Keidel: Will Offense Or Defense Win Super Bowl LI?
The Falcons and Patriots both feature dominant offenses. Stopping them might be the key to winning Super Bowl LI.
Watch CBS News
The Falcons and Patriots both feature dominant offenses. Stopping them might be the key to winning Super Bowl LI.
Now that the bulk of Super Bowl Week activities/distractions have been conducted, the Patriots and Falcons will spend the rest of their time concentrating on the real issue -- the game.
To hear the story about the day Chris Hogan arrived on Monmouth's doorstep, it sounds almost like folklore, as though he were the Paul Bunyan or Roy Hobbs of mid-major college football.
Just as winning the Super Bowl has a special gravitas, so does losing it. We keenly recall the team that wins it all, and the team that fell four quarters short.
No NFL franchise has been as successful as the New England Patriots this century, but the outlook for the 2016 season was dim with the announcement that the team would be without quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the year. However, the organization overcame its star QB's league suspension, and the Patriots finished with the best record, the best scoring differential and the best scoring defense in the NFL on their way to an seventh Super Bowl appearance since 2001. This is how they got here.
It's not enough to depend on superstar players. It's often up to role players to step up when a world title is on the line.
Does anyone really think the Atlanta Falcons will win this game?
Some highlights from Super Bowl LI at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Matt Ryan was supposed to be the savior of the Atlanta Falcons when they drafted him but he soon earned a reputation as someone who lost in big games. Everything changed in 2016 and he has the Falcons ready to win their first ever Super Bowl.
This year's Super Bowl has shaped up to really be two of the very best teams in the NFL, and it doesn't hurt that two of the elite quarterbacks are also involved. Both Matt Ryan and Tom Brady are working through Hall of Fame careers, but the latter isn't slowing down as his age keeps going up.
Rob Gronkowski is the Patriots' second-most indispensable player, and the team has won despite his season-ending injury.
But for all the aerial splendor, something sets it up. Another dynamic makes the passing game possible. And, despite the sport bending the rules so heavily in favor of throwing the football, running with the rock still works.
The New England Patriots didn't get as good as they are by making poor choices and just drafting any player on the board. Every single decision they have made in the past few years have led up to this point and this collection of players is the reason they are heading back to the Super Bowl.
It has gotten to the point where seeing the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl elicits more shrugs than raised eyebrows. So much for parity.
Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick, may be the greatest coach in NFL history, especially given this era of parity and free agency.
The Falcons are a better defensive team than they were in 2014 or 2015. But it's fair to ask just how much better.
The message from coaches approaching Super Bowl Week is generally the same year to year. "Enjoy the experience," they say. "But not too much."
While it may seem impossible to imagine, CBS2's Steve Overmyer may have found a reason for you to root for the Patriots.
Here are five reasons you should root for the Falcons in this year's big game.
Whether you like them or not, there are a lot of reasons to root for the Patriots to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Despite having the NFL's eighth-ranked defense this season, New England doesn't have a lot of big-name players on that side of the ball.
For all of Belichick's four Super Bowl victories over the previous 16 years coaching the Patriots, one must never forget that way, way back, he, too, was once the hot defensive coordinator.
How did the Steelers not see that coming? That was the sentiment from Mike Francesa on Monday while discussing the Patriots' 36-17 victory over the Steelers in the AFC championship game.
Tom Brady and Matt Ryan, two contrasting quarterbacks leading high-powered offenses, are the story for Super Bowl LI.
A Boston man described by his lawyer as a "die-hard Patriots fan" has pleaded not guilty to pulling a fire alarm that roused the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers from their hotel beds ahead of their playoff game against New England.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine said NYC faces a budget shortfall of $2.2 billion this fiscal year, and $10.4 billion in FY2027.
Officials are asking for help finding the person who abandoned a dog with a severe cut to its throat near a New York cemetery.
Infielder Bo Bichette and the New York Mets have agreed to a $126 million, 3-year contract, a source tells The Associated Press.
The New Jersey man convicted of driving drunk and killing four people at a Fourth of July celebration in Manhattan will spend at least 24 years in state prison.
New Jersey officials are warning residents to be careful after a resident reported their small dog was attacked by a coyote.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine said NYC faces a budget shortfall of $2.2 billion this fiscal year, and $10.4 billion in FY2027.
The New Jersey man convicted of driving drunk and killing four people at a Fourth of July celebration in Manhattan will spend at least 24 years in state prison.
Surveillance video shows the woman being dragged beneath the vehicle for several feet in Brownsville.
Negotiators for major New York City hospitals and NYSNA return to the bargaining table as the city's largest nurses strike enters a fifth day.
Get ready for more winter weather in the Tri-State Area because we're tracking two chances for accumulating snow this weekend.
Get ready for more winter weather in the Tri-State Area because we're tracking two chances for accumulating snow this weekend.
Two men posing as Amazon delivery workers held a Connecticut homeowner at gunpoint while robbing him and his wife, police said.
Wednesday night, things begin to change. Showers linger, and areas well north and west may pick up some light snow.
Police in Danbury, Connecticut, are actively looking for a man who they believe fired a deadly gunshot that traveled through a wall and killed his neighbor.
There's plenty of sunshine is on the way to the Tri-State Area, but the First Alert Weather team is also tracking a round of snow later this week.
New Jersey officials are warning residents to be careful after a resident reported their small dog was attacked by a coyote.
Get ready for more winter weather in the Tri-State Area because we're tracking two chances for accumulating snow this weekend.
A data company is finding that some Airbnb hosts in New Jersey are charging a lot for the time period around upcoming World Cup matches.
A pastor in Morristown, New Jersey, says community members are too afraid to go outside after recent ICE activity.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is reflecting on his public career as he moves to New York for his next job.
Get ready for more winter weather in the Tri-State Area because we're tracking two chances for accumulating snow this weekend.
A federal judge ruled the Empire Wind project can move forward while he considers the merits of the Trump administration's order to suspend it.
Hochul said she would commit $1.7 billion in the next budget to expand child care in New York in her 2026 state of the state address.
Wednesday night, things begin to change. Showers linger, and areas well north and west may pick up some light snow.
Three people were sentenced Tuesday for their roles in murdering and dismembering a man and a woman in Amityville in February 2024.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine said NYC faces a budget shortfall of $2.2 billion this fiscal year, and $10.4 billion in FY2027.
Hochul said she would commit $1.7 billion in the next budget to expand child care in New York in her 2026 state of the state address.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Machado previously said she wanted to "share" the prize for removing Nicolás Maduro from power.
A panel of judges on a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that a district court judge did not have the authority to order the release of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a man Wednesday night in north Minneapolis after allegedly being attacked by men with shovels during an arrest operation, three U.S. officials told CBS News.
Negotiators for major New York City hospitals and NYSNA return to the bargaining table as the city's largest nurses strike enters a fifth day.
Nurses continue to hold the picket line as the largest nurses' strike in New York City history is on its third day with no end in sight.
Nurses say health care benefits and workplace safety are their main reasons for striking, and are refusing to go back to work until their demands are met.
Loved ones of patients at hospitals in New York City are concerned about care as nurses continue to strike due to failed contract negotiations on Monday.
The New York State Nurses Association said it called for the strike as negotiations stalled with the city's wealthiest hospitals.
John Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician known for his work with the Fugees, was found dead in his home in Massachusetts.
The 2026 Golden Globes honored the standouts in both film and television from last year. See the full list of winners and nominees.
Here is everything you need to know about how to watch and stream the 2026 Golden Globes.
Bob Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Grateful Dead classics including "Sugar Magnolia," "One More Saturday Night" and "Mexicali Blues."
Video of an angry confrontation during intermission at a performance of "Mamma Mia!" on Broadway is going viral on social media.
Infielder Bo Bichette and the New York Mets have agreed to a $126 million, 3-year contract, a source tells The Associated Press.
Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves for his NHL-leading fifth shutout of the season as the New York Islanders edged the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 on Thursday night.
Jimmy Butler had 32 points and eight rebounds, Stephen Curry warmed up in the second half to finish with 27 points and seven assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the New York Knicks 126-113 on Thursday night.
Authorities said the alleged scheme involved 39 players, 17 different NCAA Division I men's basketball teams and 29 games.
Negotiations are ongoing, but John Harbaugh is expected to end up coaching the New York Giants.
A group in Queens has banded together to revive landlines and give their children a simpler way to socialize.
A city-approved plan to rezone a stretch of Atlantic Avenue is expected to bring thousands of new apartments to Brooklyn, but tenant advocates say the deal falls short for lower-income residents and could accelerate displacement.
A three-year pilot run by the Brooklyn Justice Initiative and the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice aims to improve court compliance and reduce recidivism by meeting participants where they live.
Harlem native Teyana Taylor wins her first major acting honor at the 83rd Golden Globes Awards for her performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another." Locals say it's a win for the whole neighborhood.
Legislation would protect and expand hunger programs and improve benefit security as New York pantries see rising demand.
The Halloween tradition strolled through Manhattan's East Village on Sunday, with furry friends dressed in colorful costumes.
A suspect was taken into custody after an attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on June 1 in which there were 15 people and a dog who were victims. The suspect threw Molotov cocktails that burned some of the victims, who were part of a march for Israeli hostages.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Dogs got decked out for the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City's East Village on Saturday.
Cosplayers flooded New York City's Javits Center in October 2024 for the annual New York Comic Con convention.
John Elliott has the Tri-State Area's updated Friday afternoon First Alert Forecast on CBS News New York.
Mount Sinai representatives and NYSNA returned to the bargaining table after a week of picketing. CBS News New York's Doug Williams reports.
New York City is facing a massive budget gap in the immediate future, Comptroller Mark Levine said Friday.
It happened around 6:45 a.m. near the intersection of Pitkin and Osborn Street. CBS News New York's Hannah Kliger reports.
Dylan House, Director of Public Programs at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, talks with CBS New York's Mary Calvi about the museum's "Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Festival".
