Was this the absolute worst Championship Sunday that NFL fans have ever seen? I’d have to say yes because they were complete blowouts. When you look at what has happened throughout the season, this postseason has been a major outlier and really underwhelmed fans especially after what happened during the Sunday games last weekend.
While the games were poor, there were several things that I noticed from watching these games on Sunday. Here are some of my observations from Championship Sunday.
Matt Ryan Sheds Old Image
One of the things that I observed from the divisional game against the Seattle Seahawks was that this team looked like they wanted to shed an image of being unable to win big games. This was a game that the Atlanta Falcons officially shed that image on Sunday afternoon with a convincing win over the Green Bay Packers. You saw Matt Ryan have a very strong game that was helped out by a great defensive effort. If he can have a performance like that in two weeks, that image of being unable to win the big one will be a thing of the past.
Patriots Continue to Do Patriots Things
The narrative over the last 15 years doesn’t change when it comes to the New England Patriots in the postseason. While last week New England looked somewhat human against Houston, they were able to shut down Big Ben and the Killer B’s to head to their ninth Super Bowl. The Patriots have been the dynasty that has run roughshod over the NFL for a long time and it seems like even if you suspend Tom Brady for the first four games, they’ll still get into the Super Bowl. There are not many people looking forward to this year’s Super Bowl, but one thing you need to be rooting for is a good game. That has been severely lacking over the last month.
Can Atlanta Sustain Success?
In my mind, the Falcons can sustain this success. New England hasn’t faced off against a quarterback ranked in the top 10 of quarterback rating this season. If Matt Ryan can do what he does best, the Patriots could be in some major trouble. And if the Falcons offense is somewhat struggling, their defense is pretty strong with a pair of former Tigers in Deion Jones and Jalen Collins showing out. With about two weeks left before the Super Bowl, I am leaning towards Atlanta hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in NRG Stadium.
-Clint Domingue