The ball is everything
It's no coincidence that these clubs are sitting where they are, having committed the fewest turnovers in the league (11).
Head Coach Dan Quinn has been adamant all year in stating just how important the ball is and Sunday's game could come down to whoever makes the fewest mistakes.
"The [ball] is going to be the number the No. 1 factor in this game," Quinn said.
The Falcons finished the regular season plus-11 in the turnover margin, a statistic they drastically improved from 2015.
Their opponent, the New England Patriots, has showed a similar regard for the football, finishing plus-12 in the turnover margin in the regular season.
Quinn loves the turnover margin stat for a number of reasons, mostly because it's a team reflective stat.
"That's why I love using turnover margin — because it's a team stat," Quinn said. "Now, you can say it's just offensive-related or just defensive-related, but it's not. It's the way the defense goes after the ball, but it's also the attitude the offense has to take care of it. We're much clearer to that vision now than we've ever been."
So, how can Quinn's team find success in forcing a team that rarely turns the ball over to make a mistake?
"You try to find when your opportunity is there," Quinn said. "You have to take your shots; they don't just come unforced. You have to force them into turnovers. You rely on how you are going to go get it. It's at the very front of our thinking right off the bat."
Win your round
With an abundance of talent across the board from both clubs, the individual matchups that take place at NRG Stadium will be key.
Whether it be Atlanta's wide receivers versus New England's defensive backs or the battle that takes place in the trenches, there's intriguing matchups everywhere.
"Both teams are going to have matchups as it goes, it might be tackle vs. end, linebacker vs. tight end, wide receiver vs. defensive back, win your round," Quinn said.
All about the finish
Similar to the ball, Quinn has emphasized the importance of finishing all season long and his message ahead of Sunday is no different.
Quinn feels that his team's past experiences have them ready for this specific opportunity.
"They've owned finish, but we know what finish is too," Quinn said. "We had to go through games like our first Green Bay game, we had to go through losing at Seattle to have that kind of resiliency to finish."
