When it comes to choosing a Super Bowl winner this year, if there is one person you would like to hear before making your choice, it is Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan not only ended the season playing against the Buccaneers (Week 15), Chiefs (Week 16) and Buccaneers (Week 17), but he also lost a Super Bowl to Tom Brady, which could make him the most qualified person in the world to give a preview of the Super Bowl LV.
Before we get to your prediction, however, let’s go back and see how the Falcons fared during that brutal stretch of three games to end their season. Although the Falcons lost all three games, they were extremely close.
In the week 15 game against the Buccaneers, Falcons had a 24-7 lead four minutes from the end of the third period, but then wasted it in the 31-27 loss. The Falcons wasting giant leadership for Brady. Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
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In the Week 16 game against the Chiefs, the Falcons had a chance to take the turnaround, but kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 39-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining, which would have sent the game into overtime. It was Koo’s only fault throughout the year between 30 and 39 yards.
In Atlanta’s week 17 rematch with the Buccaneers, the Falcons only lost 30-27 with four minutes to go, but somehow managed to find a way to lose 44-27.
Basically, all three games were played and they were played because Ryan had three of his best games of the season. In the three losses, Ryan averaged 307 yards per game, throwing a total of seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
Based on how well Ryan played and based on the fact that he saw the Super Bowl teams for three consecutive weeks to end the season, this makes the Falcons quarterback the perfect person to ask for a Super Bowl prediction and that’s exactly what the team at 680 The Fan did this week.
So who does Ryan think will win?
“Tampa,” said Ryan. “As much as it pains me to say that, I felt that their defense was one of the most difficult to face throughout the year, we had to face them twice. I think offensively, they improved all year round and I think they are playing their better football now, but I think it will be a difficult game. Both teams are really good, but if I had to choose one, I think I would choose Tampa. “
On the one hand, this choice makes perfect sense because you don’t want to choose against the team that plays twice a year. You also want to show a little love for your division team – you know, because high tide raises all boats and everything – but what happens here is that I don’t think Ryan was being diplomatic. It looks like he definitely thinks the Buccaneers are going to win.
“I’m just telling you, the first-hand experience facing both teams and we played hard against both,” said Ryan. “There is no doubt about it. For me, it [Tampa Bay] The defensive line was the best we faced and they make it difficult for you. It is very difficult to manage football, but they also pass quickly, they are beasts in the pass-rush game. “
Choosing Buccaneers cannot be easy for Ryan just because they are defenders of TOM BRADY, who gave Ryan the most painful defeat in Super Bowl history just four years ago in a game where the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead (E yes, everyone in the media needs to mention this game whenever they make a story about the Falcons and / or the Super Bowl. Sorry, fans of the Falcons.
If you want to see if anyone at CBSSports.com agrees with Ryan’s choice in the Super Bowl, click here to check out our choices.