1. Did you know that the Atlanta Falcons failed to post back to back winning seasons for the first 40 years of existence in the league? There’s not a lot of consistent success with this football team. Even this group of Falcons struggled, finishing under 500 two years in a row before going 8-8 last season.
2. The last time they made the Super Bowl was in 1999, with Chris Chandler leading the way at quarterback. They would lose to the power house Denver Broncos, who featured John Elway and Terrell Davis and won their second straight Super Bowl pretty easily, 34-19.
3. Falcon’s quarterback Matt Ryan, (a Boston College graduate by the way) once played against the Maine Black Bears, failing to score a touchdown in the game. Ryan and Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady regularly text back and forth.
5. Ryan, at 31 years old, took a while to get to his first Super Bowl but he may be the most accomplished passer ever to be making his first appearance. His 37,701 career passing yards are more than any other quarterbacks making their first appearance. He’s also beaten 30 of the 32 teams currently in the league, though he is 0-2 against New England.