Atlanta Falcons

3 ways the Atlanta Falcons can slow down Tom Brady in Super Bowl 51

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:05 p.m. ET

Fansided, Charles Rahrig V/FanSided via Blogging Dirty

Here’s what the Atlanta Falcons can do to help themselves against New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Super Bowl 51.

The Atlanta Falcons find themselves with a chance to change their franchise’s history in Super Bowl 51. The first one is always the hardest to win and Atlanta is bringing a historic offense with them. On the other side of the field, a legend awaits.

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Tom Brady is going to pose the toughest challenge the Falcons have faced yet in their journey. The good news is that they have gotten plenty of practice with Super Bowl winners in the playoffs thus far. The way they took the fight to Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers will give them plenty of confidence going into their battle against Brady.

However, facing Brady is not the same as facing any other quarterback. Despite how great Rodgers is and how elusive Wilson is when he gets the football in his hands, taking on the four-time Super Bowl winner is a beast in itself.

He has faced every type of situation in his career and there’s nothing that’s going to surprise him. That means the Falcons can’t just hope they can pull some brand new strategy that no one has ever thought of before against Brady.

They are going to have to stick to their game plan and do things on all sides of the ball to help themselves against one of the greatest ever. It’s not just the defense that has to step up. Offense and special teams can help their defensive unit out too. Here are three things the Falcons must do to slow down Tom Brady.

Dec 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) celebrates after throwing a 64-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams during a NFL football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

3. Control time of possession

The Atlanta Falcons come into this game against the New England Patriots with a juggernaut of an offense that could very well be one of the best of all time. While the Falcons can score in a hurry and put plenty of points on the board, they might want to help their defense out with some long drives.

Chewing clock and being methodical would mean less time that Brady is allowed to have the ball in his hands. Now, this should still be a high-scoring game with the Patriots getting plenty of chances but Atlanta can help limit those chances by taking a lot of time off the clock.

Atlanta doesn’t have to worry as they have an offense that can do anything asked of them. With a two-headed monster of a running game, the Falcons can turn to Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman to gash the Patriots and burn time. The Patriots are stout against the run, which means the offensive line will be key in this push.

When Atlanta finally does get off the field and Brady takes over with the ball in his hands, it’s imperative that they leave with points on the board. They can’t trade field goals for touchdowns. They need long scoring drives that chew up the better portion of a quarter.

Dec 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons punter Matt Bosher (5) punts the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during a NFL football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Falcons defeated the Rams 42-14. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

2. Pin the New England Patriots deep

Going up against a defense like the New England Patriots is going to challenge Atlanta on offense. While the Falcons are going to score plenty of points, there will be some drives where they are forced to punt. This is where special teams is going to play a big role in the game.

It is imperative that Matt Bosher pins New England deep and forces them into bad field position. We have seen the Falcons’ defense come to life when opposing offenses are backed up deep in their own territory. That’s where they force mistakes from the opposition.

Now pinning the Patriots deep doesn’t mean they won’t score. Tom Brady can lead scoring drives from anywhere on the field when he wants to. The key is by forcing long drives, it forces the Patriots to take more time off the clock than they would want to.

If the Falcons are going to be chewing up plenty of clock and pinning the Patriots deep, it’s going to turn clock and field position in there favor. This isn’t exactly some deep line of thinking. These are the basics the team has been working on since OTA’s and it’s time to execute them to perfection in their last game of the year.

Oct 23, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive end Dwight Freeney (93) in action against the San Diego Chargers in the second quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Falcons’ defense has to get to Tom Brady early

It’s easier said than done but the Atlanta Falcons have to make a statement early and lay a big hit on Tom Brady. If there’s one thing that teams have done when they have success against the Patriots, it’s that they’re able to get pressure early against the quarterback. Brady gets the ball out so quick it’s almost impossible.

The Falcons got after Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers early which helped turn things in their favor. We saw the Patriots play arguably their worst game of the season when the Houston Texans got pressure on Brady in the Divisional Round.

He’s a legend, he’s incredible and he’s going to have a big day. That doesn’t mean the Falcons can’t help themselves and try and get him to force some mistakes along the way. We see what happens when teams don’t get pressure on Brady and he has all day to throw and pick them apart.

The Falcons can’t win this football game if they don’t get any pressure on him. Having a veteran like Dwight Freeney is key here. He has battled Brady his entire career and knows that defensive lines just don’t get after him when he’s got the ball in his hands.

It’s going to take different types of pressures and if they sell out on a blitz, they have to get there or it’s six the other way. No one is going to stop Brady but they can slow him down and the Falcons have the pieces to make it happen.