Super Bowl 51: How Patriots Can Exploit Falcons and Be Exploited
By Matt LaPan
The New England Patriots can both take advantage of the Atlanta Falcons and be taken advantage of. How does each happen in Super Bowl 51?
The New England Patriots are officially in Houston for Super Bowl LI. With one week of Super Bowl preparation down, and one still to come, there are many intricacies that are being delved into trying to find an advantage.
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Where do the Patriots have the biggest advantage over the Atlanta Falcons? Where can the Falcons exploit the Patriots? These are questions that coaches and players for both teams are asking as the Super Bowl approaches.
Where to Attack the Falcons
The Patriots have their best chance of exploiting a weakness in the Falcons secondary, especially covering in the slot. The Falcons are without Desmond Truant and have been since late November. This has elevated Robert Alford, Jalen Collins and Brian Poole up the depth chart.
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Where this leaves them most susceptible is defending the slot against a Patriots team that relies heavily on that position. With Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola both able to run crisp routes in the slot, the task will be a team effort to try to stop Tom Brady from finding his favorite targets.
Julian Edelman has been one of the top receivers in the NFL through the second half of the 2016 season. Since the Patriots’ Week 10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Edelman has averaged seven receptions on 10 targets for 100 yards and totaled three touchdowns (including playoffs). The strength of the Falcons coverage is on the outside, meaning the Patriots best weapon will be on one of the few flaws in the Falcons game plan.
If the Falcons do roll coverage to Edelman, it will be on Amendola, Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell to exploit the off defender. Mitchell and Amendola are both still recovering from earlier injuries, and could be integral parts of the Patriots offense if Dan Quinn decides to take Edelman out of the game.
Where the Falcons Can Exploit Patriots
The Patriots are not without their share of flaws that can be exploited by the Falcons. Their biggest flaw in recent weeks has been allowing pressure up the middle, especially between David Andrews and Joe Thuney.
The duo struggled against the heavy pressure of Jadaveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus in the AFC Divisional Round against the Houston Texans. The Falcons are able to create similar pressure schemes by moving Vic Beasley and Brooks Reed around on defense. They also have a defensive line that can create pressure in Grady Jarrett, Ra’Shede Hageman and others.
This was proven out by the Falcons by creating the fourth-most pressures as a team, per Sporting Charts, and having the NFL’s leading sack getting in Beasley. If the Falcons are able to create pressure against Brady, it will throw off the timing between Brady and his receivers, nullifying the biggest advantage for the Patriots.
Next: Super Bowl 51: Patriots 3 Biggest Strengths
With two weeks to prepare, both the Patriots and Falcons will likely be prepared to cover their flaws, but if they can identify and exploit an in-game weakness for their opponent, they could be raising their first, or fifth Lombardi Trophy.