Devonta Freeman got the Atlanta Falcons off to a terrific start on their opening play of Super Bowl LI.
While the passing game gets plenty of attention for the Atlanta Falcons, the rushing attack is still quality with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman as the lead running backs. More specifically, Freeman had over 1,000 yards on the ground for the second consecutive year.
At Super Bowl 51, the Falcons would need as much of Freeman as possible, especially with the New England Patriots likely game-planning for Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. So after the Patriots had to punt the ball away, Atlanta took over inside their own 10 yard line. On their first play from scrimmage, Freeman took off for a 37-yard gain, breaking tackles and getting his team around midfield.
The Falcons wouldn’t be able to convert this into points, as Ryan would be sacked on third down. They had to punt and allow New England to take over inside their own 20 yard line.
So far, it has been a bit of a defensive showdown between the Falcons and Patriots. They have each come up with big stops early on, and may continue this given how both defenses had productive seasons in 2016.
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Devonta Freeman will still be a player to watch for throughout Super Bowl 51. He could play a bigger role as the game continues, especially if the passing attack isn’t working for the Falcons. How many yards will he accumulate by the end of the game?