Brady poised to make history

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will bid to write another gilded chapter in their 15-year golden era on Sunday by subduing the offensive juggernaut of the Atlanta Falcons to claim a fifth Super Bowl championship.

More than 120 million households across the United States and Canada, and millions more worldwide will tune in for the biggest event of the US sporting calendar, which could see Brady become the most decorated quarterback in history.

If he manages to guide the Patriots to victory over the Falcons in front of 72,000 fans at Houston's NRG Stadium, the 39-year-old superstar will become the first quarterback to win five Super Bowls .

Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick first triumphed together in the 2002 NFL showpiece, against the St. Louis Rams. Another victory would represent a satisfying last laugh for Brady following his long-running battle with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Brady was forced to miss the first four games of this season after losing a legal battle against the NFL over the Deflategate scandal, which saw the Patriots superstar accused of cheating by attempting to alter the pressure of footballs used in last season's conference championship.

That has led to the prospect of Goodell having to possibly hand over the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Brady and his teammates on Sunday.

For his part, Goodell has attempted to downplay any possibility of an awkward trophy presentation by acknowledging Brady's remarkable career.

"Tom Brady is one of the all-time greats. He has been for several years," the commissioner said on Thursday.

"He's an extraordinary player, great performer, and a sure-fire Hall of Famer. So it would be an honor. to present the trophy to him."

Brady, too, has done his best to play down the popular narrative of revenge and redemption.

"I've moved on," Brady said this week.

"I focus on positive things in my life. I'm not worried about postgame or anything like that."

Brady has instead been content to do most of his talking on the field.

He averaged just under 300 passing yards a game in the regular season, and was magnificent in a comprehensive 36-17 demolition of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game two weeks ago.

But even Brady's stats pale compared to, Atlanta's Matt Ryan, who leads the most potent offense in the league, averaging more than 365 yards a game in the post-season.

Ryan, 31, reached the Super Bowl this season after four unsuccessful previous appearances in the playoffs, a record of defeat that led some critics to question whether he had the temperament for the big occasion.