Super Bowl 51: Patriots vs. Falcons MVP Favorites and Stat Predictions

The week of activities leading up to Super Bowl LI kicked off Monday night with Opening Night, where New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, among others, spoke to media ahead of their big showdown. 

Brady and Ryan were both in contention for league MVP for their stellar 2016 regular-season performances, and depending on which team takes home the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, it's likely that one of those two passers will be named Super Bowl MVP, as well.

Of course, these two high-powered offenses have so much more to offer than just passing, from New England's LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis to Atlanta's Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.

Below, we'll highlight some of the key playmakers on both squads, predict their final stat lines and look at who could be named MVP at the end of the night. 

MVP and Stat Predictions

If the Patriots win...

Player	Pos.	Passing Yds	Receiving Yds	Rushing Yds	Passing TDs	Receiving TDs	Rushing TDs
Tom Brady	QB	393	0	6	3	0	0
Chris Hogan	WR	0	102	0	0	1	0
Julian Edelman	WR	0	140	0	0	1	0
Martellus Bennett	TE	0	94	0	0	1	0
LeGarrette Blount	RB	0	0	82	0	0	2
Dion Lewis	RB	0	22	43	0	0	0

New England finished the regular season with the league's third-best scoring offense at 27.6 points per game, and the Patriots averaged 35 points in their first two postseason games, second only to—you guessed it—Atlanta.  

Needless to say, Brady and Co. are capable of putting up some big numbers on the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, especially against that passing defense. 

Atlanta allowed 266.7 passing yards per game in the regular season, which was the fifth-most in the NFL. Brady, Chris Hogan, Julian Edelman and Martellus Bennett can have a field day with that, and that doesn't even take their ground game into account. 

Blount and Lewis made up one of the most dynamic rushing duos the NFL had to offer in 2016, and the beauty of their attack was that it came on the ground and through the air. 

Blount held down the fort on the ground, with 18 rushing touchdowns on the season. Lewis showed off his versatility in the postseason, with a rushing and receiving touchdown under his belt. 

The Falcons are going to be hard-pressed to defend against everything Blount and Lewis bring to the table while also committing enough bodies to Hogan, Edelman and Bennett. 

Speaking of those weapons, if Hogan or another pass-catcher tallies close to 200 yards and multiple touchdowns, or Blount has a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown, there's a chance someone could sneak in and steal the MVP award out from under Brady. 

But, regardless of how you feel about Brady, it's hard to argue that this season hasn't been one of redemption for him. If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, he's almost a lock to be named Most Valuable Player.

In fact, according to OddsShark, he's the undisputed favorite (+120). 

MVP Prediction: Tom Brady

If the Falcons win...

Player	Pos.	Passing Yds	Receiving Yds	Rushing Yds	Passing TDs	Receiving TDs	Rushing TDs
Matt Ryan	QB	329	0	0	3	0	0
Julio Jones	WR	0	109	0	0	2	0
Mohamed Sanu	WR	0	53	0	0	1	0
Taylor Gabriel	WR	0	61	0	0	0	0
Tevin Coleman	RB	0	39	56	0	0	0
Devonta Freeman	RB	0	46	61	0	0	1

New England's offense may have been one of the league's hottest in 2016, but Atlanta's was hotter. 

Now, the Falcons are getting healthy at the right time for one final showcase of what this talented group of players can do. 

Like the Patriots, the Falcons' passing game has dominated headlines and the national attention span, but their rushing duo of Freeman and Coleman could be the difference-maker as Atlanta seeks to outscore Brady and his weapons. 

Julio Jones has been struggling with a hurt foot. As Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported before the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers, Jones was dealing with three separate foot injuries:

However, he's had a full week to rest and prepare to take on the vaunted New England defense. And as his 180 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers showed, even a mangled foot can't keep him from doing his job. 

How can the Patriots hope to stop Jones?

Per Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier, they can take a page from their own playbook and replicate the game plan they used against the Pittsburgh Steelers' Antonio Brown in the AFC Championship Game: "The Patriots rendered Brown ineffective for most of the game by locking in cornerback Malcolm Butler as his man-to-man defender, then providing frequent safety help, often from Devin McCourty."

If Jones puts up numbers like those ones against the Packers, he'll have made a terrific case for winning Super Bowl LI MVP. 

However, given that Ryan was likely voted the league MVP, it's hard to believe he won't also be named the Most Valuable Player for the culmination of his incredible season. OddsShark puts his odds at +200. 

MVP Prediction: Matt Ryan