National Football League

Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan calls the Patriots the best defense 'we've seen'

Published Jan. 28, 2017 11:17 a.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

The Atlanta Falcons offense will give the New England Patriots defense all it can handle in Super Bowl LI, but the Falcons still have a ton of respect for the challenge they'll face.

You don't have to take my word on the Falcons' offensive firepower. As NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter explained on this week's Make Me Smarter podcast, New England has never seen an offense quite like Atlanta's — and that includes the "Greatest Show on Turf" from 2001.

On the flip side, though, Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan admits the Patriots, who led the NFL in scoring defense this season, area more than capable of slowing Matt Ryan & Co. on Feb. 5 in Houston.

Via ESPN.com:

"It's the best defense that we've seen in the NFL this year. The numbers show it. And watch the film and you see exactly why their numbers are the way they are. They are extremely tough to score against. That's why they're No. 1 in the NFL. I believe only one game this year someone scored 30 points.

"They have very good players all around: players that are interchangeable that can be pass-rushers, that can be linebackers, that can be corners, that can be safeties. And they have an extremely good scheme. So, it's by far the biggest challenge we've had this year.''

The Patriots present a unique challenge for analysts, too. You can't argue with their results in preventing teams from scoring this season, but New England also gave up a fair amount of yardage, finishing eighth in total defense and 10th in yards allowed per play.

In most cases, allowing teams to march up and down the field is correlated with giving up touchdowns, which is largely why the Patriots ranked 16th in Football Outsiders' DVOA-based defensive metrics, including the 23rd-ranked passing defense — not that Bill Belichick has any use for such "advanced metrics," of course.

"Bend, don't break" is a fine defensive strategy on paper, and New England seemingly perfected that approach in 2016. The real problem is when you face a team that can both move the ball in four-yard increments on the ground and break open big plays through the air — which is the Atlanta offense in a nutshell.