Fueling those predictions are the results of Sunday's 44-21 NFC Championship win by the Falcons over the Green Bay Packers at the Georgia Dome and the Patriots' 36-17 win over Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship.
Here are six amazing feats to emerge from those outcomes:
NFC South is king
The Falcons' berth in Super Bowl LI means every team from the NFC South has reached a Super Bowl, becoming the only division - since the league realigned in 2002 - to do so. The New Orleans Saints (2010) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002) were crowned champs. The Carolina Panthers reached the Super Bowl in the 2015 season.
The #Falcons are going to Super Bowl 51! pic.twitter.com/Oz0mK9JPFl
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) January 22, 2017
Tom Brady is a ‘Super’ guy
New England's Tom Brady will extend his NFL record for Super Bowl starts by a quarterback to seven. As a starter for 16 seasons, Brady has reached the Super Bowl 47 percent of the time.
Tom Brady. Wow. pic.twitter.com/avds305Ooj
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 23, 2017
Ryan just scored again
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will be making his first Super Bowl in his ninth season. He is the first NFL quarterback to throw at least three touchdown passes in four straight postseason (2012 and 2016) games.
On the big stage, @M_Ryan02 had poise.
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2017
And he lifted the @AtlantaFalcons to #SB51: https://t.co/xUG9M5NnRX (Via @MikeSilver) pic.twitter.com/W38eBkpeLN
Power couple
Entering their seventh Super Bowl together, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have won 24 postseason games together - an NFL record.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick head to their seventh Super Bowl, something no coach or player has ever done https://t.co/z4EqiA6kZR
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 23, 2017
The unsung hero
Chris Hogan set a record for receiving yards by an undrafted player in a playoff game - 180 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In one game he surpassed his entire production at Monmouth, where he played one season catching 12 passes for 147 yards.
Chris Hogan played 3 years of lacrosse at Penn St, 1 year of football at Monmouth, undrafted. Story never gets old. pic.twitter.com/DTPxkzHmLn
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 23, 2017
Julio, the jet
Julio Jones finished the game NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers two yards shy of his own franchise postseason record of 182 yards, set in 2012 against the San Francisco 49ers. Jones, however, becomes the first player in the Super Bowl era with two games of 150 yards and two touchdowns in conference title games.
Furthermore, Jones is now one of three players with multiple postseason games of 180 receiving yards. Hall of Famers Fred Biletnikoff and Jerry Rice are the other.
#JetJones✈️ has taken off!
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 22, 2017
GB 0 | ATL 31#GBvsATL https://t.co/dfp4NT656c
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