Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was on The Rich Eisen show Tuesday where he made his Super Bowl LII pick. The long-time NFL coach said he believed the Atlanta Falcons would win the Lombardi Trophy.
“Because of Matt Ryan and the way their defense plays, they have a complete football team, special teams, everything. And they just went (to the Super Bowl),” Arians said. “So, they have a little bit of that taste in their mouth that is saying let’s get this right. And I don’t see them – the Rams are really good and the Falcons played fearless and very confident in L.A.”
The Falcons limited the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL to just 13 points in the win, while Ryan showcased his playoff experience as he played one of his most efficient games of the season (21-of-30, 218 yards, one touchdown).
Arians pointed out that in the NFC, home field advantage doesn’t mean much at this stage of the playoffs. Despite entering as the sixth-seed, the Falcons opened as a 2.5-point favorite over the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round.
After defeating the Eagles, Arians said the Falcons will beat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game.
“That’s where the old I’m cursed thing comes back,” Arians said. “To play in your home stadium to go to the Super Bowl in your home stadium, I think that will be so much pressure (for the Vikings).
Once the Falcons get by the Vikings, they will get to leave all there equipment up in Minneapolis for the Super Bowl, where they will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Arians.
“I really believe with Pittsburgh healthy it would be a great game. I like Pittsburgh’s overall football team just a little bit better,” Arians said. “But I think the Falcons win.”
It should be noted since the NFL expanded the playoffs to six teams in each conference only two six-seeds have won the Super Bowl: The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the Seahawks, and the 2010 Green Bay Packers, who beat the Steelers.
To see the video of Arians on The Rich Eisen show, visit NFL.com.
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