Are Falcons better off facing Patriots or Steelers in Super Bowl LI?
Three reasons the Atlanta Falcons want to see the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI:
1. New England hasn't seen an offense like this: Atlanta's attack has been historically good, its league-leading 540 points tied for the eighth most scored in a regular season. Yes, the Patriots allowed the fewest points in the regular season at 15.6 per game. But they also played nine games against seven of the league's nine lowest-ranked offenses (including the four worst) and only faced two teams in the top 10 (Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers, who were without Ben Roethlisberger). Bill Belichick has strategized brilliantly against explosive teams in past Super Bowls – the Buffalo Bills' K-Gun and St. Louis Rams' Greatest Show on Turf leap to mind – but the Falcons will present an offensive puzzle every bit as tough to solve.
2. The Falcons can dictate matchups: As good as New England's defense is collectively – the Patriots ranked eighth overall – it doesn’t feature any individual whom Atlanta should specifically have to gameplan around. The Patriots' best defenders are S Devin McCourty and CB Malcolm Butler, and they're likely to have their hands full while monitoring all-pro WR Julio Jones along with wingmen Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel, potential game breakers themselves. That would theoretically leave the Falcons' dynamic tailback tandem of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman plenty of room to make hay against a front seven that probably can't rely on much safety support.
3. The Seattle effect: Dan Quinn was the coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks defense for two years before taking over as Falcons coach in 2015. He doesn't yet have the requisite personnel in Atlanta to replicate the Legion of Boom's performance, but his current unit is making strides. And as the playoffs have further revealed, the Falcons D can swarm and smother an offense when it's staked to a lead – which is typically the case – even when facing passers as special as Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. That's when pass rushers Vic Beasley (league-high 15½ sacks) and Dwight Freeney are especially effective.
Three reasons the Atlanta Falcons want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl LI:
1. Ryan vs. rookies Pittsburgh's defense has come a long way over the last two months. But the fact remains, the Steelers start three rookies (NT Javon Hargrave, CB Artie Burns and S Sean Davis), and the defensive backs in particular are sure to be in Matt Ryan's gunsights given his capable veteran options at wide receiver (Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel). And if Pittsburgh opts to help its young secondary, that only creates more room for dynamic Falcons RBs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman – who combine to produce at a rate similar to Le'Veon Bell.
2. Helpful insight: The Falcons last faced the Steelers in 2014, so it might seem they won't have the benefit of much familiarity. However Sanu, Gabriel, C Alex Mack and LB Courtney Upshaw all spent their entire careers in the AFC North, where they frequently saw Pittsburgh, before joining Atlanta for the 2016 season. Mack, who spent seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns, could be especially informative given his reputation as a cerebral player and one who's received quite a bit of credit for Atlanta's ascension.
3. Better Ben than Brady? The Falcons knew they'd be facing a quarterback with multiple Super Bowl rings regardless of the AFC Championship Game's outcome. But wouldn't they have to feel slightly better about facing Ben Roethlisberger rather than Tom Brady? Big Ben, who's won two of his three starts on Super Sunday, has not been nearly as effective this season away from Heinz Field. And in his first two postseason starts this year, he managed two TD passes, three interceptions and a pedestrian 82.1 rating. Roethlisberger is no picnic, but in a pick-your-poison scenario, he'd likely be the hemlock of choice.
Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
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