Super Bowl 51: 5 reasons the Atlanta Falcons win

2. Bill Belichick can take away one weapon, but not all of them

We all know he’s going to do it. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is as good as it gets in taking away an opponent’s best offensive weapon. In all likelihood, Belichick will have Falcons All-Pro wide receiver facing double-teams all game long. However, is that even a wise proposition for Belichick to force on his defense?

Double-teaming Jones is great in theory, but Atlanta has far too many offensive weapons for that defensive philosophy to have sustained success. Putting to defensive backs on Jones will only force Ryan to throw balls to receivers like Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel, and tight end Austin Hooper. Atlanta also has three backs that are great receivers: running back Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, and fullback Patrick DiMarco.

Ryan threw touchdown passes to a league-record 13 different receivers in 2016. He may love slinging the pigskin to Jones, but Ryan is totally fine with spreading the ball around to his unbelievable array of receiving options.

While Belichick could double-team Jones or stack the box to limit Freeman in the ground game, maybe his best course of action is to bait Ryan into making less than advantageous throws? Ryan completes nearly 70 percent of his passes. He had been prone to interceptions the previous three seasons, but he’s been a machine.

If Belichick wants to stop the offensive juggernaut that is Atlanta’s offense, he’ll need to bring pressure up the middle to collapse the pocket. Ryan has shown that he can make plays outside of the pocket in the West Coast offense, but no quarterback can thrive in a decaying pocket.