When it comes to the Patriots D, skeptics are still beating the same drum....

[BKapatsfan]

Good keep em hungry and "disrespected"

 

[Nunchucks]

Good defense beats good offense, every time. The Patriots have 3 corners who can play and two good safeties. The Ryan will have to throw to covered receivers. The Patriots will be able to stop the run with their front 7.

I suspect the Falcons will not be able to make enough plays on offense to win. Especially once the Patriots analyze tendencies, etc.

Also, I believe we will see a return of the pass rush.

 

[Ring 6]

When did Sanu and Gabriel become "great" receivers? They are nice 2nd and 3rd options....great and uncoverabble...not so much.

I expect Atlanta to score around 24 points, which is what they average when they ay competent defenses. But I would not be shocked if they hold Atlanta to 20 or less with a turnover or 2.

And how does the narative of this game become how the Pats defense hasn't played anyone and the Atlanta D is underrated. How do you underrate one of the worst defenses statisticly to ever play in a super bowl?

I think far to many people are whistling past the graveyard on this one ignoring how their defense is going to stop our offense.

We are playing a team that is basically the old Colts.
The defense is small, and can be run on all day. That means against us, we will have success mixing in the run, they will have to bring a S into the box, and Brady will torch them.
Offensively, they are a lot like the Manning teams we feasted on early in his career. Big stat QB who has not shown he can carry a team in the big game, over reliance on 1 WR, RBs that are good, but used as a diversion to throwing.

How many points they score isn't as relevant to me as how many points they NEED TO score. I can see a lower scoring game where we have long time consuming drives, I can see a higher scoring game where we get out in front and play to protect the lead.
I can also see the game not going according to script because of things like turnovers, misfiring on makeable 3rd downs, special teams play.

The biggest thing I want to see, is that our offense does not do what it seems to do in every game we struggle in and/or lose. When we are trying to just move the chains, getting 4 on second and 8 to set up short 3rd downs, then has always been where our offense is at its worst. At its best our offense is a 'chunk offense' on 2nd and 8 we hit a crossing receiver and gain 19, we get first downs on first down and second down. We did this vs Pittsburgh, and I knew by the second drive there was no way in hell we lose with that game plan.
I think this is a defense that they will not get conservative against and play for makeable 3rd downs, so I am very confident.
I will be shocked if we put up less than 34, unless its a game where we are up 24-7 or something like that and play protect the lead.

 

[mgcolby]

We are playing a team that is basically the old Colts.
The defense is small, and can be run on all day. That means against us, we will have success mixing in the run, they will have to bring a S into the box, and Brady will torch them.
Offensively, they are a lot like the Manning teams we feasted on early in his career. Big stat QB who has not shown he can carry a team in the big game, over reliance on 1 WR, RBs that are good, but used as a diversion to throwing.

How many points they score isn't as relevant to me as how many points they NEED TO score. I can see a lower scoring game where we have long time consuming drives, I can see a higher scoring game where we get out in front and play to protect the lead.
I can also see the game not going according to script because of things like turnovers, misfiring on makeable 3rd downs, special teams play.

The biggest thing I want to see, is that our offense does not do what it seems to do in every game we struggle in and/or lose. When we are trying to just move the chains, getting 4 on second and 8 to set up short 3rd downs, then has always been where our offense is at its worst. At its best our offense is a 'chunk offense' on 2nd and 8 we hit a crossing receiver and gain 19, we get first downs on first down and second down. We did this vs Pittsburgh, and I knew by the second drive there was no way in hell we lose with that game plan.
I think this is a defense that they will not get conservative against and play for makeable 3rd downs, so I am very confident.
I will be shocked if we put up less than 34, unless its a game where we are up 24-7 or something like that and play protect the lead.

I don't see Atlanta forcing us to punt more than once or twice and honestly I think those punts are more likely to be because of us hurting ourselves, drop balls etc..

I saw three gimme balls thrown right to a GB DB and they dropped them all. Two in the endone and goaline that ended up being scores.

I understand the excitement for those outside of New England have for Atlanta. But man they are losing all objectivity because their offense is "high powered" and somehow our offense is pedestrian, their defense who can't keep a team out of the end zone once they reach the red zone is underrated; while the number 1 defense in the league is overrated because they haven't played anybody. It's head scratching mental gymnastics.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

 

[Th3Birdman]

No disrespect Andy, but I absolutely do not chalk the Philly/ATL game as an off game for ATL. If you watched that game, you'd notice that the Eagles defense stepped up and played damned near lights out.

That's the problem with Atlanta and their no 1 offense. They're not playing anyone that is challenging them on defense.

They got 6 free games in the NFC South; there is a reason those games are ALWAYS shootouts-- none of those teams can play defense to save their lives. Then if you look at the other NFC teams they played this year (Rams, 49ers, Cards [who had a poor year, probably due to the Pats breaking their spirit week 1] and Green Bay), none jump off the page as being great defensively and they BARELY beat Green Bay, at a time when GB looked like they were headed for an 8-8 season.

Further, if you look at the teams they barely beat or lost to, you'd notice they're almost all decent defensively (with one exception): barely beat Denver, lost to Seattle, lost to Kansas City, lost to the Chargers.

Atlanta has gotten away with playing garbage teams this entire season and has put up crazy numbers against defenses that are ill equipped to deal with above average weapons. They are criminally overrated on offense and whenever they faced a modicum of a good defense, they struggled or flat out crumbled. They got lucky facing an injured secondary in Seattle and an injured/imploding Packers team in the Playoffs. The Falcons are simply the Steelers all over again: a good QB, a pretty good rushing attack, and an elite WR, except Matt Ryan isn't as good or tough as Ben, Bell is about 3 times greater than Coleman/Freeman, and Antonio Brown is the best WR in the NFL and Julio is not.

* * *

Don't get me wrong, I'm not underestimating the Falcons. I'm simple saying that the media and a lot of you are OVERestimating this team. They can be stopped with our defense and they absolutely do not have the horses on defense to contend with New England's offense.

 

[Tony2046]

Uh Oh....... I think the defense is feeling a little disrespected.....