The Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots will play in Super Bowl LI, which Vegas oddsmakers are already predicting to be among the highest scoring on record.
Fueling those predictions are the results of Sunday's 44-21 NFC Championship win by the Falcons over the Green Bay Packers at the Georgia Dome and the Patriots' 36-17 win over Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship.
Here are six amazing feats to emerge from those outcomes:
NFC South is king
The Falcons' berth in Super Bowl LI means every team from the NFC South has reached a Super Bowl, becoming the only division - since the league realinged in 2002 - to do so. The New Orleans Saints (2010) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002) were crowned champs. The Carolina Panthers reached the Super Bowl in the 2015 season.
Tom Brady is a ‘Super’ guy
Credit: Maddie Meyer
Credit: Maddie Meyer
New England's Tom Brady will extend his NFL record for Super Bowl starts by a quarterback to seven. As a starter for 16 seasons, Brady has reached the Super Bowl 47 percent of the time.
Ryan just scored again
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will be making his first Super Bowl in his ninth season. He is the first NFL quarterback to throw at least three touchdown passes in four straight postseason (2012 and 2016) games.
Power couple
Credit: Charles Krupa
Credit: Charles Krupa
Entering their seventh Super Bowl together, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have won 24 postseason games together - an NFL record.
The unsung hero
Credit: Matt Freed
Credit: Matt Freed
Chris Hogan set a record for receiving yards by an undrafted player in a playoff game - 180 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In one game he surpassed his entire production at Monmouth, where he played on season catching 12 passes for 147 yards.
Julio, the jet
Julio Jones finished the game NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers two yards shy of his own franchise postseason record of 182 yards, set in 2012 against the San Francisco 49ers. Jones, however, becomes the first player in the Super Bowl era with two games of 150 yards and two touchdowns in conference title games.
Furthermore, Jones is now one of three players with multiple postseason games of 180 receiving yards. Hall of Famers Fred Biletnikoff and Jerry Rice are the other.
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