By John Sarianides

Matt Ryan and Tom Brady have played at a high level all season long but that doesn’t mean they are not prone to making mistakes. In order for their respective teams to win this game, the two quarterbacks must do the following things.

Matt Ryan

1.Treat It Like Another Game: Matt Ryan needs to treat this like another game. He has to live up to his Matty Ice nickname in this game. He must be calm, cool and collected. Ryan cannot get caught up in the spectacle that is the Super Bowl. He must play well and he cannot let the stage be too big for him. Ryan is pretty even keeled. He doesn’t get too high and he doesn’t get too low. Those attributes should benefit him in this game.

2. Get the Other Guys the Ball: The Patriots do a great job of taking away the other team’s best player. They are going to game plan around stopping Julio Jones and not allowing him to make big plays. Ryan needs to be patient in the passing game. He can’t force it to Jones. He must get the ball to Mohammed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel, Davonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.

Ryan has done a good job of distributing the football this season. If Jones isn’t there as the primary read, Ryan must be willing to reset his eyes and feet, go to his second and third reads and get the ball out.    

3. Don’t Press: Matt Ryan cannot press and try to match Tom Brady throw for throw. He should just focus on his job and his team. He is good enough and his team is good enough to win this game. They just need to execute.   

Tom Brady

1.Adjust the Protection at the Line of Scrimmage: The Falcons use a variety of zone blitzes and pressures to confuse opposing quarterbacks. Dan Quinn does not believe in sitting in one defense and relying on his front four to generate pressure. He wants to dictate to the offense.

As a result, Brady is going to have to adjust the protection accordingly. He needs to be right because if he is not, he is going to get hit a lot. The Falcons will use a variety of A gap and B gap pressures to get to Brady off of his spot. That is why it is important for Brady and the offensive line to communicate and be on the same page.

2. Get Into a Rhythm Early: When Tom Brady gets into rhythm early, he is virtually unstoppable. It is imperative that Brady get off to a good start in this game. If he does, the Patriots offense will get off to a good start and they’ll score early. New England must score first and put the pressure on Atlanta to play catch up. In order for that to happen, Brady must get off to a good start.

3. Protect the Football: Tom Brady has thrown three interceptions in his last two Super Bowl games. Brady usually takes care of the ball but he does have a tendency to make bad decisions when pressured. The Falcons will come after Brady all game long. He has to stand in the pocket, get the ball out quick and not force it into coverage.