Super Bowl 2017: Initial Odds, Final-Score Prediction for Falcons vs. Patriots

The Atlanta Falcons looked like a juggernaut as they overpowered the Green Bay Packers from start to finish in their 44-21 victory in the NFC Championship Game.

Now they must take one more step in order to win their first championship when they go to Houston for Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots.

The Falcons certainly have the weapons to make life difficult for New England, and it starts with their running backs. Matt Ryan may be an MVP candidate based on his spectacular season, but Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman give Atlanta the best one-two combination at the running back position in the NFL.

While both are slashing runners who will not go down on first contact, they are also excellent receivers who can get to the second level and make big plays.

It would be difficult enough if one running back was bringing that kind of talent to NRG Stadium, but having two makes it extremely difficult for even the best strategists in the league.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is going to have his work cut out for him. When you throw in superstar wideout Julio Jones and complementary receiver Mohamed Sanu, the job becomes even harder.

Patricia and the Patriots are not about to back down. They are coming off a powerful defensive effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, which allowed them to pick up the ninth AFC title in the franchise's history.

The Patriots are not going to dazzle anyone with individual talent on defense, but they had the No. 1 scoring defense during the regular season and held the Steelers to 17 points Sunday.

Even that total is misleading because the Patriots turned the game into a blowout in the third quarter and the Steelers scored their last touchdown late in the final quarter to make the 36-17 final score more respectable.

Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Point Spread	Prediction
Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots	Feb. 5	6:30 p.m.	Fox	New England (-3)	New England

Much of the attention in the coming weeks will be on the quarterback duel between Ryan and Tom Brady. These are two of the leading candidates for MVP, and while that honor will be handed out the night before Super Bowl LI, the validation for the honor is likely to take place in the Super Bowl.

Ryan has always been known for his accuracy and athleticism, but he has made great strides with his consistency this year. He threw 38 touchdown passes with just seven interceptions. A year ago, he threw 21 scoring passes with 16 interceptions, and he threw 28 touchdowns and 14 interceptions during the 2014 season.

Ryan has clearly climbed the ladder, but he needs a victory in the Super Bowl to finish his season in brilliant fashion. Brady already has four Super Bowl rings to his credit, and a fifth would only add to his remarkable legacy.

"I'm happy," Ryan said after Atlanta's one-sided triumph over Green Bay, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. "I'm happy for everybody in our organization. We've worked hard to get to this point. But the challenge is still in front of us. What we set out to accomplish is still in front of us."

Brady credited his team's versatility for the reason the Patriots have had such a wonderful season. "We won a lot of games in a lot of different ways," he said during a postgame interview with CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz. "It's mental toughness, man. That's what it's all about. This team has got it. We'll see if we can write the perfect ending in a couple of weeks."

Shortly after the Patriots finished off the Steelers, New England opened as a three-point favorite over Atlanta on OddsShark.

Prediction

The Falcons have a formidable team and have played sensational football in beating the Seattle Seahawks and Packers in the postseason.

However, as much as Matt Ryan and Co. have done so far, they are almost certainly going to have to play their best football game of the year to beat the Patriots. 

Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn has done an exceptional job of taking a talented team and making it Super Bowl-worthy. However, it's quite another challenge to get the best of Bill Belichick and the Patriots in the NFL championship game.

The experience factor should be huge for the Patriots. New England will find itself in a tight battle with the NFC champions, but the Patriots will get the lead in the second half and win the Super Bowl by a 27-20 margin.