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Ten most explosive playmakers in Super Bowl LI

Devonta Freeman

This is it. The final game to close out the 2016 NFL season brings Tom Brady and the New England Patriots face-to-face with Matt Ryan’s hot Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

It is not too shocking to see New England once again beat out its competition to get to the title game. On the opposite side, the Falcons have not been to the Super Bowl in nearly two decades. It makes for the first Super Bowl for Ryan and most of his teammates.

Over the course of the season, several explosive playmakers on both teams made their marks. It is possible that one of the following guys could be responsible for a game-changing play that leads their team to hoist the Lombardi.

1. Julio Jones, wide receiver, Atlanta Falcons

If the Patriots fail to get the upper hand when it comes to covering Jones, there is going to be trouble. That was evidenced by Jones’ knock out performance against the Green Bay Packers in NFC Championship Game. The four-time Pro-Bowl receiver totaled nine catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns, including this 73-yard strike from Ryan (watch here).

It was no fluke of a show from Jones, who finished the 2016 regular season as the highest-rated receiver in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. It was a season that saw sixth-year wideout average a league-best 100.6 yards per game and lofty 17 yards per catch. In fact, Jones’ 2016 accomplishments make him the only receiver in NFL history to average at least 100 yards per contest for four straight years.

Gear up New England, because this guy here could dish up some Super Bowl nightmares.

2. Malcolm Butler, cornerback, New England Patriots

After discussing Jones, it only makes sense to shout out Butler, who concluded 2016 as the sixth-highest-rated corner. He will surely receive his fair dose of shadowing the 6-foot-4 Falcons star come Sunday’s kickoff. A challenge that the young corner views as a dream come true.

Over the course of the 2016 season, Butler tallied four interceptions, 63 combined tackles, one sack and two fumble recoveries. His goal, along with teaming up with fellow corner Logan Ryan, will be to neutralize the Falcons’ receivers. It is not going to be an easy job, but foiling the efforts of quarterback Matt Ryan and forcing mistakes will be a must.

Not a single person expected Butler to act the part of a Super Bowl hero in his rookie season against the Seattle Seahawks. If this game comes down to the wire, a similar play could produce game-changing results.

3. Dion Lewis, running back, New England Patriots

Lewis is a dual-threat back that could leave Falcons defenders deflated Sunday evening (no pun intended). It depends on how the Patriots craft their strategy. But Lewis could deliver another performance similar the devastation he left behind in divisional playoff win against the Houston Texans.

That game saw Lewis put up 64 yards from scrimmage with touchdowns both through the air and on the ground. He also added 124 yards on special teams, including this touchdown (watch here).

If head coach Bill Belichick decides to unleash Lewis, it will force a weak Falcons defense to scramble to cover him. In fact, Atlanta yielded the third-most receiving yards to running backs during the regular season. What also makes Lewis such a big playmaker here is the fact that New England has won all 16 games Lewis has played in since he joined the team last season (via ESPN).

4. Ricardo Allen, strong safety, Atlanta Falcons

Allen has had quite the productive postseason. In the divisional and conference rounds of playoffs, Allen picked off both Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. One interception resulted in a 45-yard return against the Seattle Seahawks.

Now, Allen will look to challenge quarterback Tom Brady and continue his postseason interception streak. He might just find success taking into account Brady threw two interceptions against the Houston Texans in divisional playoffs. It was extremely uncharacteristic for the future Hall of Fame quarterback. But, enough rattling of Brady’s cage by Allen could trip up his concentration.

One way at thwarting Brady’s efforts, is to make it difficult for him to get the ball to his tight end. Martellus Bennett caught all five passes launched his way by Brady in the AFC Championship Game. This is where Allen comes into play.

5. Chris Hogan, wide receiver, New England Patriots

New England has a knack for signing under-the-radar players and turning them into super stars. This is the case with Hogan who posted a career-high 680 yards while averaging 17.9 yards per catch in his first season as a Patriot.

Brady likes to spread the love on the field, which will keep the Falcons on their toes when it comes to covering Hogan and Co. But Hogan in particular was unstoppable when he caught nine of his 12 targets for a total of 180 yards and two touchdowns (watch here and here) against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. In fact, those 180 yards represented a single-game franchise playoff record for the Patriots.

Prior to that game, Hogan hauled in all four of his targets and averaged 23.8 yards per reception against Houston’s No. 2-ranked pass defense in the divisional round. He could definitely find the space to make more huge plays against a Falcons pass defense that finished fifth-worst in 2016.

6. Devonta Freeman, running back, Atlanta Falcons

Freeman is the real deal after a second consecutive 1,000-plus yard rushing season. He will look to continue what has been nothing but success in his first Super Bowl appearance.

Freeman can do it all when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. He finished the regular season with 11 rushing touchdowns and averaged a stout 4.8 yards per carry. The young running back also caught 83.1 percent of his targets for a total of 462 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

The Patriots ranked third-best against the run in 2016. So, Freeman is going to have to scope out his holes carefully. If anything, Freeman will challenge the Patriots in more ways than one in combination with fellow back Tevin Coleman lending a hand.

Freeman is apparently confident in his game. And, that’s a wonderful thing.

“We can do whatever we want,” Freeman told Pro Football Talk on Thursday (h/t Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com). “Pick your poison. We’ve had the game plan. The game plan doesn’t change.”

7. Julian Edelman, wide receiver, New England Patriots

There is just too much goodness that comes from Brady’s arm that we can spotlight another Patriots receiver. Edelman has been Brady’s right-hand man and finished 2016 as the fifth-most targeted wide receiver in the NFL. He averaged 9.9 targets per contest and posted a career-high 1,106 yards.

Speaking of mileage: Edelman has piled up a grand total of 406 yards over the past three games. His performances were exceptionally consistent during this stretch, catching eight passes in each game. If the Falcons focus their efforts on minimizing Hogan, Edelman could be the man to burn their weak pass defense.

It’s also worth noting that Atlanta allowed 26.4 catches per game in 2016. Only the Dallas Cowboys gave up receptions each game. This bodes extremely well for Edelman if the Patriots can dominate the clock.

8. Vic Beasley, outside linebacker, Atlanta Falcons

It will be Beasley’s responsibility to make sure Atlanta’s defense gets off the field and doesn’t allow the Patriots to control the clock.

The second-year linebacker was responsible for a league-high 15.5 sacks in 2016. We can be sure he is salivating about his opportunity to sack one of the greatest of all time. Beasley himself touched a bit more on this during media day.

In the 2016 regular season, Brady was only sacked 15 times. But in two playoffs, Tom Terrific has gone down a total of four times. Brady will also have to make sure he holds on to the ball. Beasley was a monster when it came to forcing fumbles during the regular season, tallying a total of six. Forcing turnovers could be the key to the Falcons gaining an advantage once the game kicks off.

9. LeGarrette Blount, running back, New England Patriots

Blount could stand to wreak some havoc against a Falcons defense that yielded 4.5 yards on average per carry. The seventh-year running back absolutely thrived with the Patriots in 2016. In fact, he posted a career-best 1,161 rushing yards with an NFL-best 18 rushing touchdowns in the regular season.

Blount also added another rushing score in the conference championship game against his former Steelers squad. This is an example of just how strong Blount is when he made a complete mockery of the Steelers’ defense on this play (watch here).

Therefore, the last thing the Falcons want is Blount anywhere near their end zone on Sunday. Chances are Blount is going to score. It wouldn’t take much to envision Blount punching in the game-deciding score and earning his second Super Bowl victory.

10. Taylor Gabriel, wide receiver, Atlanta Falcons

Last on this list, but definitely not least, Gabriel is performing at a much higher clip than we ever saw when he suited up with the Cleveland Browns.

The speedy receiver started in only three games in his first season with the Falcons, but he turned a lot of heads. Making the most of his touches, Gabriel averaged 16.5 yards per reception and scored six times on his 35 catches. This included this grand 64-yard catch and run in December.

https://twitter.com/SotoSportsTv/status/808092234876944384

The third-year receiver also tallied up 95 yards off of six catches during his last two postseason appearances. We can bet that the Patriots will be doing what they can to not let Jones in the end zone. So, Gabriel might just be the player on offense who pulls off a huge play and makes the biggest impact in Sunday’s game. He is that fast.

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