– Last Updated on February 5, 2017 6:45 am
SuperBowl LI Prediction: Atlanta vs New England
Need help NFL betting? Look no farther than this post with our Superbowl LI prediction. Super Bowl LI will be an interesting matchup between the offensive machine that is the New England Patriots versus an Atlanta Falcons defense that is peaking and maturing at the right time.
Super Bowl LI Prediction – Falcons vs Patriots
Date: Sunday, February 5th
Time: 6:30 PM/ET
Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
ATS Betting Lines: Patriots -3
NFL Moneyline Odds: New England -150, Atlanta +130
NFL Betting Total: 55
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Falcons vs. Patriots Preview – Patriots Offense By the Numbers:
- Points Scored: 27.6 PPG (3rd)
- Total Yards: 386.2 YPG (4th)
- Passing Yards: 269.2 PYPG (4th)
- Rushing Yards: 117.0 RYPG (7th)
Key Players:
- Tom Brady
- Marcus Cannon
- LaGarette Blount/Dion Lewis
Falcons vs. Patriots Superbowl LI Prediction – Superbowl LI Outlook
The key to the New England Patriots offensive machine is their offensive line play and their quarterback. That’s why Tom Brady and Marcus Cannon are the two big keys in this match up versus the Atlanta Falcons.
Brady needs to just be Brady. The Patriots have a great system and Brady doesn’t need to be the hero. Just take what the Falcons will give you, don’t make mistakes and when the opportunities present themselves take a shot down field.
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The next step is the offensive line needs to protect Brady. If Brady doesn’t get protection then he’s toast. Brady doesn’t move well out of the pocket. Brady can’t extend plays like Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson can and if he has to move while he throws the pass won’t be completed.
It is imperative that the offensive line protects Brady, specifically, Marcus Cannon. Marcus Cannon as he will be matched up primarily against NFL sack leader Vic Beasley.
Cannon has struggled for the majority of his career, but this year he turned things around. So much so that he was selected as 2nd team All-Pro. The key to his success has been the fact that Dante Scarnecchia came back to coach the offensive line after retiring back in 2013.
Last year’s offensive line was dreadful and this year the Patriots had one of the better offensive line units in the NFL. Their protection has been much better and the Patriots find themselves in the playoffs again.
As for Cannon, he’ll have a stiff matchup versus Vic Beasley. If the Patriots want to win Cannon will have to outduel Beasley. That isn’t out of the question as of late Cannon has gone up against Von Miller and Jadeveon Clowney and has shut them both out.
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This is the biggest one-one-one matchup on the field. If Beasley gets pressure and hits Brady time and time again, the Falcons will win. If Cannon shuts down Beasley, then the Patriots likely hood of winning is greatly improved.
One last key to watch for is the running game. LaGarrette Blount hasn’t been the workhorse he was in the regular season. We’ll see if that changes a bit in this matchup. The Falcons were one of the worst teams in the NFL in terms of stopping the run.
That is an area in which the Patriots can expose with the power of Blount and the change-up of Dion Lewis – who also has the versatility to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Falcons vs. Patriots Superbowl LI Prediction – Falcons Defense By the Numbers:
Points Allowed: 25.3 PPG (27th)
Total Yards Allowed: 371.1 YPG (25th)
Passing Yards Allowed: 266.6 PYPG (28th)
Rushing Yards Allowed: 104.5 RYPG (17th)
Key Players:
- Vic Beasley
- Keanu Neal
- Ricardo Allen
Now, the Atlanta Falcons don’t have the best looking numbers on the defensive end. However, their defense has been getting better and better as the season has progressed.
Last week, the Falcons had their best performance of the year, not only offensively, but defensively as well. The Falcons were able to frustrate and dominate Aaron Rodgers and the red-hot Green Bay Packers.
The Packers ended up with 21 points on the scoreboard, but by the time they put up their first points in the game, the Falcons already had 31 on the scoreboard.
The Falcons are a team that are coming together and peaking at the right time. This is a young team that is maturing with plenty of talent that is finally starting to fly around.
The Falcons will need to have another performance like that in the Super Bowl to stop the New England Patriots and they can do it.
First and foremost, it all starts with Vic Beasley. Beasley needs to wreak havoc on the offensive line of the Patriots. If the Falcons are going to win Beasley needs to hit Brady and make him move. If that happens the Falcons chances of winning boost up considerably.
The other key players to watch are Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. They have done a great job in being the quarterbacks of the secondary. You could in a sense say that they are Atlanta’s version of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas.
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Not nearly on that level, but something like that considering Dan Quinn’s ties with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Falcons don’t give up the big play, they keep everything in front of them and those kind of defenses have given Brady and the Patriots problems.
Falcons vs. Patriots Preview – Superbowl LI Prediction
All in all, who has the edge in this one? Well, the Patriots have the numbers and the talent, but as far as these teams going head-to-head and with what the Falcons bring to the they match up fairly well against New England.
Question: When did the last Patriots lose? And what was the last game in which Brady didn’t throw a touchdown? The answer to both questions was against the Seattle Seahawks.
Quinn has the template to beat New England and again his defense doesn’t have to pitch a shut out. If he can hold the Patriots to two or three touchdowns and a field goal or two that would be good enough and I think they will do that.
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