New England Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons: Team Grades for Super Bowl LI

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Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) makes a catch ahead of New England Patriots cornerback Eric Rowe (25) in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports /

Passing Defense

It wasn’t a perfect game for the Patriots’ passing defense in the win. Going up against the best offense in the NFL, the Falcons were going to have some success through the air. Matt Ryan was the MVP in 2016 for a reason, and completely shutting him down would have been impossible.

Despite going against the best offense in the league, the Patriots’ passing defense did fairly well. Ryan had a good game, as he totaled 284 passing yards and two touchdown passes. While 284 passing yards is a good amount, that is actually containing Ryan if you compare it to what he did for most of the season.

In addition to holding Ryan to under 300 yards passing, the Patriots also limited Julio Jones. On Sunday, Jones was held to just four receptions and 87 receiving yards. It was shocking to see that Jones was only targetted four times in the game by Ryan. This goes to show how the game plan for the Patriots was clearly made to shut down Jones.

No other receiver really stepped up and had a monster game, as Taylor Gabriel was the second-leading receiver with 76 receiving yards. Overall, the Patriots’ passing defense did an excellent job against the best offense in the league.

Grade: B+

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