Super Bowl 51: Top Highlights, Comments from Patriots' Send-Off Rally

The New England Patriots were sent off for their trip to Super Bowl LI with a celebration fit for champions, as fans flooded Gillette Stadium for a rally Monday before the team left for Houston.

"It's been a great season, and we've accomplished a lot, but we still have one more to go," quarterback Tom Brady told the crowd of supporters, per TMZ Sports. "It's going to be tough, it's going to be the toughest one we've had all year, but we're excited about the opportunity, and we couldn't do it without [the fans]. So as Coach tells us, put all that crap that you gotta deal with in the drawer. Put it all away for one more week because we need you guys at our best because we need to be at our best."

The Patriots provided a snapshot of the huge crowd:

Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law, who could be on the precipice of a Pro Football Hall of Fame selection, was also on hand to introduce owner Robert Kraft. Perhaps acting as a bit of a pitch man, Kraft described Law as "a player that changed the rules of the game," per Keith Pearson of the Boston Herald.

Kraft also drew praise when he described coach Bill Belichick as "the G.O.A.T. coach of all time."

"We're going to have to be at our best, and that's what we're gonna strive to do," Belichick said.

Most sportsbooks have the Patriots installed as three-point favorites, per OddsShark. This is the seventh time Brady and Belichick have combined to take New England to the Super Bowl; they're 4-2 in those contests and undefeated against teams other than the New York Giants.

The seven Super Bowl appearances are a record for a quarterback and a coach. Belichick and Brady would both set all-time records for Super Bowl wins should they pull off their fifth championship against the Atlanta Falcons.

As the Patriots were leaving the city, team buses drove under Lombardi Trophy signs that read "one more."

The Falcons are playing in just their second Super Bowl in franchise history. As TMZ Sports noted, the city of Atlanta sent the Falcons off with their own huge rally—making it clear both fanbases are fired up for what's shaping up to be an offensive slugfest.