With No Pressure Under Pressure COMPLETION RATES 74% 51% TOM BRADY 75% 56% MATT RYAN

How Pocket Pressure Affects Quarterbacks

When their offensive lines are keeping Brady and Ryan well protected, they are two of the most accurate passers in the league. But when defenders start getting in the faces of these two Super Bowl quarterbacks, their performances suffer just like the rest of the passers in the league. When pressured, Brady’s completion percentage dips 23 points, dropping him from the fourth best in the league with no pressure (74%) to 16th best when he’s pressured (51%).

Ryan is similarly affected: His completion percentage drops 19 points to 56 percent, which still ranks him as the third highest in the league. “His ability to extend plays and to make good plays under pressure is great,” said Alex Mack, the Falcons’ center. “My job as an offensive lineman is to keep him clean and not make that stat relevant.”

* Indicates other playoff teams Completion Percentage With pressure Without pressure 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Vikings Falcons The Patriots’ percentages do not include the four games that Brady missed while serving a suspension. Dolphins* Patriots Saints Chiefs* Seahawks* Cowboys* Redskins Packers* Colts Cardinals Bills N.F.L. Avg. Lions* Rams Ravens Bears Giants* Bengals Eagles Jets Steelers* Browns 49ers Buccaneers Chargers Broncos Raiders* Jaguars Texans* Titans Panthers 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Completion Percentage With pressure Without pressure 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Vikings Falcons Dolphins Patriots Saints Chiefs Seahawks Cowboys Redskins Packers Colts Cardinals Bills N.F.L. Avg. Lions Rams Ravens Bears Giants Bengals Eagles Jets Steelers Browns 49ers Buccaneers Chargers Broncos Raiders Jaguars Texans Titans Panthers 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Color indicates other playoff teams The Patriots’ percentages do not include the four games that Brady missed while serving a suspension.

When Pressure Played a Role in a Loss

Falcons vs. Eagles Against the Eagles, Ryan had a clean pocket on only three passes. That means a defender was within 3 yards of him at the time of the throw on all his other attempts. And it was often multiple defenders: The Falcons’ offensive line allowed an average of 1.8 defenders in the pocket on each passing play. That was nearly twice the Falcons’ season average of 1.0, which was the worst of any team that made the playoffs. The Eagles also forced Ryan from the comfort of the pocket on four of his pass attempts and he completed only one of them. Despite Ryan’s overall success at handling pocket pressure, the Patriots may do well to exploit the Falcons’ mediocre pass blocking.

WEEK 10 WEEK 10 Eagles 24, Falcons 15 Seahawks 31, Patriots 24 CMP inc TD INT SACKS CMP inc TD INT SACKS 18 15 1 1 2 23 9 0 1 2 LINE OF SCRIMMAGE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE Defensive traffic low high Defenders in the pocket when Ryan threw Defenders in the pocket when Brady threw 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 VS. PHIla. VS. seattle 2016 AVG. 2016 AVG. N.F.L. AVG. N.F.L. AVG. Defender statistics reflect when Ryan and Brady threw from the pocket. WEEK 10 WEEK 10 Eagles 24, Falcons 15 Seahawks 31, Patriots 24 CMP inc TD INT SACKS CMP inc TD INT SACKS 18 15 1 1 2 23 9 0 1 2 LINE OF SCRIMMAGE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE Defensive traffic low high Defenders in the pocket when Ryan threw Defenders in the pocket when Brady threw 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 VS. PHIla. VS. seattle 2016 AVG. 2016 AVG. N.F.L. AVG. N.F.L. AVG. Defender statistics reflect when Ryan and Brady threw from the pocket. WEEK 10 Eagles 24, Falcons 15 CMP inc TD INT SACKS 18 15 1 1 2 LINE OF SCRIMMAGE Defensive traffic low high Defenders in the pocket when Ryan threw 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 VS. PHIla. 2016 AVG. N.F.L. AVG. WEEK 10 Seahawks 31, Patriots 24 CMP inc TD INT SACKS 23 9 0 1 2 LINE OF SCRIMMAGE Defensive traffic low high Defenders in the pocket when Brady threw 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 VS. seattle 2016 AVG. N.F.L. AVG. Defender statistics reflect when Ryan and Brady threw from the pocket.

Patriots vs. Seahawks Brady saw more pressure from the Seahawks than he did against any other opponent this season except the Broncos. Against the pass rushes of both of those teams, the Patriots’ offensive line allowed an average of 1.2 defenders in the pocket per pass play. Brady is used to a much cleaner pocket: This season he faced an average of only 0.8 rushers within 3 yards of him on each pass play. Against the Seahawks, however, he responded well, completing 72 percent of his passes. But completions don’t tell the whole story. It was one of only two games this season in which he did not throw a touchdown pass, and he also threw one of his two regular-season interceptions.

Third-Down Pressure Could Decide It All

Coaches will tell you that third down is the most important down in football: Convert it into a first down and the drive is alive; come up short, and the team will most likely punt it away. Brady is at the top of the class when it comes to what teams call third and manageable — third down and fewer than 6 yards to go. At those short distances, Brady can use his three-step drop and quick delivery, giving the Falcons’ rushers little time to get to him.

It also plays into his sure-handed receivers, like Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan, who run precise routes and gain important yards after the catch. It will be imperative for Atlanta to force New England into third-and-long situations, when the receivers will have to run longer routes and Brady will have to hold the ball longer, giving the Falcons’ pass rush time to pressure him. That is when Brady loses a little luster, converting third downs into first downs less than a third of the time.

“You’ve got to affect Tom Brady somehow,” said Vic Beasley, a Falcons outside linebacker, who led the league in sacks. “You’ve got to hit him and get him off the spot somehow, because if you don’t touch him, it's going to be a long day for you because he’s just a flawless quarterback."