New England Patriots

Super Bowl 51: 5 Areas New England Patriots Have an Advantage

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:22 p.m. ET

Fansided, Joe Soriano/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons blew through the playoffs, but here are the areas Bill Belichick’s group has the advantage in Super Bowl 51

When two elite teams face off in the Super Bowl, it isn’t easy to find a number of clear-cut advantages between the two of them. Though the degrees can always be debated, that looks to be what fans have in store for Super Bowl 51 as the Atlanta Falcons are slated to take on the New England Patriots.

Before the postseason started, some may have stated their strong preference for the team the Patriots have assembled. New England won three more games in the regular season than the Falcons, and they carry the pedigree that comes with winning four Super Bowls since 2001.

However, the Falcons utter dismantling of the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers—two of the best teams in the NFL every year—narrows the gap. The Falcons, after all, have the MVP running the show, and players like Julio Jones, Vic Beasley, Devonta Freeman, and Tevin Coleman have dominated time after time.

Despite the Falcons brilliance on offense and capable work on defense, the Patriots can still boast a few advantages over the NFC champs. Here are five of those advantages, even if the Pats only have a slight edge in some of these areas.

Jan 22, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the fourth quarter in the 2017 AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

5. Coaching

Kyle Shanahan is the best offensive coordinator in the NFL and what he’s done with the Atlanta Falcons offense is nothing short of remarkable. Tailoring his offense to the strength of his players, Shanahan allows the likes of Taylor Gabriel and Mohamed Sanu to shine like never before.

Even though Shanahan makes sure to use his role players frequently, he always puts the ball in his star player’s hands. Julio Jones has put together some of the best games by a wide receiver this season, including a 300-yard effort and last week’s thorough roasting of the Green Bay Packers barely-there secondary.

However, the Patriots can match the Falcons blow-for-blow when it comes to genius on the offensive side of the ball.

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Josh McDaniels has been one of the most coveted names in the head coaching carousel for a long time, but he won’t leave New England until the right spot opens. He earns that leverage because of his ability to execute complex gameplans that allow good-but-not-great wide receivers like Chris Hogan to look like stars. Although he had problems as a head coach with the Denver Broncos, his work with the Patriots since then in his second stint as offensive coordinator has washed away much of the stench.

While Dan Quinn has experience as a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick is the best coach in NFL history. That alone gives the Patriots a clear advantage in the coaching column, and there’s really no point in explaining Belichick’s credentials. If you don’t think he’s one of the best coaches ever, then I think you’d like this site.

The Patriots aren’t just limited to Belichick and McDaniels. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia gets plenty of head coaching love, and it’s not simply because of his “everyman” beard. The guy has accomplished more with less several times throughout his career, and his work in the 2012 season to help a scrapped-together defense reach the AFC Championship was impressive. Patricia has only improved since.

A final wild card in the coaching conversation is offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who is probably on the shortlist of the best position coaches in NFL history. The Patriots failed to make the Super Bowl last year because of atrocious offensive line play. Young linemen like Shaq Mason looked out of their depth, and left tackle Nate Solder put together the worst season of his career. The Patriots line was left embarrassed in a historically awful AFC Championship Game, and changes were made.

Scarnecchia returned from retirement to rejoin the Patriots staff this season, and the results have been remarkable. Marcus Cannon has been arguably the most improved player in the NFL, rookie Joe Thuney looks like a future star, and Mason made an incredible second year leap. As for Solder, he’s back to being one of the NFL’s top 10 tackles.

Jan 14, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty (32) breaks up a pass to Houston Texans tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz (87) in the end zone during the first half in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Pass Defense

You know which team gave up the least points per game in the 2016 season? No, it wasn’t the Seattle Seahawks. The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs would be good guesses, too, but I’m sure you’ve already figured out that the answer is the Patriots.

The Patriots often are a bend-but-don’t-break defense under Patricia, working together as a unit of solid players that are more than the sum of their parts. This is particularly true for the current iteration of New England’s defense, which surrendered just 15.6 points per game and placed eighth in yards allowed.

An important caveat here is the fact that the Patriots defense coasted through an easy regular season schedule, beating up on a slate of dreadful quarterbacks. New England feasted on Matt Moore, Brock Osweiler, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jared Goff, Landry Jones, and Charlie Whitehurst. I mean, when Johnny Manziel is better than all of those quarterbacks…

With that said, the Patriots do deserve plenty of credit for how they have played on defense, even when consider the underwhelming level of competition. The Patriots allowed 300 passing yards just three times in the regular season.

Most of the credit goes to the Patriots secondary, which has made up for the loss in pass rushing force that Jamie Collins and Chandler Jones have left behind. Logan Ryan continues to step up when it matters most, Malcolm Butler has firmly established himself as an elite player at his position, and Devin McCourty is the benchmark when it comes to free safeties who don’t give up big plays.

The Patriots defense isn’t particularly adept at forcing turnovers, but with just 6.0 yards per pass attempt allowed, they didn’t give up an inch through the air. That will all change in Super Bowl 51 against MVP Matt Ryan, who absolutely gutted the “Legion of Boom” in a true demolition job of one of the NFL’s finest secondaries.

Jan 14, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (15) reacts after a first down catch against the Houston Texans during the first half in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

3. Depth at Wide Receiver

Even if you don’t consider Julio Jones to be the best wide receiver in the NFL, you have to admit that he’s the most physically gifted wideout in the league. Nobody of Jones’ size can cut or accelerate like he can, and his ability to generate yards after the catch is almost unparalleled. Just ask the Green Bay Packers, who were undressed by Jones on a 73-yard touchdown pass.

The Falcons have three talented wideouts in Jones, Sanu, and Gabriel, but the Patriots have Atlanta beat in the depth department.

After a slow start to the season, Julian Edelman has been playing the best football of his career ever since Rob Gronkowski was lost for the season. Both he and Chris Hogan tallied over 100-yards of receiving last week against a clueless Pittsburgh Steelers defense, which should serve an example to Quinn and Richard Smith of what happens when you forget how to scheme for smart and quick receivers.

“Smart and quick” is an apt way to describe Danny Amendola, who is one of the league’s most unheralded players. With Edelman on a hot streak (at least 70 receiving yards in every game since Week 10), Amendola has taken a backseat since returning to the field this postseason after being injured.

Amendola is no stranger to being injured, but the Patriots always bring him back for the postseason after playing it cautious with the slot man. The Pats value Amendola’s skill-set in high-leverage situations, because he can be even more reliable than Edelman.

Rookie wide receiver Mike Mitchell could be Bill Belichick’s finest draft pick at the position, and he’s already accomplished more than Aaron Dobson, Chad Jackson, and Josh Boyce ever did.

Meanwhile, Hogan is coming off of the best game of his career, and “7/11” truly does seem open all of the time. The Patriots wide receiver depth is so good that they were forced to make Michael Floyd inactive against the Steelers, even though he had a strong Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins with a touchdown reception to his name.

Jan 22, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (15) reacts after a first down during the first quarter in the 2017 AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

2. Run Defense

When Bill Belichick evaluates defensive backs, he cares about getting guys who can come up and make plays against the run. Aqib Talib, Logan Ryan, Devin McCourty, Eric Rowe, and Malcolm Butler are all players who won’t wilt under the pressure of an incessant ground game. Freeman and Coleman have the speed and vision to gash defenses for big plays, but the Patriots can match up with those two on the ground to make it an interesting battle.

New England finished third in the league with 88.6 rushing yards allowed per game, a mark bested by only the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans. Opposing rushing attacks mustered just 3.9 yards per carry against Patricia’s unit, putting the Patriots in the top ten in this stat.

Alan Branch, Malcom Brown, Trey Flowers, Jabaal Sheard, and Rob Ninkovich all contribute greatly to this stout run defense, which allowed just six touchdowns on the ground. No team allowed fewer rushing touchdowns than the Patriots this season, and watching the Pats beefy defensive line go to battle with the Falcons top-five offensive line will be a treat. For my money, only the Oakland Raiders and Cowboys have a better O-line than Atlanta.

Coleman and Freeman helped the Falcons finish fifth in the NFL with 4.6 yards per carry, and their 20 rushing touchdowns were third in the NFL. Something will have to give at Super Bowl 51, and it will be interesting to see how Shanahan decides to attack a Patriots run defense that has strength up front and speedy, disciplined tacklers in the secondary.

Jan 22, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) kicks a field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first quarter in the 2017 AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

1. Special Teams

The New England Patriots take the third phase of football seriously, and nobody emphasizes hard work on special teams more than Bill Belichick. If you ask Belichick a question about an injured player, he’ll insult you. If you ask a question about someone like Logan Ryan (previously Kyle Arrington), he’ll give you a good few sentences of generic praise. But if you ask him about the touchback rules, you’ll probably learn a few things.

In 2006, the Patriots took a kicker out of Memphis by the name of Stephen Gostkowski in the fourth round. Since then, Gostkowski has become one of the best kickers in the league, effectively replacing the legendary Adam Vinatieri, who will be in Canton one day.

It isn’t just about Gostkowski and punter Ryan Allen, though. Every year, the Patriots have a standout special teamer like Matthew Slater, who has been a first-team All-Pro four times and is a key member of the locker room. This year, the Patriots sent depth safety and core special-teamer Nate Ebner was a second-team All-Pro. And yes, Slater was on the first team.

Most people avoid talking about special teams, but minimizing mistakes and maximizing big plays in the third phase of the game can be critical, especially against an opponent of equal quality. When it comes to the Patriots, people start paying more attention to the gunners, kickers, punters, and men on kick-off return coverage. Everyone contributes in all phases of the game in Foxboro, which makes sense given the Patriots “Do Your Job” mantra.