For the second time in franchise history, the Atlanta Falcons have stamped their ticket to the Super Bowl. The last time that Atlanta went to the Super Bowl, in 1998, the Denver Broncos trounced Atlanta 34 to 19. Dan Reeves was Atlanta’s coach. Atlanta was terrible in the 1998 Super Bowl. Things could be different for Atlanta in their second trip to the Lombardi Trophy game. See below for four reasons why and before you bet on the NFL playoffs, click here to cash in on the latest Super Bowl 51 promos.

4 Reasons Why Atlanta Falcons Will Win Super Bowl 51

   

QB Matt Ryan

Matty Ice played well enough during the NFL Regular Season to secure the NFL MVP Award. He’s listed at -145 to win the NFL MVP in the sports book. How well did Ryan play during the regular season? How does 4,944 yards, 38 TDs, a 69.9% completion percentage, and only 7 interceptions sound? Yeah, that’s pretty good! In 1998, Atlanta’s QB was Chris Chandler. Ryan is a lot better than Chris Chandler. He completed passes to 8 different receivers in Atlanta’s 44 to 21 win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. He also rushed for a TD. Matty Ice has been ice all season long. There’s no reason to believe he’s going to fold in the biggest game of his career on Feb. 5.

An Improved Defense

I love how Atlanta’s defense improved towards the end of the regular season. Starting in Week 16, Atlanta’s D stepped it up big time in every game. Versus Carolina in Week 16, Atlanta held the Panthers to only 16 points. The Saints scored 32 points versus the Falcons in Week 17, but the score was Atlanta 38 and New Orleans 13 by the end of the third quarter. Atlanta picked off Seattle QB Russell Wilson twice in their 36 to 20 NFC Divisional Playoff win. In the NFC Championship, Atlanta forced and recovered a fumble and picked off Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers.

A Balanced Offense

Although Matt Ryan is great, it’s not like Atlanta’s offense is one-dimensional. Yes, Matt Ryan averages 295.3 passing yards per game, ranked third in the NFL, but Atlanta also ranks in the Top 10 in rushing yards per game in the league. The Falcons rush for 120.5 yards per game. That ranks fifth in rushing yards per in the NFL.

Hunger

The Falcons didn’t even make the playoffs in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Atlanta went into this season with one of the toughest schedules in the league. The Falcons play in the NFC South where the Carolina Panthers play. Even faced with all of that, Atlanta managed to win their division and to beat Seattle and Green Bay to make it to the Super Bowl. That kind of hunger could lead to Falcon upset win over the Patriots in Super Bowl 51.