Super Bowl LI in Houston is one of the harder Super Bowls to predict within the last decade or so. This surprise Atlanta team seems ready for the big stage, but really play together as a unit. The way I see it, as I think most of the world does as well, it’s either going to be a blowout win for New England or Atlanta will come out red hot squeaking it out.
I expect New England to come out and try to set the tone early. These guys have been there before and are all experienced, so expect the first quarter to be full of penalties for Atlanta trying to keep them in the game. After that I think the focus of the Patriots offense will go through LeGarrette Blount. With an average of 5.4 yards per carry and barreling over linebackers as his specialty, Vic Beasly and crew are going to have their hands full. Expect Tommy to rest his arm until after halftime. As for Atlanta, we are going to see many spurts. I think three and outs will be a rare occurrence, but if Kyle Shanahan puts the ball in the hands of Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman too much, I think we can expect that Matt Bosher will get quite a bit of action.
The third quarter won’t have a lot of scoring or action at all. While Lady Gaga is performing, Dan Quinn and Belichick are going to grill their defenses to put pressure as the running games heat up. The game plan probably won’t change as both teams have prepared for two weeks, causing a bit of a gridlock in the third quarter as New England maintains the lead. However, a late touchdown by the Pats in this period should give them a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.
Here is where it gets more fun. Matt Ryan is going to have many more opportunities to throw, and with his best receiver having 4-5 inches on Malcolm Butler, Julio will see many jump balls. This is going to be a pass heavy quarter for the Pats too. Belichick often utilizes Brady when he’s hot, disregarding the clock. However, in the end the Patriots are just too damn good to lose to this Falcons team. Brady will come away with number 5, cementing the Pats legacy as the greatest of all time.
Patriots 31, Falcons 2o
Sideline Champ 