Tom Brady and the Patriots look for their fifth Super Bowl victory, while the Falcons are still looking for their first Lombardi Trophy, making their first appearance in almost 20 years.
Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons kicks off on Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The Patriots (16-2) are searching for their fifth title in franchise history — and second in three years — while the Falcons are making their second-ever appearance in the Super Bowl looking to notch their first victory. Atlanta hasn't advanced this far in the postseason since 1998. The Falcons (13-5) boast the league's highest-scoring offense with quarterback Matt Ryan, wideout Julio Jones and running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. They've been bolstered lately by a defense that has made major strides this season and held two of the league's best teams in the Seahawks and Packers to no more than 21 points in the Divisional Round and NFC Championship, respectively.
New England, meanwhile, dominated the AFC all season, even with quarterback Tom Brady sitting out the first four games of the year while serving a suspension from the DeflateGate incident. After dispatching the Houston Texans, and the NFL's best defense, in the Divisional Round, the Patriots routed the Steelers in the AFC Championship. New England hasn't dropped a game since mid November.
And that's just the game. The Super Bowl is a week full of entertainment and activity. It kicks off with opening night Monday in primetime. The event used to be known as Media Day, but as the Super Bowl audiences have grown, so has the stature of the event and the demand from fans to get a bigger introduction to the players.
As with every Super Bowl, there is a plethora of events that fans traveling to the game can go to. Some of them last throughout the week, too. The NFL Experience offers games, youth football clinics, team gear, and even autograph sessions from various NFL players. There, you can also participate in a 40-yard dash and vertical jump. There are also Super Bowl rings on display and fans can get a photo with the Lombardi Trophy.
Super Bowl Live features a free fan village for family activities, including a ride called the Future Flight that transports riders to Mars — with a little help from virtual reality goggles. At the NFL Fan gallery, visitors can gather outside of the media center to catch all of the action leading up to kickoff.
This year's halftime show will feature Lady Gaga. She joins quite the impressive group of former Super Bowl halftime performers. Super Bowl 50’s halftime performance with Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars drew in more than 115.5 million viewers in the United States alone.
You can follow everything from the game to the performances to the commercials right here with Vox Media.