On February 5, 2017, a showdown will be held in NRG Stadium, Houston between two of the NFL’s best teams, On one side, the New England Patriots, frightening opponents with the Belichick and Brady duo, ruining many offenses with the best defense in the league, and having the reputation as the most hated/ loved sports team in America. On the other side, you’ve got the team that surprised us all; the team with the best offense with 33.8 points per game and the team swooping over defenses with a combo of Matt Ryan, Devonte Freeman, Julio Jones, and Tevin Coleman. We are talking about the birds of prey themselves, the Atlanta Falcons.

The Super Bowl matchup will surely be remembered as one of the greatest because of the fact that the best offense will be battling the best defense in the league. This year is also significant since if the Patriots win, Tom Brady will show that he might be the best football player of all time. However, if the Falcons win. Matt Ryan will finally prove himself as a great quarterback and will justify why he was selected third overall in the 2008 NFL draft. Both teams have been playing amazing in the 2016-17 season. However instead of me predicting who will win the Super Bowl, why don’t we ask my peers, or the Dublin High students themselves?

DHS Reacts    

When interviewed by the Dublin Shield, several students voiced their opinion about Super Bowl 51 and who they think will win it all.

“I’ll be drowning in rage this Sunday, that I can tell you right now,” stated 10th grader Aaron Deivaprakash. “Going for the Falcons not because I’m a fan because I hate the Patriots — and I think that’s the general sentiment surrounding this game.”

Sophomore Tyler Revak also shared his feelings about Super Bowl 51 itself. “It’s nice to see a new team in the Super Bowl, the Falcons. I think the Patriots should have this last shot at a win to secure the dynasty title; but it would be exciting to have Matt Ryan and the Falcons upset them.”

Sophomore Matthew Adrian also expressed his feelings about the Super Bowl. “The Patriots were a very good team in the regular season even though they did not have Brady for some time. They also might deflate the balls.”

Earlier this season, in a survey conducted by the Dublin Shield about which team will most likely win the Super Bowl, the responses were as follows:

38.1% — New England Patriots

9.5% — Pittsburgh Steelers

14.3% — Seattle Seahawks

9.5% — Green Bay Packers

23.8% — Dallas Cowboys

4.8% — Atlanta Falcons

As you can see, only 4.8% of the Dublin High students wanted the Atlanta Falcons to win the Super Bowl and the majority did hope that the Patriots did win. Could this prediction of the Patriots winning the Super Bowl be true or could the Falcons finally win the first Super Bowl in franchise history? Find out on February 5, 2017.