Super Bowl 51 Predictions: Patriots Shouldn’t Focus On Stopping Julio Jones

Super Bowl 51 is upon us and we have all your predictions for the big game.

It’s Sunday and that means it’s time for the biggest game in all of sports — the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl 51 will take place in Houston, TX and will kick off at 6:30 PM ET.

There will be plenty of celebrities involved in the big game. Country megastar Luke Bryan is singing the national anthem, Lady Gaga is your halftime entertainment, and former president George H.W. Bush, freshly out of the hospital, will be in charge of the coin toss.

But enough about the celebrities that won’t affect the outcome of the game.

Who’s going to win this game? What should we expect offensively and defensively from both teams?

We have all your answers (that may or may not be proved right by the end of the night).

Will New England Be Able To Contain Atlanta’s Offense? 

This is obviously the biggest story of the week, and what most folks expect to be the difference in the game.

Atlanta led the league in scoring this season at just under 34 points a game.

But let’s not forget that New England was third in the league in scoring at 27 points a game.

So it’s not like the Patriots have to completely shut down the Falcons’ offense to win Super Bowl 51.

New England, by the way, was first in the league in 2016 in points against (15.6 a game).

The Patriots allowed a team to score more than 20 points only five times this season. Only once did a team score more than 30 against New England (a loss against Seattle).

Three times in 2016, the Patriots didn’t allow a team to score more than three points.

However, New England didn’t face a team with an offense anywhere near the caliber of Atlanta’s in 2016.

Which means Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia have had their work cut out for them the past two weeks.

You can definitely expect New England, in typical Bill Belichick fashion, to focus on eliminating one aspect of Atlanta’s offense.

Wide receiver Julio Jones is an obvious choice.

But that might not be the wisest idea for the Patriots.

Jones was a non-factor in four of Atlanta’s biggest wins in 2016.

• One reception for 16 yards in a 45-32 win against the Saints in week three.
• Two receptions for 29 yards in a 23-16 win against the Broncos in week five.
• Three receptions for 29 yards in a 33-32 win against the Packers in week eight.
• Four receptions for 35 yards in a 38-19 win against the Cardinals in week 12.

Check out what Jones did in the Falcon’s five losses.

• Four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown in 31-24 loss to the Buccaneers in week one.
• Seven receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown in 26-24 loss to the Seahawks in week six.
• Nine receptions for 174 yards in 33-30 loss to the Chargers in week seven.
• Ten receptions 135 yards in 24-15 loss to the Eagles in week ten.
• Seven receptions for 113 yards in 29-28 to the Chiefs in week 13.

A big game from Julio doesn’t always equal a win for the Falcons.

Obviously the Patriots can’t just forget about Jones, but the key to beating the Falcons could be to eliminate running back Devonte Freeman from Atlanta’s gameplan.

If New England can effectively take that weapon away from Matt Ryan, it could totally disrupt the Falcon’s offense enough for the Patriots to win a game where the score ends in the low 30’s.

Who Will Be The MVP Of The Super Bowl?

There are probably four or five legitimate candidates to be the Super Bowl 51 MVP.

Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonte Freeman, Tom Brady, and maybe a wildcard like Julian Edelman.

I know this isn’t a very out-of-the-box pick, but accuracy is what we’re striving for here, not creativity.

Anyway, I think Tom Brady wins his fourth Super Bowl MVP on Sunday night.

No one shows up bigger in a big game than perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time.

Brady is going to have to come up big in Super Bowl 51 if the Patriots are going to beat the Falcons.

This is a game that will likely be won by offense, not defense.

And we all know Brady is typical up throwing up a big stat line on the world’s biggest stage.

Who Wins The Games And What’s The Final Score?

I know most of the country is pulling for the Falcons, and they’re a red hot team.

But it’s just too hard to bet against the Patriots.

Bill Belichick has had two weeks to prepare for a team that lost to teams this year like Tampa Bay and San Diego.

And this is a stage where the Patriots have been many times before. The nerves and pressure that Atlanta players will be feeling won’t be a factor for New England.

I expect Brady and Belichick to help the Patriots keep calm and keep their focus, and execute their game plan.

This game probably won’t get out of hand — Atlanta is still a very good team.

But the Patriots are a more well rounded team and I think that will show on Sunday night.

New England 34 Atlanta 27