the Pats dominate superbowls.

New York Giants anyone?

I almost wish it was the Giants on the NFC side this year. We all know who wins that matchup . But no doubt, both conferences are represented by their best team from this season. If you're predicting a Pats blowout, I hope you're prepared to eat some crow in the near future.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

It's fun seeing the Pats dominate superbowls.

New York Giants anyone?

I almost wish it was the Giants on the NFC side this year. We all know who wins that matchup . But no doubt, both conferences are represented by their best team from this season. If you're predicting a Pats blowout, I hope you're prepared to eat some crow in the near future.

Giants also lost one to Baltimore in a humiliating fashion the year Baltimore won, so no

But yeah, this SB should be close and interesting.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Recently the commissioners and the owners of the NFL, MLB, NBA and the NHL commissioned a study to bring the truest of American values into determining the outcomes of their games. This study was decided upon after the exciting Electoral College victories of George W. Bush and Donald Trump. It has now been decided there are better methods in determining which team should be declared the victor of a game based on the American Electoral System.

For example, in NFL games the winner will no longer always be the team that scores the most points IF the team with less points at the end of the game has won three of the four quarters of the game in scoring. Thus, team A scores a field goal in each of the first three quarters and team B scores zero points in each but scores 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. In this case, team A would be declared the winner even though they had lost the game in points 10-9.

This reflects the values of our founding fathers and their creation and reliance in the totally American institution of the Electoral College. That value maintains that every once in a while, the winner must lose and the loser must win based on unusual loopholes within the rules. Of course, there are highly involved reasons for these rules. For example, fans want to see teams playing all-out to win on every play by creating a mini-game inside each quarter of the game whose results can affect the outcome of the entire game. The players and teams will therefore play all-out to win each quarter of each game.

This makes for more exciting plays and games, much greater fan interest, better fantasy numbers and higher TV ratings to mention a few of the positive aspects. The downside is that one team may win all three quarters going into the fourth quarter, however that game is likely to be a blowout so this gives fans a chance to beat the traffic by leaving at the end of the third-quarter. Nevertheless some hard-core fans will stick around till the bitter end. This is similar to when a presidential election has already been decided in the Electoral College before the polls close in the western time zone or before many voters have even cast a ballot, but they still vote anyway. So it is right in line with our long-standing cultural values.

In Major League Baseball there will be less games going into extra innings because in each inning there will either be a winner or a loser or a tie. Extra innings will be avoided if one team has won more innings than the other. NBA games we'll be conducted in the same fashion as NFL games. The NHL will have less tedious tie games under this system as the team that scores the most goals in two of the three periods will be declared the winner, at least in games played within the United States. Games that are being played in Canada will be exempt from the new rules as these rules do not reflect true Canadian values of winner takes all.

The NFL will employ this new system beginning in Super Bowl LI. Most odds makers believe this gives the New England Patriots the slight edge over the Atlanta Falcons. It is being reported that Bill Belichick is being credited as the genius who has developed these new rules for determining the ultimate winner.

[Kohr]

Recently the commissioners and the owners of the NFL, MLB, NBA and the NHL commissioned a study to bring the truest of American values into determining the outcomes of their games. This study was decided upon after the exciting Electoral College victories of George W. Bush and Donald Trump. It has now been decided there are better methods in determining which team should be declared the victor of a game based on the American Electoral System.

For example, in NFL games the winner will no longer always be the team that scores the most points IF the team with less points at the end of the game has won three of the four quarters of the game in scoring. Thus, team A scores a field goal in each of the first three quarters and team B scores zero points in each but scores 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. In this case, team A would be declared the winner even though they had lost the game in points 10-9.

This reflects the values of our founding fathers and their creation and reliance in the totally American institution of the Electoral College. That value maintains that every once in a while, the winner must lose and the loser must win based on unusual loopholes within the rules. Of course, there are highly involved reasons for these rules. For example, fans want to see teams playing all-out to win on every play by creating a mini-game inside each quarter of the game whose results can affect the outcome of the entire game. The players and teams will therefore play all-out to win each quarter of each game.

This makes for more exciting plays and games, much greater fan interest, better fantasy numbers and higher TV ratings to mention a few of the positive aspects. The downside is that one team may win all three quarters going into the fourth quarter, however that game is likely to be a blowout so this gives fans a chance to beat the traffic by leaving at the end of the third-quarter. Nevertheless some hard-core fans will stick around till the bitter end. This is similar to when a presidential election has already been decided in the Electoral College before the polls close in the western time zone or before many voters have even cast a ballot, but they still vote anyway. So it is right in line with our long-standing cultural values.

In Major League Baseball there will be less games going into extra innings because in each inning there will either be a winner or a loser or a tie. Extra innings will be avoided if one team has won more innings than the other. NBA games we'll be conducted in the same fashion as NFL games. The NHL will have less tedious tie games under this system as the team that scores the most goals in two of the three periods will be declared the winner, at least in games played within the United States. Games that are being played in Canada will be exempt from the new rules as these rules do not reflect true Canadian values of winner takes all.

The NFL will employ this new system beginning in Super Bowl LI. Most odds makers believe this gives the New England Patriots the slight edge over the Atlanta Falcons. It is being reported that Bill Belichick is being credited as the genius who has developed these new rules for determining the ultimate winner.

Actually, I do think the NFL's playoff selection/seeding method bares some resemblance to the electoral college. Division winners get selected over wild cards with better records to balance regional representation.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Recently the commissioners and the owners of the NFL, MLB, NBA and the NHL commissioned a study to bring the truest of American values into determining the outcomes of their games. This study was decided upon after the exciting Electoral College victories of George W. Bush and Donald Trump. It has now been decided there are better methods in determining which team should be declared the victor of a game based on the American Electoral System.

For example, in NFL games the winner will no longer always be the team that scores the most points IF the team with less points at the end of the game has won three of the four quarters of the game in scoring. Thus, team A scores a field goal in each of the first three quarters and team B scores zero points in each but scores 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. In this case, team A would be declared the winner even though they had lost the game in points 10-9.

This reflects the values of our founding fathers and their creation and reliance in the totally American institution of the Electoral College. That value maintains that every once in a while, the winner must lose and the loser must win based on unusual loopholes within the rules. Of course, there are highly involved reasons for these rules. For example, fans want to see teams playing all-out to win on every play by creating a mini-game inside each quarter of the game whose results can affect the outcome of the entire game. The players and teams will therefore play all-out to win each quarter of each game.

This makes for more exciting plays and games, much greater fan interest, better fantasy numbers and higher TV ratings to mention a few of the positive aspects. The downside is that one team may win all three quarters going into the fourth quarter, however that game is likely to be a blowout so this gives fans a chance to beat the traffic by leaving at the end of the third-quarter. Nevertheless some hard-core fans will stick around till the bitter end. This is similar to when a presidential election has already been decided in the Electoral College before the polls close in the western time zone or before many voters have even cast a ballot, but they still vote anyway. So it is right in line with our long-standing cultural values.

In Major League Baseball there will be less games going into extra innings because in each inning there will either be a winner or a loser or a tie. Extra innings will be avoided if one team has won more innings than the other. NBA games we'll be conducted in the same fashion as NFL games. The NHL will have less tedious tie games under this system as the team that scores the most goals in two of the three periods will be declared the winner, at least in games played within the United States. Games that are being played in Canada will be exempt from the new rules as these rules do not reflect true Canadian values of winner takes all.

The NFL will employ this new system beginning in Super Bowl LI. Most odds makers believe this gives the New England Patriots the slight edge over the Atlanta Falcons. It is being reported that Bill Belichick is being credited as the genius who has developed these new rules for determining the ultimate winner.

Actually, I do think the NFL's playoff selection/seeding method bares some resemblance to the electoral college. Division winners get selected over wild cards with better records to balance regional representation.

I totally agree with that. Standings/playoff seeding should be done in each conference along the lines of the NBA model.

Incidentally, after looking at all 50 SB box scores I can tell you not one game result would be different if the goofy quarterly score rule was enforced.
*lets out deep breath*

[Ranoria]

I think it will be a great game, with a decent amount of scoring. The three-point line will prove to be dead on.

It could go either way, in my opinion, but I hope the Falcons get their first Super Bowl.

I hope so too.

Reality check.

The Patriots who have lost 2 of their last 3 super bowls are 4-4 all-time in SBs and have been blown out 46-10 and 35-21, yet have never won a SB by more than 4 points. If the Falcons beat them they'll have a losing record in Super Bowls at 4-5.

Meanwhile the Steelers are 8-2 with two losses of 6 and ten points. The Cowboys are 5-3 with several blow out wins and two losses by less than one TD. The Niners are 5-1 with blow out wins and a single loss by a FG. The NYG are 4-1 in SBs with two notable wins over the Pats, their lone loss was a shellacking by the Ravens 34-7 though. Finally the Packers are also 4-1 with a couple blow out wins and a loss by a TD.

None of the Steelers, Niners, Packers or Cowboys have ever been embarrassed by the final score of a super bowl. Therefore, the Pats (who have been outscored in SBs 210-166) are not exactly a team dominating in super bowls and don't even have a winning record in super bowls.

Also worth noting is that the Ravens have the highest winning percentage in Super Bowls (made and won two). When they beat the 49ers, they derailed their perfect record in Super Bowls. They are now 5-1.

Shoutout to my dude Steve McNair not seeing Frank Wycheck wide open and Kurt Warner being good.

[Tiami]

Grew up in Atlanta, born a Patriot, love the Falcons. Why do the football gods torture me?

[Arkinesia]

27th scoring defense in the league against the best scoring defense in the league.

I don't like Atlanta's chances in this game. Ryan is having the best season of his career but Belichick is and always has been a defensive whiz. If I thought it was likely that this game would stay low-scoring I'd give Atlanta more of a chance in this thing.

I think Tom's about to fill a hand with rings.

[Idzequitch]

Grew up in Atlanta, born a Patriot, love the Falcons. Why do the football gods torture me?

It could be worse. It could be two teams you despise.

In 2012, I was forced to root for our division rival Baltimore over the 49ers. Gross.

Though my nightmare scenario is an SB matchup of Pats vs Cowboys. If that ever happens, I'll have to root for the halftime show, or maybe the commercials.

[Cymrea]

Grew up in Atlanta, born a Patriot, love the Falcons. Why do the football gods torture me?

Win-win, really. Or lose-lose, but who wants to see it like that?

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Grew up in Atlanta, born a Patriot, love the Falcons. Why do the football gods torture me?

Win-win, really. Or lose-lose, but who wants to see it like that?

Reminds me of last year's Steelers-Broncos matchup

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Grew up in Atlanta, born a Patriot, love the Falcons. Why do the football gods torture me?

Gods typically have nothing better to do really. When you have human playthings you just wanna tinker with them I guess.

At least we don't have to see the Steelers again in those horrific traffic sign colored uniforms. Yuk! (Take that Idzy) OTOH, Atlanta would score 60 on them.