10 to watch

Though much of the Super Bowl focus will be on the two star QBs, Tom Brady and Matt Ryan, Super Bowl LI will be decided by much more than the two signal-callers. Here is a look at 10 players — five from each team — who will have pivotal roles:

PATRIOTS RB LeGarrette Blount (below)

A bruiser with the frame of a linebacker, Blount is coming off a breakout season, rushing for 1,161 yards on 299 carries and 18 touchdowns, all career highs. The Patriots will pound Blount as a change of pace to their up-tempo passing attack against Atlanta’s 17th-ranked rush defense, which allowed 104.5 yards per game.

CB Malcolm Butler

The hero of Super Bowl XLIX, Butler will get another chance to prove himself on the sport’s biggest stage, almost certainly getting the first crack at Julio Jones. The Patriots’ top cover corner, he’s coming off his best year as a pro, producing 63 tackles, four interceptions and 17 passes defensed.

WR Julian Edelman

Tom Brady’s security blanket, the 5-foot-10 receiver is a key to the Patriots offense, the guy Brady looks to most often on third down. But he’s more than just someone who moves the chains. Edelman averaged 11.3 yards per catch this season, and has had a huge postseason, catching 16 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown. When All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski was lost for the season in early December following back surgery, Edelman took his game to another level.

LB Dont’a Hightower

He’ll be matching wits with Ryan, trying to confuse the Falcons’ quarterback, carrying out whatever tricks Patriots coach Bill Belichick has in mind. New England’s defensive captain is a major factor in its stout run defense, which hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher over the last 25 games.

S Devin McCourty

The New Jersey native has been durable and effective, the kind of player Bill Belichick cherishes. Coming off his second Pro Bowl selection in seven NFL seasons, McCourty had 83 tackles and seven passes defensed, serving as an anchor to the Patriots’ defense, which allowed a league-low 15.6 points per game during the regular season.

FALCONS LB Vic Beasley (above)

There is one way to beat Tom Brady, and it’s by getting in his face, and hitting him repeatedly. That’s where the Falcons need Beasley to make his mark, by living in the backfield. The pass-rushing specialist is coming off a 15.5-sack season — the most in the NFL — but he has been quiet in the postseason, limited to just two tackles in two games.

RB Devonta Freeman

The third-year back out of Florida State is as versatile as he is effective, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 8.6 yards per reception during the regular season, and scoring 13 total touchdowns. With the Patriots expected to focus on the Falcons’ downfield passing attack, Freeman could be a factor. In the division round against the Seahawks, he turned four catches into 80 yards, and also scored once on the ground.

LB Deion Jones

One of the premier rookies in the league, Jones led the Falcons in tackles (108) and interceptions (three), and he will be counted on to make an impact against the Patriots’ short passing game. A second-round pick out of LSU, he came up big in the NFC playoffs, notching 11 tackles and an interception.

WR Julio Jones

Arguably the best receiver in the sport, the 6-foot-3, fourtime Pro Bowl selection has followed up a strong regular season — 83 catches for 1,409 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games — with an even better postseason, catching 15 passes for 247 yards and three scores. The Patriots will look to take away the former Alabama star, but Jones is big, fast and strong, and can beat you as a possession receiver or by going over the top of the defense.

WR Mohamed Sanu

The former Rutgers star could be the Falcons’ X Factor, with the Patriots expected to pay so much attention to Jones. Coming off a career-high 59-catch season, Sanu caught touchdown passes in each of Atlanta’s playoff victories, making general manager Thomas Dimitroff look smart for giving him a five-year, $32.5 contract in the offseason.