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Tuesday open thread: Make your Super Bowl LI prediction

Which teams are you picking to meet in the Super Bowl?

NFL: Handoff to Houston-Press Conference Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

We’re officially into the postseason and the first round of the playoffs is just four days away. The Detroit Lions will open up the NFC playoffs with a game against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night. The Lions—along with the Raiders, Texans and Dolphins—have the longest odds to win Super Bowl LI.

The Patriots and Cowboys have the best odds among the field to take home the Lombardi trophy. That isn’t much of a surprise, as the two teams finished with the best record in their respective conferences.

For the past three years, the No. 1 seed in each conference has met in the Super Bowl. If history repeats itself, get ready for Patriots-Cowboys. But this is the playoffs and anything can happen. So today’s Question of the Day is:

Which two teams do you think will meet in Super Bowl LI?

My answer: Patriots and Falcons. I’m very confident in the Patriots coming out of the AFC. The Raiders were lining up to be the team to take down New England for the conference championship, but they may be down to their third-string rookie quarterback for the playoffs. The Chiefs could give the Patriots trouble, but I don’t see them sticking with New England for a full four quarters.

On the NFC side of the ball, things are much less clear. Atlanta and Dallas both have dynamic offenses that would be extremely fun to watch battle each other out. Typically, you hear that defense wins games in January, but the only team with an elite level defense right now is the Giants, and they have the unenviable position of facing the red-hot Packers at Lambeau Field. So give me the Falcons, because I don’t want to even think about how much I’d hate a Patriots-Cowboys Super Bowl.

Your turn.

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