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Factoid

Vic Beasley

Falcons pass rusher won't necessarily make big difference

Atlanta's Vic Beasley led the league with 15.5 sacks last year, while New England didn't have a noteworthy pass rusher. Their top performer in terms of sacks was Trey Flowers, who finished the year with just 7 sacks. Will that edge make a difference in Super Bowl LI?

Based on the history of the game, probably not.

Certainly a great pass rusher can take over a game. Von Miller did it a year ago. Reggie White did it late in Super Bowl XXXI. But more often than not, teams manage to account for those guys, minimizing their impact on the result.

Over the last 20 years, the team with the top pass rusher in the game (based on regular-season sacks) has won the Super Bowl 10 times. The team with the inferior performer in terms of sacks has won nine times. Last year Denver and Carolina each had an 11-sack pass rusher, Von Miller and Kawann Short.

Beasley had a great season, but little history to suggest he'll be a determining factor in Atlanta winning or losing on Sunday.

In the table below, the top pass rusher in the Super Bowl is in bold if his team won the game, italics if his team lost the game.

TOP PASS RUSHERS IN SUPER BOWLS, 1996-2015
TeamsPass RushersSacks
Green Bay PackersReggie White8.5
New England PatriotsWillie McGinest9.5
Denver BroncosNeil Smith8.5
Green Bay PackersReggie White11
Denver BroncosTrevor Pryce8.5
Atlanta FalconsLester Archambeau10
St. Louis RamsKevin Carter17
Tennessee TitansJevon Kearse14.5
Baltimore RavensRob Burnett10.5
New York GiantsKeith Hamilton10
New England PatriotsBobby Hamilton7
St. Louis RamsLeonard Little14.5
Tampa Bay BuccaneersSimeon Rice15.5
Oakland RaidersRod Coleman11
New England PatriotsMike Vrabel9.5
Carolina PanthersMike Rucker12
New England PatriotsWillie McGinest9.5
Philadelphia EaglesJevon Kearse7.5
Pittsburgh SteelersJoey Porter10.5
Seattle SeahawksBryce Fisher9
Indianapolis ColtsRobert Mathis9.5
Chicago BearsMark Anderson12
New York GiantsOsi Umenyiora13
New England PatriotsMike Vrabel12.5
Pittsburgh SteelersJames Harrison16
Arizona CardinalsBertrand Berry5
New Orleans SaintsWill Smith13
Indianapolis ColtsDwight Freeney13.5
Green Bay PackersClay Matthews13.5
Pittsburgh SteelersJames Harrison10.5
New York GiantsJason Pierre-Paul16.5
New England PatriotsAndre Carter10
Baltimore RavensPaul Kruger9
San Francisco 49ersAldon Smith19.5
Seattle SeahawksMichael Bennett8.5
Denver BroncosShaun Phillips10
New England PatriotsRob Ninkovich8
Seattle SeahawksMichael Bennett7
Denver BroncosVon Miller11
Carolina PanthersKawann Short11
Atlanta FalconsVic Beasley15.5
New England PatriotsTrey Flowers7

--Andy Richardson

Fantasy Index