SuperBowl LI will feature two of the most effective deep ball passers in the NFL. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been nearly perfect when attempting passes greater than 20 extended air yards, throwing 11 touchdowns and 0 interceptions on his way to a 134.3 passer rating. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is not far behind, tossing 9 touchdowns and 1 interception, accruing a 123.8 passer rating on deep passes. Over the 2016 regular and postseason, Ryan and Brady rank 1st and 2nd in the NFL in deep passes, respectively.

Both quarterbacks' biggest weakness this season by passing zone will also be their opponent's biggest weakness. Tom Brady's worst passer rating is on deep left throws, where he has a 58.3 passer rating. However, the Atlanta defense's highest passer rating allowed is also in that zone, allowing a 110.4 mark. Additionally, Matt Ryan's worst passer rating by zone is on intermediate passes (10-19 air yards) to the right side of the field, where he possesses a 78.4 passer rating. Yet the Patriots defense allows a 105.7 passer rating in that same area of the field, which is their highest mark of any other passing zone.

The last time the Patriots went to the Super Bowl, they relied heavily on short passes to RB Shane Vereen to defeat a (current Falcons Head Coach) Dan Quinn -led defense (vs. Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX when Quinn was the Seahawks defensive coordinator). Look for New England to implement a similar strategy with James White and Dion Lewis in Super Bowl LI against a Falcons defense that has allowed six touchdowns to opponent running backs out of the backfield - the most among any team in the league.

Falcons outside linebacker Vic Beasley Jr . has grown into an elite pass rusher in 2016. In just his 2nd season in the NFL, Beasley racked up a league-leading 15.5 sacks during the regular season. His average separation from the quarterback when he rushes the passer is 4.1 yards, which is 5th-best among the 253 defenders with at least 100 pass rushes. However, Beasley has struggled to maintain his regular season form into the playoffs. Over the last two games, Beasley has yet to tally a sack and his 5.8 yards of separation ranks 33rd of the 37 defenders with at least 30 pass rushes this postseason.

Julian Edelman has been effective from the slot during the postseason. Although he shares his time between the slot and wide pretty evenly, he does most of his damage from the slot. His yards per reception in the slot (22.3) vs. wide (9.4) are a drastic difference. Additionally, Brady is no stranger to throwing to Edelman when he lines up in the slot- his targets in that alignment are twice that of what he has seen out wide this postseason.

Both Falcons QB Matt Ryan and Patriots QB Tom Brady were the two best quarterbacks in the face of pressure this season. Ryan and Brady finished first and second against the blitz (5+ pass rushers) this regular season, with passer ratings of 123.2 and 116.9 and TD-INT ratios of 14-0 and 9-0, respectively.

Patriots receiver Chris Hogan has had a stellar postseason. Over the past two games, Hogan has amassed 13 receptions for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns, roughly a third of what he was able to accomplish over the entire regular season (39 rec, 680 yards, 4 TDs). Hogan's ability to separate from defenders and find soft spots in opposing zones has awarded him with a generous average of 3.7 yards of separation at the time of target, the 2nd-highest separation among receivers with at least 5 targets this postseason (Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill ranks 1st with 4.2 yards).

Falcons running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are exceptional complements to one another in the Falcons' backfield as they both contain unique skill sets. Freeman is more effective running the ball out of Single-back, as 7 of his 11 rushing touchdowns were out of that formation and he averages 5.8 yards per carry (compared to Coleman's 4.2 average). Coleman, on the other hand, is more effective out of I-Formation, where he averages nearly 6.0 yards per carry (compared to Freeman's 3.8 average).

During the 2016 regular season, Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones primarily lined up out wide but also spent some time in the slot. During the postseason, Jones has continued to line up mainly out wide but has also seen a slight shift towards the slot. Overall, the Patriots' coverage of similar No. 1 wide receivers they have faced this season (DeAndre Hopkins, AJ Green, and Demaryius Thomas) has been strong, as 3 of their 17 interceptions (regular and postseason) have been when covering those particular receivers.

Falcons rookie safety Keanu Neal's ability to come downhill and tackle could be huge against the New England running backs in the passing game. Neal's closing speed will play a big factor in defending the Patriots, especially if they choose to implement a similar gameplan of throwing short to their backs as they did in Super Bowl XLIX. Neal finished the 2016 regular season 4th in time to tackle with 4.83 seconds and also 3rd in average distance per tackle among all safeties (17.0 yards), demonstrating his ability to close quickly on the ball carrier and take good angles to the football. Additionally, Neal's 5 forced fumbles during the regular season was the most of any defender in the league.