Super Bowl 51: Patriots vs. Falcons TV Schedule, Final Box Score Predictions

The big day has finally arrived, football fans! In a matter of hours, Super Bowl LI will commence with the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons vying for the biggest prize in the NFL.

By now, you know the big storylines of this year's Super Bowl. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is looking for his fifth Super Bowl ring. Matt Ryan and the Falcons are looking for the first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. The game is set to feature the league's top offense (Atlanta, 33.8 points per game) and No. 1 defense (New England, 15.6 points per game allowed).

All that is left is the game itself. We're here to take a late look at the specifics for Super Bowl LI, including the latest odds from OddsShark. We will also make our game predictions and examine the freshest storylines heading into Super Sunday.

Super Bowl LI

What: New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons

Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

When: Sunday, Feb. 5

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Line: New England (-3)

Over/Under: 58.5

Prediction: New England over Atlanta, 31-27

NE	Position	ATL
Tom Brady: 310 YDS, 3 TD, INT	QB	Matt Ryan: 285 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT
LeGarrette Blount: 95 YDS, TD	RB	Devonta Freeman: 56 YDS, 4 REC, 45 YDS, TD
Dion Lewis: 25 YDS, 4 REC, 40 REC YDS, TD	RB	Tevin Coleman: 40 YDS, 3 REC, 33 YDS
Julian Edelman: 5 REC, 78 YDS	WR	Julio Jones: 8 REC, 95 YDS, TD
Chris Hogan: 6 REC, 77 YDS, TD	WR	Mohamed Sanu: 4 REC, 50 YDS
Danny Amendola: 4 REC, 48 YDS	WR	Taylor Gabriel: 4 REC, 48 YDS, TD
Malcolm Mitchell: 3 REC, 33 YDS	WR	Justin Hardy: 3 REC, 38 YDS
Martellus Bennett: 5 REC, 63 YDS, TD	TE	Austin Hooper: 3 REC, 38 YDS

Latest Buzz

Ryan Earns MVP

If you stayed around your television long enough to watch the NFL Honors on Saturday night, you saw that Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan won both the Offensive Player of the Year award and the NFL MVP award for the 2016 regular season.

This doesn't come as much of a surprise, as Ryan produced a successful and memorable campaign this year. He finished the regular season with 4,944 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He completed an impressive 69.9 percent of his passes and posted a league-leading quarterback rating of 117.1.

Pro Football Focus rated Ryan second overall among quarterbacks for the regular season. Only Brady was rated higher.

Brady also had himself a strong season, passing for 3,554 yards with 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions in 12 games. However, his four-game suspension to start the season likely tarnished his MVP resume.

If recent history is anything to go by, though, Brady might be glad that Ryan took home the MVP award this year. As ESPN's Adam Schefter points out, regular-season MVPs haven't carried their success into the Super Bowl recently:

Of course, Ryan will be hoping to buck that trend. He'll be looking to make like 2017 Hall of Famer Kurt Warner and earn both the regular-season and Super Bowl MVP awards.

Mack Planning to Play With Leg Fracture

One of the reasons why Ryan was able to have such a prominent season in 2016 was the presence of Pro Bowl center Alex Mack. The former Cleveland Browns standout was added during the offseason and anchored the interior of the line masterfully.

Pro Football Focus rated Mack second overall among centers in 2016.

Unfortunately, Mack was injured during the NFC title game and has been dealing with a leg injury ever since. We recently learned that the injury is actually a fracture in his left fibula.

ESPN's Adam Schefter was told by a source that if this were the regular season, Mack could miss six to eight weeks. However, his teammates appear confident in Mack's ability to play through the injury, according to NFL Network's Tiffany Blackmon:

Having Mack available will be key for the Falcons because of his value in the middle of the line. Not only is he one of the most physically talented players up front, but he does a tremendous job of recognizing defensive looks.

Against the Patriots, this value cannot be overstated.

"This game, because of multiple fronts by New England, requires a lot of prep work by the center," Falcons head coach Dan Quinn explained, per Schefter. "Identifying this look, this front, this player's positioning, [Mack and backup Ben Garland] spend a lot of time in the film room together normally."

If Mack cannot make it through the game, his absence would give the Patriots a noteworthy defensive advantage.

Falcons Not Overlooking Patriots' Weapons

Another reason for Ryan's success during his MVP campaign was the presence of so many quality pass-catchers. Not only did Ryan have star receiver Julio Jones at his disposal, he had the benefit of throwing to the likes of Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.

With tight end Rob Gronkowski out, the Patriots receiving corps isn't quite as impressive as Atlanta's. However, the Falcons are determined not to look past guys like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola on Sunday.

"Those two guys are scary," Quinn said of Edelman and Amendola, per Bill Pennington of the New York Times.

"Tough matchups," Falcons defensive coordinator Richard Smith added. "Two guys that can be a nightmare."

It would also be smart for the Falcons to keep a close eye on Chris Hogan on Sunday. The former Buffalo Bills castoff racked up 275 yards and two touchdowns during his two playoff appearances this year.

Really, the Falcons should be wary of any pass-catcher as long as Brady is under center. The guy opposing defenses lose track of is usually the one Brady finds.