This has been a special season for the brotherhood in Atlanta. Take a look back at 51 moments leading up to Super Bowl LI.
In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Julio Jones got the best of Richard Sherman, gaining 67 receiving yards and a touchdown.
A year after losing 38-0 in Carolina, the Falcons defeated the Panthers by the score of 33-16 at Bank of America Stadium in Week 16. Hours after that victory, they clinched their first playoff berth and division title since 2012.
Head coach Dan Quinn likes to say games are "all about the ball," and the players lived by that mindset in 2016. Their plus-11 turnover ratio was the fourth-best mark in the NFL.
Arguably the best free agent signing of 2016, Alex Mack has stabilized the Falcons' offensive line by consistently playing Pro-Bowl caliber center.
Atlanta's improved defensive front has been outmuscling its opponents more often than not.
Atlanta allowed just 104 rushing yards per game during the regular season, a one-yard improvement from last year.
After a tough loss on opening day, the Falcons got back on track in Week 2 by triumphing over the Raiders, 35-28, in Oakland.
The Falcons routed the Rams in Los Angeles during a Week 14 battle, kickstarting a six-game winning streak that is alive heading into Super Bowl LI.
Justin Hardy scored a touchdown for the second consecutive week in New Orleans. The Falcons scored 45 points at the Superdome, marking the first of six times they eclipsed 40 points leading up to the Super Bowl.
LaRoy Reynolds recovered a first-half fumble vs. the Saints, helping the Falcons to their second straight victory.
The Falcons defense held Drew Brees to 6.9 yards per attempt en route to their second win of the season.
Devonta Freeman rushed for a season-high 152 yards in New Orleans. He also notched five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown catch.
Dwight Freeney registered his first sack on Monday Night Football against New Orleans.
Desmond Trufant tallied a sack and a tackle for loss during Atlanta's Week 3 win over New Orleans.
Before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, Jacob Tamme caught 22 passes for 210 yards (a 9.5 average) and three touchdowns.
On the front end of its extended road trip out West, Atlanta beat Denver 23-16 thanks to a well-rounded effort on both sides of the ball.
Matt Ryan showed he can be elusive with the football in his hands. Atlanta's franchise QB rushed for 117 yards during the regular season, and in the NFC Championship game, he scrambled for a crucial first-half score.
Austin Hooper has turned in a strong rookie campaign, catching 19 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns in 14 regular-season games.
Pro Bowler Devonta Freeman had his second-straight 1,000-yard rushing campaign. He finished the regular season with 1,541 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns.
Vic Beasley, Jr. became the first Falcon to be a single-season sack leader by racking up 15.5 in 16 games. Only John Abraham (16.5 in 2012) has had more in one year in franchise history.
The Falcons were the only NFL team to start the same five offensive linemen in all 16 regular season games.
Ricardo Allen solidified his role as the team's No. 1 free safety. He made 90 tackles and caught two interceptions in the regular season. Allen has also snagged an INT in each of Atlanta's first two playoff contests.
Tevin Coleman enjoyed a breakout season in 2016, scoring 13 touchdowns so far in 15 appearances.
Even though he missed two games in December, Julio Jones' 1,409 receiving yards were the second-most in the regular season. He's continued to excel in the playoffs with 15 combined catches for 247 receiving yards and three touchdowns against Seattle and Green Bay.
Formerly a starter on defense, Paul Worrilow has embraced his new role as a special teams ace and mentor to the Falcons' young linebackers.
Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel bolstered Atlanta's wide receiving corps with 653 and 579 receiving yards during the regular season, respectively.
After taking down the Packers in dramatic fashion, the Falcons dominated the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, 43-28.
The Falcons defense started the year strong and continued through the season with a relentless persuit to get to opponents' quarterbacks.
Matt Ryan turned in an MVP-caliber season by breaking numerous franchise records and leading an offense that finished with the ninth-most points in NFL history.
After their bye week, the Falcons got back on track in Week 12 by beating the Cardinals, 38-19.
Taylor Gabriel has developed a knack for making big plays, scoring seven touchdcowns and averaging 16.5 yards per catch during the regular season.
By making 34 of 37 field goals during the regular season, Matt Bryant received his first ever Pro Bowl nomination.
When Desmond Trufant was lost for the year with a pectoral injury, Jalen Collins stepped up and has filled that cornerback role nicely. In his last four games, Collins has caught two interceptions and forced a fumble, which he recovered.
First round pick Keanu Neal quickly emerged as one of the NFL's best rookies. He recorded 106 tackles during the regular season (despite missing two games) and garnered a reputation as a hard-hitting safety.
De'Vondre Campbell, drafted in the fourth round, earned a starting linebacker job out of the gate and has steadily developed throughout 2016.
Second-round pick Deion Jones emerged as a leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year thanks to his 108 tackles, which led all rookies, four interceptions and two pick-sixes.
In his second NFL season, Grady Jarrett became the Falcons' starting nose tackle and proved valuable in all defensive situations.
After losing to the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game, Packers DB Morgan Burnett said Atlanta has "the best wide receiver in the NFL, and Matt is going to be the MVP for a reason."
This season, Aldrick Robinson had his first 100-yard game in the NFL, averaged 16.2 yards per reception and caught two touchdowns.
When Adrian Clayborn dragged down Philip Rivers on Oct. 23, he earned his fourth sack in three games.
Devonta Freeman tallied 125 yards from scrimmage and a TD vs. Seattle, helping the Falcons win their first playoff contest since 2012.
In their first meeting with the Packers, the Falcons gained 25 first downs and 367 total net yards en route to a one-point victory.
When Vic Beasley, Jr. sacked Aaron Rodgers in Week 8, he reached 6.5 sacks in a four-game span.
During an Oct. 30 meeting with Green Bay, Mohamed Sanu caught a touchdown pass with 36 seconds left in regulation that tied the game at 32-32. Matt Bryant's extra point put the Falcons on top for good, breaking the Falcons' only two-game losing streak of 2016.
Against the Chiefs, Matt Bryant tied a franchise record when he made a 59-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
Now in his 12th year with the organization, Jonathan Babineaux is the longest-tenured Falcon. Atlanta selected him in the second round of the 2005 draft.
Devonta Freeman had 16 runs of 15-plus yards during the regular season, the fourth-most in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
In Week 15, Atlanta held San Francisco to 272 net yards. The Falcons, on the other hand, gained 550 net yards on that day as they routed the 49ers, 41-13.
Since Week 14, the Falcons have allowed 21 or fewer points in five of six games.
Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman averaged 168.9 combined yards from scrimmage during the regular season -- the best mark of any RB tandem in the NFL.
Although Desmond Trufant remains on injured reserve, many of his younger teammates credit the 2015 Pro Bowler for helping Atlanta off the field. According to Ricardo Allen, Trufant "tells us stuff that he sees from the sideline, because once you're not in the pressure moment anymore, you see things much clearer than the people who are actually on the field."
In 2012, Malcolm Butler tweeted that he'd like a shot at covering Julio Jones. This Sunday, he'll have the opportunity to do just that -- and on football's biggest stage, no less.
"Dreams do come true, man," the Patriots cornerback told NESN Thursday when asked about his tweet. "That's not even trash talk or being cocky or anything. That's just, I had a vision, and I hope young guys in college and everybody around the world can use that as an example. If you have a vision and you work hard, you can accomplish things."
As New England's No. 1 CB, Butler figures to spend a lot of time matched up against No. 11 this weekend. The cornerback out of West Alabama is wrapping up the best season of his three-year NFL career: According to Pro Football Focus, he's allowed just 57 catches on 102 targets for 778 yards and four touchdowns in 18 games. He's also broken up 17 passes, snagged four interceptions and forced one fumble.
Butler is known for making the game-winning pick against the Seahawks in SBXLIX, just before head coach Dan Quinn left Pete Carroll's staff for Atlanta. At that point Butler was an undrafted rookie with a little-known pedigree. Since then, he's progressed substantially, making the Pro Bowl in 2015 and becoming a second-team All-Pro this year.
"He's just continued to improve. He's continued to get better," Bill Belichick said. "He hasn't let that one play define him. When people talk about Malcolm Butler, the first thing they might say is that interception, but after that, they're going to say he's consistently gotten better.
"He's an All-Pro and he's a Pro Bowl player. It's exciting to see that he hasn't gotten stagnant in his career. He's continued to want more. He's continued to want to get better. The sky is really the limit for him, and I'm excited to see where he continues to grow to be as a player."
Butler -- who is "great at jumping routes," Jones said -- played some of his best football in the AFC Championship Game, holding Antonio Brown to two catches on four targets for 24 yards when the two went head-to-head. It was one of one Butler's best outings of the season, but containing Jones will be a far different task.
At 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Butler is well-built for a clash with Brown, who stands at 5-foot-10 and 181 pounds. Jones, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound athletic freak, is far more physically imposing than Pittsburgh's star wideout.
And he blends that strength with blazing speed. Of all the wideouts who gained at least 400 receiving yards in 2016, only eight posted a better 40-yard dash time at the combine than Jones' 4.34-second mark. All of them are smaller than him -- and, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, on average they were nearly five inches shorter than Jones.
His hands aren't bad, either. Per offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, Jones could "catch a snowflake in a wind tunnel."
All these traits helped the University of Alabama alum corral 83 passes in the regular season for 1,409 receiving yards -- the second-most in the NFL, even though he missed two games -- and six touchdowns. Jones has only raised his game in the playoffs: Against Seattle and Green Bay, he notched 15 receptions for 247 yards and three scores.
"What scares you so much about Jones is that there's really no way to prepare for him," said Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians. "He's about four inches taller and 25 pounds heavier than the average guy trying to cover him, and with all due respect for our guys and all the other guys who line up against him, he's just faster than any of them. In terms of size and strength, he's practically a tight end with sprinter's speed."
Jones doesn't believe anyone in the NFL can cover him one-on-one, and the Patriots will almost certainly double-team him at some point in SBLI: New England safety Devin McCourty told Deion Sanders "we're going to have to try to commit everybody to him. We can't just let him stand out there one-on-one all game and just two what he does."
Recent history suggests Atlanta's offense will not suffer if the Pats zero in on their No. 1 receiver. In 2016, the Falcons are 2-0 without Jones' services and 3-0 when he makes three or fewer catches. They averaged 36.8 points in those five games.
