Atlanta mayor’s pick for Super Bowl: ‘Anybody other than the Saints’

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks to the Atlanta Journal Constitution editorial board Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018.

Credit: Hyosub Shin

Credit: Hyosub Shin

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks to the Atlanta Journal Constitution editorial board Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018.

The teams who will play in the Feb. 3 Super Bowl in Atlanta won't be decided until Sunday.

One thing is clear, Atlanta’s Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won’t be cheering for the Atlanta Falcons’ division rival, the New Orleans Saints.

Interviewed last week before the Saints advanced to the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, the mayor told a reporter she had no favorites, just one plea:

“Just anybody other than the Saints,” Bottoms said in a video posted on Twitter. “I know there’s going to be a bounty on me ... for saying that. But if it can’t be the Falcons, then, hey, as long as it’s not the Saints then I’m happy.”

The other two teams competing to reach the NFL title game in Atlanta are the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs and Saints are the odds-on-favorites to meet in Atlanta.

The Chiefs, who appeared in the first Super Bowl, last won in 1970. The Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17, to win the Super Bowl in 2010.

» Follow: AJC's continuing coverage of the Super Bowl in Atlanta