New England Patriots

New England Patriots: Three Key Defensive Players for Super Bowl LI

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:58 p.m. ET

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The New England Patriots will be facing the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51. Who are three key defensive players for the Patriots?

With two of the most productive offenses in the NFL facing off in Sunday’s Super Bowl, the game will be decided by which defense is able to stand up in the key moments. Here are three players that the New England Patriots will need to have good games to help slow down the Falcons offense.

Here are three key players on defense for the Patriots starting with their star linebacker.

1) Dont’a Hightower

As the leader of the Patriots defense, Hightower must step up in this game both as a play caller and as a playmaker. Throughout the season he has stepped up when the team needed to, usually on a well-timed blitz up the middle to get a big hit on the quarterback. As the defender with the green dot he will need to be on his game to ensure that the team is lined up correctly to prevent Atlanta being able to exploit any mismatches.

Throughout the second half of the regular season, Hightower saw his snaps limited as the team tried to manage his injuries. Against Houston, he returned to his usual amount of playing time, on the field for all 69 defensive snaps per Pro Football Reference.

In the AFC Championship against Pittsburgh however, Hightower spent plenty of time on the sideline, participating in only 36 of the 69 defensive snaps. With the offensive speed that Atlanta has, Hightower needs to be ready to go wire to wire and be all over the field to help shut down the Falcons running backs.

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2) Alan Branch

Currently going through a late career resurgence in New England, Branch has been one of the most dominant interior forces in the league this year. Despite a preseason suspension, Branch’s impact on the team this year has been nothing short of phenomenal in both the run game and passing game. With the threat the Falcons’ backfield possesses, Branch will be another player that needs to have a big game if the Patriots are to win their fifth Lombardi trophy.

It is unlikely that Belichick will be sending a whole lot of extra pressure to get after MattRyan, so the defensive line will be key to this game. If Branch can help anchor the middle, it should free up some one on one edge matchups for the exterior rushers or if Branch himself has a good game, he can help disrupt the timing of Kyle Shannahan’s offense. In the running game Branch will be facing some double teams as the Falcons will try and steer him away from the play.

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3) Whichever Corner Matches Up on Julio Jones

It is not all about the running game on Sunday night, with the MVP at quarterback in Matt Ryan, Atlanta will be hoping he can add a Super Bowl MVP to that trophy cabinet. To do that he will need his best receiver in Julio Jones to win his matchup against the Patriots’ secondary.

Based on the regular season numbers, Jones’s performance may be inconsequential to the Falcons success, they are 3-4 in the regular season when he goes over 100 yards but based on his NFC Championship performance, whoever is covering him will need to be ready to go when the ball is kicked off.

In the past few seasons, the Patriots have opted to use their number two cornerback (in this case Logan Ryan) along with safety help to try and close down the opponent’s best receiver. Ryan is currently playing for a contract as he is due to hit free agency after this game.

Overall this has been his best season in New England and he is hoping to have another good game to make sure that his value is maximized when his agent starts talking to other teams. The other coverage strategy is to go strength versus strength and let Malcolm Butler go head-to-head with Jones and hope that he can win more battles than he loses. Whichever corner does get the assignment will be in for a tough afternoon and the Patriots have to have them stand up when it matters most.