49ers get Back on Track with Big Win over Pats

Week 4 - Looking to get back into the win column after a win-less two-game road trip, the (1-2) San Francisco 49ers returned home to Levi's Stadium hoping a bit of home cooking would be all they needed to get back on track. Playing host to the (1-2) New England Patriots, the 49ers would welcome back a pair of All-Pros to the offense in receiver Deebo Samuel and tight-end George Kittle, both of whom were greatly missed a week ago in their Week 3 loss to the rival Rams. With two of his playmakers back on the field, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy would try to capture San Francisco's first home win over New England since 1995. Through the game's first two quarters, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers seemed like they would cruise away with an easy win, but a few hiccups along the way kept the game closer than it probably should've been. 

After forcing New England to punt on the game's opening-possession, Purdy and the 49er offense marched 90-yards down the field but were held to a field goal. The defense for San Francisco would come through on multiple occasions on Sunday, including on each of New England's next three possessions by forcing turnovers. On the first play of their ensuing drive, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson would lose a fumble caused by San Francisco's Sam Okuayinonu who was promoted to the team's active roster just a day earlier in wake of Javon Hargrave's season-ending injury. Unfortunately for the Pats, it would be Stevenson's fourth consecutive game with a fumble after fumbling only once all of last season. Despite the stellar field position following the fumble, the 49ers would settle for yet another field goal. With the offense unable to make their way to the end zone, the defense would show them how it's done as All-Pro linebacker intercepted a Jacoby Brissett pass and returned it 45-yards for a pick-six touchdown. 

Finally making it across midfield and nearing the red zone, Patriots rookie head coach Jerod Mayo elected to gamble on a 4th and 1 and came up short as Stevenson was stuffed up the middle for no gain, resulting in a New England turnover on downs. With their own defense having scored just as many points as the offense, Brock Purdy and company finally orchestrated their best drive of the afternoon with a 12-play, 95-yard drive that ended with a highlight worthy touchdown grab by George Kittle who fought off three defenders to leap up and come down with the ball. With a 20-0 lead for San Francisco heading in the final seconds of the second quarter, New England kicker Joey Slye would connect on a 63-yard field goal, the fourth-longest made field goal in NFL history to end the half and finally put the Pats on the board. 

If there's one area that has plagued the 49ers over the past few seasons, it's been their special-teams which was very evident in their fourth quarter collapse a week earlier against the L.A. Rams. Those special-team woes would rear their ugly head once again on Sunday on San Francisco's kick return to open the second half. Rookie Isaac Guerendo who has had a quiet start to his NFL career in the limited action he's seen, didn't do himself any favors as he ran into his own teammate and fumbled the ball away. What was just a 20-0 San Francisco lead, quickly evaporated as the Pats cut the deficit in half with a Jacoby Brissett touchdown pass to tight-end Austin Hooper just a few plays later. Needing a response, the 49ers got just that on their ensuing possession when Purdy connected on a 53-yard bomb to Deebo Samuel on their first play from scrimmage. Mason would find the end zone three plays later with a 4-yard touchdown run to once again make it a three-score game. 

After adding another field goal to make it a 27-13 game, the Patriots showed some fight by intercepting a Brock Purdy pass inside the end zone. Purdy had connected on a 45-yard toss to Jauan Jennings just a few plays earlier but got a little carried away when he attempted to go for the kill-shot with nearly a full quarter left to play. Unable to do much with the 49er turnover, New England's last two drives ended in a turnover on downs and a fumble forced and recovered by the Niners' Nick Bosa who finished the game with nine QB-pressures on the day, nearly matching the ten pressures he tallied in total during Weeks 1 thru 3, as San Francisco snapped their two-game skid with a 30-13 victory. Purdy helped lead the offense to a win by throwing for 288 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. His counterpart Jacoby Brissett threw for a season-high 168 passing yards to go with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, but New England was outproduced in total yards: 431 to 216 in favor of San Francisco. Helping the 49ers amass much of those yards was Jordan Mason who tallied another busy day at the office with 160 total yards and a touchdown. 

On his way to becoming one of only three running backs with 100+ yards per game through the first four weeks this season, Mason once again proved to be a reliable backup in place of the injured Christian McCaffrey who has helped mentor Mason from the sidelines since he was thrusted into the starting job just hours before kickoff in Week 1. Mason's 447 rushing yards are also the second-most in 49ers franchise history thru the first four weeks of a season behind only McCaffrey's 459 rushing yards a season ago. Another 49er who continues to dazzle is linebacker Fred Warner who since 2019, is the only player in the NFL to record 10 interceptions, 10 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. Receiver Jauan Jennings who is coming off FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week honors for his stellar performance against the Rams, led all receivers with 88 receiving yards on just 3 receptions. 

Week 5 Preview: After evening their record at 2-2 on the year, the 49ers will attempt to record their first win of the season against an NFC foe as San Francisco has come up short in each of their first two tries this year. A win within the division would also do wonders and put the Niners over .500 with a tough schedule to follow. They can do all of that by defeating the (1-3) Arizona Cardinals who are coming off a 42-14 drubbing at home to the newly resurgent Washington Commanders. The Arizona defense allowed 449 total yards to Washington's offense.  

Following a pedestrian performance for Arizona QB Kyler Murray who threw for just 142 yards and 1 touchdown and was held to only 3 yards rushing on one attempt, the San Francisco defense will try to mimic that same success on Sunday. The same could be said for rookie receiver Marvin Harison Jr. who has dazzled in the first four games of his career, giving the Cardinals a new No. 1 receiving target. After a quiet Week 1 to begin his pro career, the fourth overall pick out of Ohio State has scored four touchdowns in his last three games and is riding a streak of three consecutive games with a TD, which San Francisco's secondary will look to put an end to. The 49ers who are 2-0 at home this season, have won four straight meetings over Arizona, outscoring them 156-68 in those games. They'll try to make it five consecutive wins on Sunday in what is expected to be the hottest game played in Levi's Stadium history. Attempting to do everything they can to combat the heat, the 49ers had put in a request with the NFL to don their road white uniforms but were rejected. 

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49ers let Win slip away Late vs rival Rams

Week 3 - Hoping a return to sunny California would bring better fortune to the (1-1) San Francisco 49ers on the road in Week 3, all signs pointed towards a win against the rival (0-2) Los Angeles Rams who were banged up and without two of their biggest stars on offense in receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. However, the 49ers offense would be without a trio of their own stars with Christian McCaffrey (Achillies), Deebo Samuel (calf) and George Kittle (hamstring) all sidelined due to injury. While McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve due to Achilles tendinitis and is now expected to miss a couple months, both Samuel and Kittle were ruled out in the days leading up to gameday. With a slow start to the season after a big payday following his holdout during training camp, Sunday's game would be the perfect opportunity for a breakout performance for receiver Brandon Aiyuk who had yet to top 50 yards receiving in either of San Francisco's first two games. Instead, it would be receiver Jauan Jennings who would step up in the shadows of his teammates, answering the call with a game for the record books. 

Becoming only the second 49er in franchise history behind the great Jerry Rice to have 10+ receptions and 3 receiving touchdowns in a single game in team history, Jennings got the Niner offense going early and often while connecting with his quarterback Brock Purdy who entered Sunday's game leading the league in passing yards (550). However, a career day from Jauan Jennings would not be enough to prevent a 4th quarter collapse from the 49ers and a late game comeback by the Rams. By looking at just the box score, you would be hard pressed to believe Kyle Shanahan's 49ers did not walk away with a win on Sunday, which marked only the second time since 2017 that the Rams won a game where they were outgained by at least 100 total yards. San Francisco also finished with six more first downs, 129 more yards, ran 10 more plays and possessed the ball for nearly 7 more minutes than L.A. on Sunday. All of which made Week 3's loss to the Rams that much more gut-wrenching. 

San Francisco jumped out to an early 14-0 lead with trips to the end zone on each of their first two drives, highlighted by touchdowns from Purdy to Jennings from 13 and 4 yards out. Meanwhile, Rams QB Matthew Stafford would not have his first completed pass until the 8:26 mark of the second quarter. The Rams would finally show signs of life after a successful fake punt attempt midway thru the second quarter, which ultimately led to a 16-play, 98-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass from Stafford to running back Kyren Williams who tied Marshall Faulk's mark of six straight games with a TD, the longest streak by a Rams player since 2000. Also tying him with Detroit's David Montgomery for the longest active streak in the NFL. Looking to add to their lead just before halftime, the 49ers made it across midfield, but that's where Brock Purdy would be sacked and striped of the ball as the Rams recovered the fumble and kept it a 14-7 game. 

Opening the second half by holding the Rams to a punt, the 49er offense opened the third quarter just like they did the first, guns blazing as Purdy found Jennings for a third and final touchdown on a 31-yard deep ball. But the Rams would answer with a touchdown of their own, taking advantage of the first of several costly second half penalties by the San Francisco defense. Facing a 1st and 15, Stafford took a shot downfield where 49ers cornerback Isaac Yiadom was called for defensive pass-interference. Kyren Williams would strike paydirt several plays later for his second touchdown on the afternoon. Both teams would exchange field goals to start the fourth quarter, but the Niners would miss a golden opportunity to put the game away when kicker Jake Moody missed a 55-yard field goal attempt that kept it one-score game with under 3-minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. 

The missed field goal would ignite a series of things to go wrong for San Francisco, starting with a 50-yard completion given up by 49ers All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward who was beaten by Rams receiver Tutu Atwell on the first play of the Rams' ensuing drive. Setting up shop inside the 5-yard line, Kyren Williams found the end zone for a third time just two plays later to tie the game at 24. Still the 49ers would have a chance to put themselves in winning position and appeared to do just that, but on a day San Francisco had accumulated a total of seven dropped passes, the biggest and most costly one of all came on a dropped pass on a very catchable deep ball to receiver Ronnie Bell which spelled doom as San Francisco punted the ball away two plays later. On that punt, another thing that couldn't go wrong did go wrong when the Rams returned the punt 38-yards to midfield with just under a minute remaining in regulation. Already in prime field position, another costly defensive pass interference penalty awarded the Rams 25 yards which put them in field goal range. Two plays later, rookie kicker Joshua Karty put the Rams ahead for the first time all day with a 37-yard field goal to win the game, 27-24. 

While the come-from-behind win would mark the biggest comeback win (14-points) by the Rams under head coach Sean McVay who was hired in 2017, it would be the 36th comeback win in the career of QB Matt Stafford, tying him with Drew Brees for the fifth most all-time, five more than the next closest active player -- Russell Wilson (31). As for his counterpart Brock Purdy, the 49ers QB played his tail off despite being without several of his big name playmakers and made a bit of history with his performance on Sunday. Purdy became only the third QB in 49ers franchise history to complete 70+% of his passes and throw 3 touchdowns in a loss, joining the elite company of Joe Montana in 1985 versus the Rams and Steve Young in 1992 against the Bills. While it doesn't all fall on him, Pudy who previously suffered only one loss during the regular season to an NFC foe prior to the start of this season, has now lost back-to-back games within his conference. Sunday's loss for Purdy also marks his first loss to a division opponent as he entered Sunday's game a perfect 7-0 versus NFC West opponents. 

Week 4 Preview: Returning home to Levi's Stadium for the first time since their season-opening win against the Jets on Monday Night Football, the (1-2) 49ers will hope to get back on track in Week 4 when they welcome in the (1-2) New England Patriots. Unfortunately, when Sunday comes, they'll be taking the field without defensive-tackle Javon Hargrave who they'll miss for the rest of the season after he suffered a partially torn triceps in the loss to the Rams, a game in which he recorded his first sack of the year. While these two teams rarely face each other, the 49ers are seeking their first win at home over New England since 1995, having lost the last two times these two teams met in San Francisco. 

After opening the season 1-0 following a surprise road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Patriots just like San Francisco have dropped each of their last two games and are coming off a 24-3 loss at the hands of the rival Jets. Behind veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett who was brought in to serve as a transitional piece before handing the reigns over to rookie QB Drake Maye who the Pats selected with the third overall pick in April's Draft, New England's offense ranks at the very bottom in both touchdowns (3) and average yards per game (246.3). The 49er defense will look to keep those numbers low on Sunday after giving up more touchdowns than they would've liked in each of the last two weeks. Entering their Week 4 meeting, the 49ers have 3 players that rank in the top 3 in their respective stat categories thru the first three weeks: Brock Purdy 2nd in passing yards, Jordan Mason 2nd in rushing yards and Jauan Jennings 3rd in receiving yards.

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49ers hang Historic Beatdown on Belichick, Patriots

Week 7 - Anxious to hit the road and continue their perfect record of 2-0 away from Levi's Stadium, while also hoping to string together a winning-streak with the San Francisco 49ers playing catch-up in the daunting NFC West at 3-3 on the year, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would take centerstage as he faced off against his former team in the New England Patriots (2-3). Filled with emotion, Jimmy G would not only answer the call, but he'd play a key role in one of the most lopsided defeats that his former team and former head coach have ever endured in New England. Coming off an ugly loss at home to the Denver Broncos, the Pats had not lost back to back regular season games at home since 2008. Unfortunately for them, coach Bill Belichick's team would witness that streak come to an end as Kyle Shanahan's 49ers who were coming off their biggest win of the season against the division rival Rams, were firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball. 

Fired up for the big game, Garoppolo would connect on 4-of-4 pass attempts on San Francisco's opening-drive, but it was the Niners' ground attack that got them on the board early as fourth-string running back Jeff Wilson Jr. made the most out of his first career start with an early touchdown. Known as an offensive guru for often scripting the first 15-plays on offense, coach Shanahan's team did something that the Patriots' last 32 opponents failed to do and that was score an opening-drive touchdown against them, snapping a streak that had stood since 2016. The Niners' second drive on offense wouldn't go as smoothly as Jimmy G air-mailed a pass that was intercepted and cashed-in for a New England field goal. After answering with a field goal of their own, the Niners defense began to torment Patriots QB Cam Newton as linebacker Fred Warner made a shoestring catch for an interception on the first play on the the Patriots' ensuing possession. Making quick work of the turnover, Garoppolo would share the wealth by handing the ball off to fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a 4-yard touchdown. Following a New England three and out, Jeff Wilson Jr. would be off to the races for a second time, adding a 16-yard touchdown to his busy day in the backfield. Searching for a big play on offense to get the team going before the end of the first half, Newton would launch a deep pass into double-coverage that was picked off and returned 51-yards by San Francisco's Emmanuel Moseley. But just two plays later, Garoppolo would go for a home run pass of his own that was intercepted as time expired to end the half. 

After failing to score any points in the first quarter for a third consecutive game and only a field goal to show for, the Patriots found themselves trailing on the scoreboard 23-3 at halftime, and an even bigger deficit in yards as the Niners dwarfed New England in total first half yardage -- 301 to 59, the biggest difference in first half yardage in both the NFL this season and in the Bill Belichick era. The Pats would show at least a slight glimmer of hope as they opened up the second half with a field goal to make it a 23-6 ballgame, but their defense continued to struggle at finding an answer for the 49er offense. A pair of big passing plays from Garoppolo to receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who had his best game yet during his rookie campaign, would setup another trip to the red zone. With only one rushing touchdown to his name entering the game, Jeff Wilson Jr. tallied his third touchdown of the day with a 7-yard score. Unfortunately, the Niners running back would get shaken up on the play and would have to be carted to the locker room after sustaining what team doctors confirmed to be a high-ankle sprain. Cam Newton would then see his day go from bad to worse as he was intercepted for a third time on a pass that was tipped by the intended receiver Julian Edelman and ended up in the hands of San Francisco's Jamar Taylor. 

Having seen enough of his struggling starter, coach Belichick would pull Newton from the game as he elected to go with backup QB Jarrett Stidham in the fourth quarter. But even then the Pats failed to steer clear of the turnover bug as Stidham was also intercepted by Jamar Taylor. It wouldn't be until the 3:06 mark of the 4th quarter that the 49ers finally called upon their punting unit for the first time on Sunday. But by then, the game was too far out of reach as San Francisco ran away with the 33-6 victory. Improving to 4-3 on the year, the 49ers would hand the Patriots their largest loss at home in the Belichick era (since 2000) and their second largest loss of any kind under Belichick. Falling to 2-4, New England would record their first sub-.500 record at the end of October in nearly two decades as they suffered their first three-game losing streak since 2002. Held to under 100 passing yards for the game, Newton connected on 9-of-15 pass attempts for 98 yards and three interceptions before being benched. Newton's only highlight would be that he became the first player in NFL history to reach 30,000+ passing yards and 5,000+ rushing yards in a career. 

As for Jimmy Garoppolo, the Niners QB completed 20-of-25 passes for 277 yards and two interceptions, while on his way to becoming one of only two former Patriot QB's to have been drafted by and start a game for Bill Belichick, to later defeat him as the future Hall of Fame coach entered the game with a record of 7-1 against his former QB's. Tallying nearly 200 yards on the ground, Jeff Wilson Jr. led all running backs with 112 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. Rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk led all receivers with six receptions for 115 yards receiving for his first 100-yard performance. And finally, tight-end George Kittle who finished the game with five receptions for 55-yards, set a 49ers franchise record for the most career receptions through a player's first 50 games. In spite of the win, the 49ers unfortunately lost another pair of weapons on offense in Jeff Wilson Jr. (ankle) and Deebo Samuel (hamstring), both of whom are expected to miss multiple weeks. 

Week 8 Preview - Looking to gain ground in the NFC Western Division standings, the 49ers will have a golden opportunity to do just that when they pay a visit to Seattle to take on Russell Wilson and the 5-1 Seahawks. Coming off their first loss of the season, an overtime thriller in the desert against the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll will look to stave off a second straight loss when the two teams meet on Sunday. Heading to Seattle's CenturyLink Field for the first time since the nail-biting victory in Week 17 that won the 49ers both the NFC West and the conference's number one overall seed, Kyle Shanahan is hoping for a similar outcome in Week 8, minus the near heart attack and late-game heroics. With both teams banged up, the Niners will need production out of the backfield from the next man up in running back JaMycal Hasty who has been a nice jolt for the offense when called upon as he's tallied 103 yards rushing on 20 carries this season (5.2 yards per carry). Like always when facing Seattle, the 49ers will need to contain the always dangerous and shifty Russell Wilson who they always seem to struggle against and keep in the pocket. But if Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh can get a repeat performance out of his unit like we saw in each of the last two weeks, the 49ers might be flying home with a three-game winning streak on their hands. 

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Niners End Skid with Big Win over rival Rams

Week 6 - A week after being embarrassed at home by the rebuilding Miami Dolphins and suffering a pair of bad losses to inferior teams, the San Francisco 49ers (2-3) entered their Sunday Night meeting with the rival Los Angeles Rams (3-1) as 3-point underdogs, despite being the home team. The game would also feature a pair of friends and former colleagues turned rival head coaches between Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, two of the brightest young play-callers in the league and two guys from the Bill Walsh coaching tree. Seeking their first home win of 2020 at Levi's Stadium after a disappointing 0-3 start, Shanahan's 49ers would turn back the clock both in the win column and in their wardrobe as they donned their throwback all-white uniforms which paid homage to the magical 1994 Super Bowl-winning season. And after a very sluggish start on both sides of the ball in their previous game, San Francisco got things going right out the gates thanks to one Deebo Samuel whom the Rams defense saw a steady diet of on the Niners' opening-possession. 

After gaining 35-yards on a heads-up play by one of their most dynamic weapons on offense just two plays into the game, coach Shanahan dialed up the perfect play to award him for his efforts as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo pitched the ball to Deebo who found the end zone from 6-yards out. Needing only six plays to march 76-yards down the field, the 49er offense had already looked leaps and bounds better than they did just a week earlier following their first possession. One player in particular who also looked a lot better would be Garoppolo who's been nursing a high-ankle sprain, but showed little to no ill-effects under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football. Following a trio of punts, the Niners offense would open the second quarter much like they did first, as Jimmy G found his Pro-Bowl tight-end George Kittle streaking to the end zone for a 44-yard score on fourth down. The Niners' second touchdown would awaken the Rams offense, at least momentarily as Jared Goff found his favorite target Robert Woods in the end zone for a touchdown on third and goal. After a blocked point-after by San Francisco's Dion Jordan, the 49ers found themselves leading 14-6 and wanting more with Los Angeles set to receive the ball to open the second half. 

The 49ers would get their wish and answer the Rams' touchdown-scoring drive with one of their own. Thanks to a healthy dose of running back Raheem Mostert, coupled with a pair of big receptions by receiver Kendrick Bourne, the Niners once again found themselves in the red zone. With their backs against the wall, the Rams gave up a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk on third and goal as San Francisco jumped out to a 21-6 lead which they would carry into the locker room at the half after forcing an L.A. three and out on the other end. Bouncing back from his forgetful performance just a week earlier, Jimmy Garoppolo became the first 49er QB with 200+ passing yards and 3+ touchdowns in a first half since Jeff Garcia in Week 14 of the 2003 season. However, Garoppolo and company would not be nearly as effective in the second half as they were kept out of the end zone the rest of the way. As for the Rams who were forced to play catch-up virtually all game long, L.A. did get a field goal to open the second half, but hit a major speedbump during their next trip to the red zone. Having been taken advantage of just one week earlier as the 49ers defense was without four of their top five cornerbacks in the secondary, Sunday night served as the coming out party for San Francisco's Jason Verrett. 

Plagued by a myriad of injuries throughout his career after a very promising campaign during his second-year in 2015 which berthed a Pro Bowl appearance with the Chargers, the former first-round pick looked a lot like his Pro Bowl-self against the Rams. Deciding to go for it on 4th and goal from the 2-yardline, Verrett intercepted a pass from Goff to end the threat and force the game's only turnover. For Verrett, the pick would be a long time coming as it was his first interception since 2016 and just the sixth of his career. While the turnover did hit the reset button on the Rams' attempt at pulling off a second-half comeback, they would eventually inch closer with a long touchdown pass from Goff to Josh Reynolds in the 4th quarter, but not before a Robbie Gould field goal to give the Niners a 15-point advantage. With the ballgame coming down to the final possession, the Rams suddenly found themselves in a battle against the clock as San Francisco possessed the ball at the two-minute warning. Without a timeout remaining and needing a stop on defense, Deebo Samuel spoiled the party and provided the final blow with a strong 11-yard gain to convert the game-sealing first down which allowed his team to milk the clock for the win. 

Improving to 3-3 on the year, Garoppolo is now 4-0 in his career against the Rams and has yet to lose two games in a row in his career. Rebounding from the ugly loss just a week ago which saw him benched in the second half due to his poor performance, Jimmy G has now gone 29 straight games to begin a career without consecutive losses, the fourth longest streak in NFL history behind Otto Graham (47), Dan Marino (33) and Andrew Luck (33). Garoppolo registered his best performance of the season by throwing for 268 yards, 3 touchdowns and no turnovers, compared to Goff's 198 yards, 2 touchdown and 1 interception performance. George Kittle led all targets with seven receptions and 109 receiving yards to go along with his touchdown. After sustaining an injury in the second half which ended Raheem Mostert's night at 65 rushing yards on 17 carries, the 49ers received some tough yardage from undrafted rookie running back JaMycal Hasty who tallied 37 fourth quarter yards on nine carries. The Rams' Darrell Henderson logged a solid 14 rush attempts for a game-high 88-yards on the ground. 

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the Niners' win, however, was how they were able to fend off the best defensive player in the league in Aaron Donald. If there was ever any one man in the NFL today that is capable of single-handedly dismantling a team's game plan on offense and required the undivided attention of an offensive-line, it would undoubtedly be the Rams' 2-time Defensive Player of the Year and 6-time Pro Bowler. With Donald coming off a four-sack outing in Week 5, the 49ers offensive-line which had struggled mightily as of late, was able to step up to the plate and keep the usual game-wrecker at bey in the 100th game of his career. Oddly enough, neither team recorded a single sack in the game. 

Week 7 Preview - For the first time this season, the 49ers will hit the road to take on a team not in the New York-New Jersey area as San Francisco makes a stop in New England to take on the Patriots (2-3). The meeting will showcase Jimmy G taking on his former team for the first time since they traded him to the Bay Area a little less than 3 years ago. With future Hall of Famer Tom Brady playing elsewhere, the 49ers will duel with Cam Newton under center. Even more bizarre than seeing someone other than Brady playing quarterback for New England, the Patriots find themselves with a losing record through their first five games of a season for the first time since 2001 and are coming off an ugly loss at home to the Denver Broncos in which they didn't allow a single touchdown on defense. While Newton might not be what he once was in the passing game and also lacks weapons on offense, he's still as dangerous as any with his legs, something that is always a cause for concern for the 49er defense when facing mobile QB's. The Niners will also need to do a much better job of pressuring the quarterback than they did in Week 6. As great a coach as there's ever been, one 49er received some very high praise when the Patriots' focus was shifted from the Broncos to the Niners during Monday's press-conference. Pats head coach Bill Belichick had some good things to say about San Francisco tight-end George Kittle whom the future Hall of Fame coach called, "as good as anyone I've ever coached." That's some very elite company considering Belichick has coached some of the best the game has ever seen in Brady, Randy Moss and even one of the most dangerous tight-ends in Rob Gronkowski. 

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Super Bowl 53 Preview & Prediction

With the AFC and NFC Conference Championships in the books, the table is officially set for Super Bowl 53 which will feature the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. Both teams punched their ticket to the big game by knocking off the number one seeds in their respective conferences. In what will be the ninth Super Bowl appearance of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's career, his foe this time around will be a familiar one. Making it to the big dance for the first time since Super Bowl 36 when Brady jump-started his Hall of Fame career with a win over a St. Louis Rams team led by Canton alum Kurt Warner, this Rams team looks to avenge the loss suffered by their "Greatest Show on Turf" brethren and bring the city of Los Angeles its first Super Bowl title since 1983 when the Raiders were still calling SoCal home. With the help of a last-second field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri, a young Brady helped the Patriots deny the Rams' plans of winning their second title in three years and ignite what would eventually be the start of a dynasty for New England.

Though this might be the same Tom Brady who's made a habit out of winning ballgames only with a lot more mileage on him, these aren't those same Rams he claimed title No. 1 against for a variety of reasons. Obviously they've endured a name change since relocating from St. Louis back to Los Angeles in 2016, but this Rams team also showcases a much scarier defense than that of any Rams team of the past, appropriately nicknamed the "Mob Squad". And unless you're a Tom Brady fanboy, New England native or salty Saints fan, chances are you're rooting for the Rams in this one, much like myself. But let's start with a little background on how both teams got here.

For the Rams who finished the season tied with the Saints for the best record in football at 13-3 and entered the playoffs as a No. 2 seed, the mentality coming into the year was virtually Super Bowl or bust after a busy offseason which included the acquisitions of speedy receiver Brandin Cooks, defensive stalwart Ndamukong Suh and the duo of Pro Bowl cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. Not to mention the mid-season acquisition of Dante Fowler and the big paydays given to running back Todd Gurley and defensive tackle Aaron Donald who agreed to contract extensions that would make them the highest-paid players at their respective positions. Getting off to an 8-0 start before falling to the Saints in New Orleans in Week 9, the Rams would be given a chance to avenge their first loss of the season with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line after taking care of the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional round. In a rematch of the Week 9 shootout which saw the Saints walk away with the 45-35 win, the Rams would once again have to come from behind, only this time they would prevail and move on. After watching New Orleans jump out to an early 13-0 lead in the opening quarter, the Rams held Drew Brees and the Saints to only 10-points the rest of the way and received clutch field goals from kicker Greg Zuerlein from 48 and 57 yards to send the game into overtime and ultimately catapult the Rams to the Super Bowl with a 26-23 victory. And while the game lived up to the hype of an NFC Championship, it would be a forgetful day for the officiating crew calling the game as there were a handful of missed calls in this one, but none bigger than the pass interference call that wasn't.

With 1:41 remaining in regulation, Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman committed what appeared to be an obvious penalty on Tommylee Lewis when he prematurely ran into the Saints receiver without even turning for the ball. What could've resulted in a flag for either helmet to helmet or pass interference -- take your pick, instead was treated as a basic incompletion which sent Saints head coach Sean Payton into a tirade and left the Superdome faithful in a chorus of boo's. The penalty would've likely allowed the Saints to milk the clock before settling for a last-second field goal to punch their ticket to Atlanta. Speaking in front of the media post-game, Payton went on to say that the league office had contacted him after the game and admitted that the officiating crew made a mistake and missed the call. Some are calling it the worst no-call they've ever seen, while others have pointed to another missed call on a face-masking penalty that the Saints got away with while the Rams were in the red zone one possession earlier before having to settle for a field goal. Regardless, it's the Rams who will be advancing to try and get their hands on the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy. Meanwhile, the heartbreaking loss is the second in as many years for the Saints in which they've been sent packing in the playoffs after suffering freak occurrences if you will. You may remember how last year ended for them when the Vikings scored on a walk-off touchdown appropriately named the "Minneapolis Miracle" from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs as time expired.

Now stop me when you've heard this story before, the New England Patriots have won the AFC title and are going to the Super Bowl. The Pats could miss the next ten Super Bowl's and we'd still be tired of seeing them there. However, they do make for some exciting, drama-filled games just about every year they've advanced to the big dance, so I'll give them that. But this was supposed to be the year that the Patriots fell off. This was supposed to be the year that father time caught up to the ageless wonder that is Tom Brady. And just when we began to think that their reign was coming to an end as Bill Belichick's Patriots began the season 1-2 following back to back losses to the lowly Jaguars and Lions, the phoenix rose from the ashes and finished the season 11-5, good enough for the AFC's No. 2 seed and a first round BYE. If we've ever had confidence in any team come playoff time over the last 20 or so years, it's been the Patriots. Regardless of how they get there, once they're in, it's smooth sailing unless you're the opposition. With a stout defense and a knack for playing better football on the road than at home, the Los Angeles Chargers at 12-4 on the year were supposed to be the team to go into Foxborough and upset the Patriots in the Divisional round. Instead, Brady and company dispatched Philip Rivers and the Chargers with ease, taking a 35-7 lead into the half before toying with them the rest of the way and allowing a pair of garbage time touchdowns in a 41-28 shellacking.

Then came the Chiefs who had vengeance on their mind and home-field advantage in their pocket. After suffering a 43-40 loss to New England in Week 6, their first and only loss until the Monday Night showdown with the Rams in Week 11, Andy Reid's Chiefs led by MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes, were thought to have enough firepower to overcome the 2-time defending AFC Champions. And though they would push New England to the brink and force the game into overtime, it was Brady and Belichick who would have their hand raised when the clock hit double-zero. With the Patriots opening the game with a 15-play drive that ate up over 8 minutes, things looked grim from the start for the Chiefs. More putrid officiating would come into play, again favoring the Patriots who benefited from a bogus roughing the passer penalty late in the fourth quarter on third down which eventually led to a touchdown-scoring drive. They would later dodge a bullet with a reversed call on what appeared to be a muffed punt by Julian Edelman and received a gift on a questionable catch by Chris Hogan that appeared to touch the ground but was ruled a catch upon further review. The Chiefs would rally in a fourth quarter that saw a combined 38-points scored between the two teams, but only to see their dreams come crashing down in OT as the Patriots won the coin-toss and marched down the field without giving Kansas City a chance which now has many people in and around football crying for a rule change that would give each team the ball at least once... As much as I was pulling for K.C. in that one, no thanks.

So instead of the Chiefs-Rams Monday Night rematch we were all salivating at and crossing our fingers for, we get Patriots-Rams. Sean McVay, arguably the best young coach in the league today will now go toe to toe with undoubtedly the greatest coach of all-time in Bill Belichick in a battle of new school versus old school. Quarterbacks Jared Goff who's young enough to be the son of his counterpart versus Tom Brady who has more Super Bowl appearances than any single team, two California natives from the Bay Area will square off. Running backs Todd Gurley versus Sony Michel, two former 1st round picks from the University of Georgia. If the match-ups don't catch your attention, perhaps the stats will. A win on Super Bowl Sunday would give the Patriots the most postseason wins in NFL history as they're currently tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers with 36. The Rams offense which ranks second in the league in both yards per game (421.1) and points per game (32.9), means the Patriots will have their hands full on defense once again and will need a repeat performance of what they were able to accomplish against Mahomes and the Chiefs.

One thing that's certain if the Rams want to reign victorious on Super Sunday is that they'll need a lot more help from star running back Todd Gurley. Despite the limited production against New Orleans, the Rams offense was able to get by with little to no assistance from Gurley (4 rushes, 10 yards, 1 touchdown), something I don't think they'll be able to do if they plan on taking down Brady and co. But ultimately, I think it'll be L.A.'s defense that makes the difference in this one, most notably the pass rush led by Donald and Suh. Then again the Pats offensive-line did a stellar job on Sunday by not allowing a single sack to the Chiefs who tied for the league lead in team sacks this season. With the opening line tabbing the Rams as 1-point favorites, it didn't take long for the big money to come flying in on New England who found themselves 1.5-point favorites just hours later. With all that said, I'm going Rams with the 26-20 win. Let's just hope the officiating or lack thereof doesn't play as big a role in this game as it did the previous two...


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Stocked and Loaded Super Bowl LII

With the 2017 NFL season nearing its end and the championship round of the playoffs in the books, the table is officially set for Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, we'll either have a newly crowned champion for the first time in their franchises history or the dynamic duo of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will add yet another title to their already crowded trophy case. And unless you're a Pats fan or actually live in New England (or a bitter Vikings fan and rightfully so), chances are you aren't hoping for the latter. In fact, this blog took me a lot longer to post due to the fact that the match-up is probably one we could've all done without seeing as the Patriots are a team everyone outside of New England is pretty much tired of seeing in the Super Bowl. And then there's the Eagles who you would think would be a rather easy team to root for in this case, seeing as they have zero Super Bowl titles to their name, but their fan base has seemingly done virtually everything possible to make us not root for them.

I'm aware that Philly sports fans have had a long storied history of having a bad reputation which spans from throwing batteries at Terrell Owens to pelting Santa Clause with snowballs, but this season saw a new low for Philly fans. Entering their match-up with the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC Championship, videos went viral showing a trio of Viking fans walking to Lincoln Financial Field while being booed and having expletives thrown their way. Both of which are completely normal for an opposing fan when stepping foot into enemy territory. But after those boo's and expletives came booze as Eagle fans began throwing beer cans and bottles at the fans. Not only is this dangerous but it's also a waste of beer, therefore that's minus two points for Philly fans from the jump. And then footage went viral of Eagles fans chucking beer and other items at the Vikings team bus after the game. Again, dangerous and a waste of beer. Finally, Eagles fans took to the streets of Philly to celebrate their Super Bowl-clinching win like fans normally do, no surprise there. But footage surfacing of two Eagles fans holding a banner that read, "Fuck Millie, Philly Philly", referring to 99-year old Vikings super fan Millie Wall who won over the hearts of football fans across the nation during Minnesota's miraculous last-second victory over the New Orleans Saints to punch their ticket to the NFC Championship. Thankfully no beer was wasted for a third time around (at least that we know of), but another low-blow by Philly fans nonetheless. All of this considered, I might have to cheer for New England in the Super Bowl... Who the heck am I kidding, that's still not enough to make me root for the Patriots. So the lesser of two evils it is. Fly Eagles Fly!...at least I think that's how it goes. 

Kidding aside, this could be a much better game than everyone seems to expect between the two No. 1 seeds. As much as we hate to see them in the big game, Super Bowl's containing the Patriots have made for some of the more entertaining Super Bowl's we've seen in years passed. Then again for most of us it's hard to think back to a Super Bowl that hasn't included Tom Brady and company which isn't so much a shot at the brilliance of he and his head coach as it is a tip of the hat. With the duo already owning the record for the most Super Bowl titles with five, the future Hall of Fame tandem which has already reached legendary status, can add yet another notch to their belt with a win on Sunday. And with many thinking this could be their last true go around at a championship with rumors swirling about the recent dysfunction stemming from the Jimmy Garoppolo trade and the butting of heads regarding Brady's personal doctor, I wouldn't put it passed them considering the now 40-year old Brady is still playing at a high level and says he wouldn't mind playing until he's 45. Not to mention how far behind the rest of the AFC appears to be from the Patriots. Likely to be named MVP for the 3rd time in his career, an award that likely would've been awarded to a quarterback (Carson Wentz) who will be on the opposite sideline of Brady had it not been for a season-ending knee injury, Tom Terrific has shown no signs of slowing, but will be asked to win with a different set of coordinators on both sides of the ball moving forward. Leaving coach Belichick's staff following the Super Bowl will be offensive and defensive coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia who are expected to take over the head coaching vacancies of the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions, respectively. 

And then there's the Philadelphia Eagles who despite cruising into the playoffs owning the NFC's No. 1 seed and tied with a league-best record of 13-3 in the regular season, have been ruled underdogs during their entire postseason run. Playing at home in each of those two playoff games, they'll most certainly be underdogs for a third consecutive week while playing on a neutral field. And given how the team has reacted to the underdog label, they're perfectly fine with that and are hoping to keep the streak alive. With many including myself thinking the Eagles had none chance of making it to the Super Bowl the moment Wentz was lost for the season following his devastating injury suffered against the Los Angeles Rams, the team has continued to do what they've done all year long -- win. And though the injury that was initially reported as being a torn ACL and recently learned to be a LCL tear and torn IT band to boot most certainly ended any chances of Wentz taking home the MVP hardware, it has all but ruled out his team's desire to bring home the true prize of them all -- the Lombardi Trophy. 

Though Brady will be favored over an Eagles offense led by backup QB Nick Foles, don't let the backup label fool you as Foles who hasn't necessarily been on this stage before, making his Super Bowl debut, he's had his fair share of success as he helped Philadelphia to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth in 2013 while putting up gaudy numbers in the regular season to the tune of 27 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. And while he's been a shadow of his 2013 self in the regular season, his last few outings have been some of his best since then. After playing a safe game against Atlanta in which Foles failed to record a single touchdown but also steered clear of any turnovers while throwing for 246 yards in the close 15-10 win, he erupted for 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and 352 yards against a stout Minnesota defense that Foles was able to pick apart as he helped Philly cruise to an easy 38-7 victory. With the Patriots opening as 5.5 point favorites, those odds took a one point dip since then due to the uncertain health of New England tight-end Rob Gronkowski who's been monitored in the league's concussion protocol after sustaining a helmet-to-helmet hit which forced him to leave the AFC Championship game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Odds makers likely saw what Brady and the NFL's No.1 offense accomplished in the fourth quarter of their comeback victory over a stout Jacksonville defense and like their chances of repeating the feat against a Philadelphia defense that also ranks high. But Philly's defensive advantage is at stopping the run, not so much against the pass which is what you want when facing Brady. 

But even if the Eagles are able to pull off the upset, they'll likely do so thanks to the heroics of their defense which ranked 4th overall this season. Jacksonville who gave Brady and the Patriots as much as a run as we've seen anybody give them in years, gave us a blueprint formula of how to defeat New England, despite not actually beating them as the dynamic duo of Belichick and Brady orchestrated yet another comeback victory in the second half despite being down 20-10 entering the fourth quarter. If Philadelphia can somewhat duplicate Jacksonville's first half for all four quarters and prove to be a handful for Brady, which is easier said than done, and Foles can put together a game similar to the one he had in the NFC Championship against the league's No. 1 defense, the Eagles can leave U.S. Bank Stadium victorious, proudly wearing their dog masks for the rest of the world to see. 

Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest 

Pats Shock Falcons in Super Bowl LI

For the fifth time, the New England Patriots are Super Bowl Champions. Led by the greatest quarterback-coaching tandem in NFL history, the Patriots pulled off the unthinkable by completing a 25-point comeback in the first ever Overtime Super Bowl. With the Falcons leading New England by a score of 28-3 midway through the third quarter, the game seemed to be all but over as Atlanta appeared to be on their way to claiming their first ever Lombardi Trophy. So much so that President Trump even reportedly left his Super Bowl party early once the Patriots fell into their 25-point hole. But Tom Brady and company would have none of that as they would soon orchestrate the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, while treating us to an instant classic in the third most watched Super Bowl ever.

Making their record-setting seventh Super Bowl appearance, Brady and coach Bill Belichick would have their fair share of mistakes early on as the tide quickly turned against them following a scoreless first quarter. With New England marching on offense and putting together what appeared to be a promising drive, things would soon go up in flames as running back LaGarrette Blount was stripped of the ball just two plays into the second quarter. The play would ignite a scoring barrage by Atlanta who scored 21 unanswered-points in a span of 12 minutes. After Devonta Freeman began things off with a 5-yard touchdown in which he cut far left and found his way into the end zone untouched, QB Matt Ryan who was named MVP the night before, needed only five plays to extend that lead, ending the drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to his tight-end Austin Hooper. Things would only get uglier the rest of the half as the Patriots were plagued by a series of unfortunate firsts.

After failing to score in a quarter for the first time in their last 32 quarters, came Blount's first fumble in 16 games. It would also mark the first time the Patriots would trail in a game since Week 12. Then came an 82-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Robert Alford to make it a 21-0 game. It would be the first return for a touchdown of any kind all year against New England and the first pick-six thrown in Brady's postseason career. It wasn't long before you began seeing coach Belichick on the sidelines, pencil and paper in hand, making early adjustments to address in the locker room come halftime. With only a field goal to show for at the half, the Patriots would watch their deficit climb to 25-points following a second touchdown pass from Matt Ryan on Atlanta's second possession of the third quarter. Leading 28-3 with a quarter and a half remaining, New England would need to pull off the largest comeback in Super Bowl history if they wanted to award their future Hall of Fame coach and quarterback duo with an unprecedented fifth ring. But while most teams would fold under pressure when facing such a deficit, Brady remained calm and poised as ever despite his team having its back against the wall. After a touchdown pass to backup running back James White who had himself a game to remember, the Patriots managed to inch a bit closer before the start of the fourth quarter, despite a missed extra-point by kicker Stephen Gostkowski, his fifth missed PAT of the year.

With Atlanta ahead 28-9 thru 3 quarters, the Falcons seemed destined to win and had the odds in their favor considering teams leading by 19 points thru 3 quarters in the postseason were an unbeaten 93-0 all-time. But if anybody was going to put that record to the test, you knew it would be Brady. Another Gostkowski field goal to start the fourth quarter helped make it a two-score game. And on Atlanta's ensuing possession, the New England defense would step up and put the ball back into their captain's hands. Facing 3rd and 1, the Falcons elected to opt for a pass play as Ryan was blindsided by middle linebacker Dont'a Hightower who made it to the quarterback freely after Devonta Freeman failed to pickup the blitz, resulting in a fumble recovered by New England. With new life and only 25-yards to go, you could feel the momentum shift immediately as Atlanta suffered their first turnover of the postseason. A touchdown pass from Brady to Amendola five plays later and a successful 2-point conversion on a direct-snap up the middle to James White made it an 8-point game.

Pinned back at their own 10-yard line, the Falcons quickly found themselves at mid-field as a wide-open Devonta Freeman gained 39-yards on the first play of the drive. Two plays later Julio Jones would display the type of footwork that would make Super Bowl hero Santonio Holmes proud as Jones somehow contorted his body and got both feet in-bounds to make a spectacular 27-yard catch, despite his momentum falling towards the sideline all while securing the ball. It would be the last positive of the day for Atlanta, however, as they soon found themselves going backwards. With the ball at the 22 and kicker Matt Bryant standing by in case of a field goal attempt to make it a two-score game, the Falcons would be doomed by a 12-yard sack and an offensive holding call which knocked them out of field goal range and allowing Brady and company to pull off a comeback for the ages. Entering the game, the longest drive the Patriots had put together all season was 91-yards, and with the game on the line, New England would need to duplicate that mark in order to tie the game.

With three and a half minutes to go and a pair of timeouts remaining, Brady would march his team into the end zone with time to spare. But not before a miraculous catch that almost wasn't as Atlanta nearly intercepted the ball which would've sealed the win for the Falcons. Instead, receiver Julian Edelman came down with an awe-inspiring reception that rivaled that of David Tyree's helmet catch against Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Surrounded by three defenders, Brady looked for Edelman down the middle but had the pass batted up into the air by Robert Alford. With Alford falling back on the play and landing on his back, the combination of Alford's foot and the hand of safety Ricardo Allen prevented the ball from hitting the ground which then allowed Edelman to get both hands on the ball as all four players hit the ground simultaneously. Though the catch would feature" 70% of luck" according to Edelman himself, it would help gain another 23-yards to keep the drive alive and avert disaster. Four plays later, James White scored his second of three touchdowns with a 1-yard run up the middle. Still needing to tack on the game-tying 2-point conversion, New England would to just that. With WR Danny Amendola in motion, Brady threw a dart to his receiver who was met at the goal-line, barely breaking the plane and knotting the game at a dead-even 28-28.

Heading into overtime, the Patriots seemed destined to win whereas Atlanta was left stunned at the fact that they had squandered a 25-point second half lead. And after winning the coin toss and electing to receive, New England marched their way to the 2-yard line before once again handing the ball to James White who put the finishing touches on the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history by breaking the plane to win it, 34-28. Hoping to get another crack at it and pull off some late-game heroics of his own, the reigning MVP was left watching hopelessly from the sideline as his defense was unable to keep the Patriots out of the end zone. While many have blamed the Falcons collapse on the offense for simply disappearing in the fourth quarter, Atlanta's defense allowed New England to score on each of their last five possessions, including their game-winning touchdown in OT to the tune of 31-unanswered points. Though I agree that they probably should've ran the ball more, if Atlanta stands their ground and stops at least one of New England's two-point conversion attempts, it's Matt Ryan and the Falcons who are the ones celebrating a tinker-tape parade. Instead, the Brady-Belichick regime etches yet another milestone into their legacy, becoming the first-ever QB and coach to hoist five Lombardi Trophies.

As for the Falcons who remain one of 13 NFL franchises yet to win a Super Bowl, the road back to Super Sunday figures to be a much harder task given they'll be without offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan who agreed to take the reigns as the next head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. Shanahan will be replaced by college offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian after serving in last month's BCS title game with the Alabama Crimson Tide. As for the Patriots, they now trail only the Pittsburgh Steelers' 6 Super Bowl titles and tie the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys with 5. With the loss, Matt Ryan became the eighth MVP since 2000 to make it to the Super Bowl and lose (0-8). Completing 17 of 23 passes, Ryan threw for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns but suffered that pivotal fumble which helped New England turn things around. Brady on the other hand set Super Bowl records for the most pass attempts (62), completions (43) and pass yards (466) to go with his pair of touchdowns and one interception, helping him claim Super Bowl MVP honors for a record 4th time. Many (Brady included) think it was Patriots backup running back James White who deserved the award, as he rushed six times for 29 yards, tallying a record 14 receptions for 110 yards and adding three total touchdowns to become the first player to ever record two rushing touchdowns and one receiving in a Super Bowl.

Now begins the speculation and chatter of whether or not we've seen Tom Brady in uniform for the last time. With a record five Super Bowl's under his belt and a promising young quarterback behind him in Jimmy Garoppolo for the Patriots to fall back on if need be, the man has nothing left to prove having already etched his name alongside his boyhood idol Joe Montana as the game's all-time greats, regardless of how you want to rank them. But with Belichick at his side and no real threat in the AFC to get in the way of yet another title run, why wouldn't he return for No. 6? After sticking it to his critics and redeeming himself from the Deflategate scandal, it's obvious that the fire still burns inside of Brady and that he's not ready to release his grasp on the league just yet.


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest 

Super Bowl LI Preview: Falcons vs Patriots

With both the AFC and NFC Championships in the books and new conference champions crowned, the table is officially set for Super Bowl LI. And with each team coming off of blowout victories, there should be no shortage of fireworks when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots square off against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons come February 5. But aside from claiming division crowns and dismantling their opponents in the playoffs in blowout fashion, the road these two teams have taken to get this far are very different from one another.

In what will be New England's fourth trip to the Super Bowl in the last decade and an NFL record 9th appearance overall, the Patriots who feature the number one ranked defense in the league, were able to shake off the early distraction of being without their star quarterback for a quarter of the season as Tom Brady served his 4-game suspension due to his connection with the Deflategate scandal. While the team would go 3-1 in his absence to begin the year, they wouldn't skip a beat upon his return either and were near perfect with their leader on the field to the tune of a 14-2 regular season record while ranking tops in the league in Wins and Losses: 11-1 (1st), Point Differential: +208 (1st), Points Per Game: 30.7 (2nd), and Points Per Game Allowed: 15.9 (1st). Even a red-hot team like the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of nine straight, couldn't get in the way of Brady and company as the Patriots handed Pittsburgh their worst loss in an AFC Championship in their 16 trips -- a 36-17 shellacking on Sunday. Brady would register a near perfect performance by passing for 384 yards and 3 touchdowns in the victory that would send his team to the big game. His go-to target in that game? Undrafted journeyman Chris Hogan who hauled in a career-best 180-yards and two touchdowns on 9 receptions.

As for the Falcons who made it this far under second-year head coach Dan Quinn by way of their high-octane offense which led the league in scoring spearheaded by MVP candidate Matt Ryan, the big game will be only the second trip to the Super Bowl for Atlanta in the franchise's 51 year history. With the Falcons' one and only Super Bowl appearance coming in 1998 -- an eventual loss to the Denver Broncos in the last game of John Elway's Hall of Fame career, the franchise is still seeking its first piece of hardware. Finishing atop the NFC South with an overall record of 11-5 during the regular season, the Falcons were a mediocre 7-5 on the year through their first 12 games before flipping the switch and winning their last four to closeout the season strong and hold off the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the division. And while most teams lacking Super Bowl experience are unable to translate their regular season success to the playoffs, the Falcons offense has been every bit as potent in the postseason as evident of their 44-21 handling of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers who entered Sunday's NFC Championship winners of 8 straight and playing out of this world at the QB position. But in the biggest game of his career and the Falcons' last game at the Georgia Dome, QB Matt Ryan was able to match and out-duel the performance of Rodgers by throwing for 392 yards and 4 touchdowns in a turnover-free game which gave him a passer rating of 139.4, the second-highest ever posted in a conference championship game behind only Kurt Warner's rating of 145.7 in 2009, bidding the perfect farewell to the team's home since 1992 and further solidifying his case for something no Atlanta Falcon has ever won before -- an MVP Award.

Ryan also added a rushing touchdown in Sunday's win over Green Bay to become the first-ever QB in Falcons franchise history as well as the first in playoff history to pass for four touchdowns and rush for another in the same game. He also became the first QB in history to record a passer rating of 120.0 in six consecutive games. Ryan's favorite target and in my opinion the best receiver in the league -- Julio Jones, led the way with a game-high 180-yards and a pair of touchdown grabs on nine receptions, eerily similar to Hogan's stats for the Patriots. Another team performance like that in a winning effort would make the Falcons the highest-scoring team to ever win a Super Bowl. Not to mention a title would do wonders for the city's fan base as Atlanta's only championship in either of the four major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA & NHL) came in 1995 (Atlanta Braves). But as we all know, that last win is always the hardest to get. And with history on New England's side, odds makers have the Patriots as 3-point favorites out of the gates. In case you were wondering the last time the Falcons defeated the Patriots, you'd have to go back to Week 10 of the 1998 season during Atlanta's only other Super Bowl run and before Brady was even drafted. Since then, the Patriots are a perfect 4-0 against Atlanta in the Brady era and are one of six teams the 2-time league MVP has never lost to in his career.

What also makes this match-up intriguing is that it will mark the seventh time the league's No. 1 scoring offense will meet the league's No. 1 scoring defense. A stat that figures to favor New England considering No. 1 offenses are 1-5 all-time versus No. 1 defenses in the Super Bowl. The last team sporting the league's best offense to fall victim to the league's best defense was Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos who set numerous records on offense during the regular season but were no match for the Seattle Seahawks' dominant defense in 2014 at Super Bowl 48. In fact, the only team with the No. 1 scoring offense to defeat a team with the league's No. 1 ranked defense was the 1989 San Francisco 49ers who blew out the Denver Broncos in record fashion with the largest blowout in Super bowl history, 55-10. A win for New England would give them five Lombardi Trophies, tying them with the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys for the second most Super Bowl victories of all-time with five. Brady will be trying just as hard to bring the Patriots their fifth title. Regarded as one of if not the greatest quarterback of all-time, Brady who will be making a record seventh Super Bowl appearance, can silence the critics once and for all if he's able to capture that elusive fifth Super Bowl ring, one for the thumb if you will, to add to his Hall of Fame resume.

But unless you're a Patriots fan, live in New England or just a Tom Brady fanboy, there's no reason you shouldn't be rooting for the Falcons to claim their first ever Super Bowl win. Unless for some odd reason you enjoy seeing the same thing over and over again. That's no diss to Brady and Pats head coach Bill Belichick who are undoubtedly the greatest quarterback-head coaching duo the NFL has ever seen, but the two have long been the commander and chief of the Evil Empire. You know, that team you've grown tired of watching win year in and year out. The Falcons on the other hand are both refreshing (seeing as they've never won it before), and exciting to watch. The Little Engine That Could, if you will. And for what it's worth, a computer simulation of Madden17 predicted back in August that the Falcons would make it to and win Super Bowl LI. With that said, here's to hoping for an exhilarating game (unlike last year's snoozefest) and a Falcons victory. Prediction: Falcons 27, Patriots 24.

Catch Super Bowl LI from Houston - Sun, Feb 5 Live on FOX @ 3:30PM PST.


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49ers Fall to Patriots in Brady's Homecoming

Week 11 - With Tom Brady and the 7-2 New England Patriots in town to face the 1-8 San Francisco 49ers, many Pats fans would be on hand despite the poor weather to witness Brady's homecoming to the Bay Area. And in their first ever game at Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium, New England would rebound from a disappointing loss to Seattle the week before. San Francisco wouldn't go without a fight, however, as they stuck around virtually all game long until the Patriots pulled away in the fourth quarter. Growing up just a stones throw from Santa Clara in nearby San Mateo and a big 49ers fan as a kid, Brady, the one who's often been compared to Joe Montana, his boyhood idol, felt right at home on Sunday afternoon.

Even without his Pro-Bowl tight-end Rob Gronkowski who sat out of Sunday's game with a lung injury, Brady managed to throw for 280 yards and four touchdowns on the afternoon in New England's 30-17 win, including the first touchdown reception of rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell's career, a 56-yarder in the fourth quarter. As for 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick who logged another turnover-free performance by throwing for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns, it would be his offensive-line that let him down early on in this one. After being sacked twice on San Francisco's first drive on offense and five times in the first half alone, the 49ers missed out on an opportunity to take the lead early on. With New England on top following a touchdown from Brady to Julian Edelman on the Pats' first possession, Kaepernick led the Niners down the field where they would set up shop at the 3-yard line, but they would fail to sniff the end zone and were forced to settle for a Phil Dawson field goal. Because of a missed extra-point attempt by Pats kicker Stephen Gostkowski, New England's lead would be 6-3. The usually automatic Gostkowski wasn't the only one who struggled with the PAT on Sunday as it would be a forgetful day for kickers all around the league.

At the time of Gostkowski's missed PAT attempt, there had already been nine missed extra-points on the day and that number would continue to rise. By day's end, there would be a record 12 missed PAT attempts on Sunday, further proof that the rule change the NFL implemented a season ago which moved the extra-point from the 2-yard line to the 15-yard line has made a huge difference. One kicker that wouldn't contribute to the dubious record and had himself a day worth remembering, however, was 49ers kicker Phil Dawson who put San Francisco on the board in the first quarter by drilling a 33-yard field goal. What may have seemed like any other field goal would be a special one for Dawson as it was the 400th made field goal his career, making him just the 10th kicker in NFL history to reach that mark. Also worth noting is that Dawson's career field goal percentage of 84.7 is the best among all kickers in the 400 FG club as the 41-year old has been successful on 14-of-15 field goal attempts this season.

Sadly, it would be one of the few highlights San Francisco would see on Sunday as New England continued to score touchdowns instead of field goals. The Patriots' second possession would end much like their first as Brady found another target who found the end zone, this time to running back James White who scored from 9-yards out. The 49ers would manage to make a game out of it before the half as Kaepernick connected with tight-end Vance McDonald for an 18-yard touchdown that made it a 13-10 game and pulled San Francisco within three. Both teams would exchange punts in a scoreless third quarter before New England found the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 5-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola. After the big play by Mitchell a couple possessions later and a Gostkowski field goal, the 49ers would soon find themselves down 30-10 after trailing by a field goal for nearly 20 minutes. San Francisco would find the end zone once more before it was all said and done as a garbage time touchdown pass from Kaepernick to Shaun Draughn on a wheel route inched the 49ers closer, but a failed onside-kick attempt would seal it as New England pulled off the 30-17 victory.

It would be sweet redemption for the Patriots who both bounced back from their Sunday Night loss a week ago and redeemed themselves from a loss at the hands of Kaepernick  and the 49ers in their most recent match-up in 2012, a 41-34 San Francisco victory in Foxborough on Sunday Night Football. The win for New England also catapulted Tom Brady in a tie with Brett Favre for the second most wins all-time with 199, trailing only Peyton Manning who has 200. As for the home team, it would be the ninth straight loss for the 49ers who are still in search of their first victory since their 28-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Rams in the season-opener. The 49ers lackluster run defense also made its return, allowing Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount to rush for 124 yards on 19 carries, this after holding Cardinals running back David Johnson to only 55-yards a week ago.

Week 12 - Hoping to shake off their 9-game skid, the 49ers will take to the road where they'll face the red-hot Miami Dolphins (6-4), winners of five straight. While the 49ers have been on a free-fall since their blowout Week 1 victory, the Dolphins have done the exact opposite, and now sit two games above .500 and in the playoff hunt after a disappointing 1-4 start to the season. Coming off a hard-fought win on the road in Los Angeles which saw Miami QB Ryan Tannenhill and the Dolphins erase a 10-0 deficit into a 14-10 victory with a last-minute touchdown to get the win. With run defense being the glaring weakness of this year's 49ers team, they'll have to keep close tabs on Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi who logged consecutive games of 200-yards rushing this season and has been a huge reason his team is riding a 5-game win-streak. If they can do that and contain Miami's run game, I like San Francisco's chances of putting an end to both Miami's win-streak and the 49ers' skid. The 49ers will also be hitting the field vs Miami without Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid who's been ruled out with a season-ending injury as he suffered a torn biceps in the loss to New England.


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