Three Reasons the Patriots Defense Won’t Stop the Falcons Offense
By John Follett
The Atlanta Falcons offense is the key to a Super Bowl win. Up against the New England defense, it’s a match-up in which the Falcons have several advantages.
The Atlanta Falcons are up against a lot of confidence on the New England Patriots’ sideline come Super Bowl 51. Bill Belichick’s defense performed as one of the best units throughout 2016, but a lack of quality competition leaves some doubt. New England did manage to take away Antonio Brown in the AFC Championship Game and leave the Steelers without any offensive firepower. Shutting down the Falcons offense in Super Bowl 51 won’t be nearly as easy.
Super Bowl 51 is a ‘pick your poison’ battle for the Patriots. Atlanta features a lot of offensive weapons and Matt Ryan made an MVP-season out of utilizing as many as possible. The Patriots can scheme against Julio Jones and leave themselves vulnerable to Mohamed Sanu. They also consider could double-covering both and then Taylor Gabriel becomes Ryan’s big target. We have yet to even mention what Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman provide out of the backfield.
The Patriots simply don’t have the defensive depth to cover all the players the Falcons have grabbed yards and put up points with.