Super Bowl Predictions: Who'd Win a New England Patriots-Atlanta Falcons Match?
With the NFL season winding down, the elite teams in both conferences are starting to become clear.
In particular, two teams have the league's best record at 11-2.
In the AFC, the Patriots have shown dominance, leading the league in scoring, and in the NFC, the Falcons have taken on all comers, and is right at the heels of the Patriots in total offense.
Since they have the best records, there's certainly a decent chance that they could face each other in the Super Bowl in 2011. If they were to, who would win?
Both sides have their strengths and weaknesses, and it could make for a great match-up.
Patriots 5: Defensive Playmakers
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As a whole, the Patriots' defense is not that good.
They rank 27th in total defense, and yet their defense looks good when it's on the field.
The reason for this is they have a few play-makers that can make things work. Devin McCourty is the key in the secondary, who has six interceptions on the year, and Jerod Mayo is a tackling machine.
Falcons 5: Matt Bryant
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You know how the Patriots were able to win those multiple Super Bowls? They had Mr. Clutch, Adam Vinatieri.
Kostgowski and Graham are good kickers, but the elite kicker is in Atlanta, Matt Bryant. Bryant has nearly a 90 percent success rate this season, and would be the kicker I would want in a clutch situation if Vinatieri was out.
Patriots 4: Takeaways
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Going off of the Patriots' defense, while they may allow a lot of yards, they force over two turnovers a game.
A defense can afford to allow a 70-yard drive if they get an interception in the end zone.
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Falcons 4: Overall Defense
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Football remains a game of yards and points, and the Falcons not only allow fewer yards per game than the Pats, but are in the top 10 for fewest points allowed.
They also have their play-makers as well; John Abraham has double-digit sack numbers, and Curtis Lofton and Brent Grimes can make things happen as well.
Patriots 3: Experience
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To put it bluntly, the Patriots have been here before. The Falcons haven't.
Tom Brady and Deion Branch have been an ideal super bowl combination multiple times, and while the defense doesn't have the playoff experience the offense does, the offense having the experience is what matters.
Falcons 3: Hunger
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While the Patriots may have experience, the Falcons have only been conference champions once, in 1998.
They want to be able to start a legacy, and starting off with a Super Bowl appearance, or even a win, against the Patriots would be a great start.
Patriots 2: Scoring
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When your team leads the league in scoring, that's obviously a big bonus when facing another team, especially when their defense is only decent.
It's difficult to beat a team that's averaging 32 points a game and on pace to score 500 points for the season.
It forces both sides to try and stop the offense without worrying about the defense.
Falcons 2: Offensive Line
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One of the Falcons' best kept secrets is their offensive line.
It has allowed the fourth fewest sacks and is in the top 10 in fewest quarterback hits.
While the Pats' offensive line is good as well, they have had issues with the holdout of Logan Mankins.
Patriots 1: Tom Brady
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So long as Deion Branch is on the team as well, Tom Brady has the gift of making things out of nothing.
He could probably join a team of college players and lead them deep into the playoffs.
Beyond that, he's having one of the best seasons of his career, throwing 29 touchdowns with only four interceptions and competing 2/3 of his passes.
Falcons 1: The Big 3
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While the Patriots have Tom Brady, the Falcons have a couple extra weapons which I'll call the big three.
Matt Ryan has been a great quarterback this year, and while he's not putting up MVP numbers, he's getting the wins.
Michael Turner has been a top rusher, with 1100+ yards and 11 touchdowns.
The third one, Roddy White, has developed into an elite receiver and leads the league in receiving yards.
Conclusion
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The match-up between these two could end up being very exciting. The Patriots' dynamic offense against the all-around greatness of the Falcons could either turn into an offensive explosion, like the Oregon-Auburn title game, or it could be a slow-building back and forth which culminates in a fantastic conclusion.
As to who has the edge, I'd say the Patriots. They seem the more complete team and could simply outscore the Falcons en route to a victory.
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