Defense wins championships -- mostly

When the Atlanta Falcons face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, FOX and FOX Sports GO), it will be the eighth time the No. 1 scoring offense has faced the No. 1 scoring defense in the Super Bowl. And the defense has won every matchup but one.

Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who averaged 33.8 points this season, will put that to the test against the Patriots, who allowed 15.6 — the most of any No. 1 defense that reached the Super Bowl. Here's how the previous matchups played out.