It’s that time of year again. The Big Game. The Ultimate Showdown. The Super Bowl.
Inspector Pumphead checks off at the line
The venerable New England Patriots will take on the upstart Atlanta Falcons in the fifty-first iteration of the ultimate game. The Pats officially have the record for the most trips to the bug game with nine - an incredible record considering the topsy turvy nature of today’s NFL. Consider: before this year the Falcons have not made the playoffs since 2012.
It’s underdog vs. established favorite. Let Inspector Pumphead break it down.
When the Falcons Have the Ball
The Falcons were downright explosive this year, scoring 540 points during the regular season. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan that plays to QB Matt Ryan’s strengths. Ryan has been sharp all season at getting the ball to playmakers like Taylor Gabriel, Mohamed Sanu, Tevin Coleman and Devonta Foreman.
Of course Atlanta’s best playmaker - and maybe the best player on the field, period - is superfreak and athletic marvel Julio Jones.
Jones has established himself as perhaps the best receiver in the league by almost every advanced and traditional metric. He is almost impossible to cover one-on-one. Of course, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known for his defensive acumen. Belichick has made a habit of shutting down star offensive playmakers, going all the way back to the first Pats’ Super Bowl win, when Marshall Faulk was rendered ineffective.
Expect Malcolm Butler, Super Bowl XLIX’s surprise hero in Super Bowl XLIX turned defensive stalwart, to get plenty of safety help over the top when covering Jones. And expect Belichick to throw even more wrinkles at this Falcons offense. For as impressive as the birds have been all season, the Patriots have the number one defense in the league in terms of points allowed.
When the Patriots Have the Ball
As the saying goes, “Never count out Touchdown Tom.” Tom Brady has more Super Bowl experience than any quarterback alive; he won’t be phased by the stage or the moment. Once again, Brady has a an arsenal of versatile playmakers at his side. Tight end-slash-Godzilla monster Rob Gronkowski is out injured, but Martellus Bennett fills in nicely. Julian Edelman is still around doing his thing. LeGarrette Blount is the power back while Dion Lewis and James White are shifty and can catch passes out of the backfield.
The key is pressure: if the Falcons can repeatedly hit and sack Brady he becomes a more ordinary QB. The problem for the Falcons is that they need to blitz to get more pressure and Brady is absolutely lethal against the blitz. If the Falcons can’t create pocket pressure with the front four alone, Brady will slice and dice them all night.
The Pick
This one is simple. For all the offensive fireworks Atlanta can put on, history has shown that a great defense beats a great offense in the Super Bowl. Add the fact that the Patriots have the better QB anyway and it might not even be that close.
Inspector Pumphead checks off at the line
