– Last Updated on February 5, 2017 6:45 am
Super Bowl LI Prediction: Atlanta vs New England
Need help NFL betting? Look no farther than this post with our Super Bowl LI prediction.The Matt Ryan-led Atlanta Falcons offense will be in a tough matchup against the New England Patriots elite defense. Let’s take a look at what to watch out for and how these two units break down statistically.
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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New England’s defense has allowed 17 points (Pittsburgh) and 16 points (Houston) in two playoff games, while Atlanta has had no problem scoring, putting up 44 points (Green Bay) and 36 points (Seattle).
Falcons vs. Patriots Preview – Atlanta Falcons Offense By the Numbers:
- Points Scored: 33.8 PPG (1st)
- Total Yards: 415.8 YPG (2nd)
- Passing Yards: 295.3 PYPG (3rd)
- Rushing Yards: 120.5 RYPG (5th)
Key Players:
- Matt Ryan (QB)
- Julio Jones (WR)
- Devonta Freeman (RB)
Falcons Offense Preview – Super Bowl LI Outlook
Simply put: The Atlanta Falcons offense is the high-octane power attack headed to the Super Bowl that nobody saw coming.
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Look across the national media at pre-season Super Bowl predictions and tell us how many pundits you find picking Atlanta to represent the NFC.
Still looking? Don’t bother.
Absolutely nobody picked the Falcons, and as it turns out, we were all underrating an incredibly potent offense.
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For starters, Matt Ryan put together an MVP resume this season completing 69.9 percent of his passes for 4,944 yards. He tossed for an average gain of 9.3 yards per pass en route to 38 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
Julio Jones
His weapons? Let’s start with the man himself, Julio Jones. Jones caught 83 of his 129 targets this year for 1,409 yards. For those keeping track at home, that’s an average of 17 yards per carry.
He had an impressive 27 20-plus-yard receptions to boot.
Behind Jones was Mohamed Sanu who had a nice season with four scores and 653 yards. Taylor Gabriel also proved to be productive, racking in a 16.5-yards-per-catch average en route to six scores through the air himself.
On the ground, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman proved to be dangerous. Coleman collected 520 yards on 118 attempts en route to eight touchdowns and just a single fumble.
Like Coleman, Freeman coughed up the ball just once en route to his own 1,079 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Oh yeah…Freeman was also a massive threat to catch the ball as well. He was third on the team in receptions with 65 and hauled in two scores in the process.
Patriots Defense Preview – Panthers Defense By the Numbers:
- Points Allowed: 15.6 PPG (1st)
- Total Yards Allowed: 386.3 YPG (4th)
- Passing Yards Allowed: 269.3 PYPG (4th)
- Rushing Yards Allowed: 117.0 RYPG (7th)
Key Players:
- Malcolm Butler (CB)
- Trey Flowers (DE)
- Dont’a Hightower (MLB)
- Devin McCourty (FS)
Patriots Defense Preview – Super Bowl LI Outlook
The Patriots have their work cut out for them. We’ve already hit the numbers above, so let’s break down why these four gents listed as key players earn such recognition.
Starting with Malcom Butler: The last time the Pats were in the Super Bowl, Butler proved to be the hero. He picked off Russell Wilson in a play that still has Seattlites waking up with night sweats, but now he’s New England’s best corner and has a chance to impact the game from start to finish…not just on the last play.
Trey Flowers won’t get a ton of recognition in this contest, barring key and multiple sacks on Matt Ryan. That said, he’s become the team’s best threat off the edge this season and has the potential to give Ryan fits.
Dont’a Hightower is also going to disrupt Ryan with his blitzing ability, but what makes him most valuable is his defense against the run. We know the Falcons want to air it out, but any good coordinator is going to make sure they keep the defense honest with the ground game. Hightower will be there whenever that takes place.
Devin McCourty, simply put, covers space. Against the Ryan-led attack, that’s crucial.
Falcons vs. Patriots Preview – Superbowl 51 Prediction
The Patriots are likely going to be the best defense the Falcons see this postseason.
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But here’s the question you have to ask yourself: Are they really that much better than the Seahawks defense that gave up 36 points to Atlanta just a few weeks back?
One thing is certain: It’s going to take forcing turnovers for the Patriots to truly win this battle of unstoppable force vs. immovable object.
Give the advantage, in terms of this matchup, to the unstoppable force: Atlanta’s offense.
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