Super Bowl LI has been dissected from nearly every angle. In the final days before the game, let us add one more: the role of officiating in determining the eventual champion.

Perhaps the least-discussed aspect of this matchup is the extent to which referee Carl Cheffers and his crew will allow defensive players on both sides to be physical with opposing receivers. It’s an especially pertinent topic given the New England Patriots’ long history of overcoming elite-level offenses in the playoffs, at times using a strategy that was so physical that it prompted the NFL to redouble its efforts to enforce defensive holding and illegal contact penalties in the mid-2000s.

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It stands to reason that the Patriots will have more success against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones if their cornerbacks can push the limits of what’s allowable under NFL rules. Will Cheffers and his crew permit it? Let’s make that issue the focus of our final officiating preview of the 2016 season.

As we’ve noted often, penalty frequency can vary dramatically among NFL officiating crews, similar to a strike zone that changes in baseball depending on who the home plate umpire is.

Tracking this tendency, as both the Patriots and Falcons surely have done, is complicated because Cheffers won’t have his usual regular-season crew.

The NFL assigns postseason games to its top-graded officials, regardless of crew assignment. In this case, Cheffers will have only one member of his 2016 crew with him: head linesman Kent Payne. Cheffers himself has little impact on penalty calls in the defensive backfield from his position behind the quarterback, other than setting the tone for the entire crew before the game.

So in this situation, we’ll utilize regular-season data for the crews of each official who will play a role in making such calls.

We’ll refer to “defensive coverage” penalties: the combined total of calls for defensive pass interference, illegal contact and defensive holding. As you’ll see below, most of the officials who’ll have the primary responsibility for those calls in Super Bowl LI — as spelled out on the NFL’s football operations site — hail from crews that call fewer such penalties on average.

Here’s one statistic to keep in mind from the top: Overall, penalties have dropped 29.7 percent in the 2016 playoffs compared to the regular season, from 15.8 per game (including declined/offsetting) to 11.1. Within that drop, however, calls for pass interference, illegal contact and defensive holding have remained steady: about 1.2 per game. It’s quite possible, of course, that the flag total has remained constant even as the level of physicality has increased, which leads to a net result of fewer uncalled fouls.

Referee Carl Cheffers

2016 analysis: For what it’s worth, Cheffers’ regular-season crew called a combined 45 defensive coverage penalties, fifth most in the NFL. As a referee, he is primarily responsible for officiating hits to the quarterback and offensive holding. During the regular season, he called only five roughing-the-passer penalties, and his crew called 46 penalties for offensive holding, fifth fewest in the NFL. He drew criticism from the Kansas City Chiefs, most notably tight end Travis Kelce, for calling a hold on left tackle Eric Fisher to negate a game-tying two-point conversion late in a divisional playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cheffers also called a questionable face mask penalty against the Detroit Lions in 2015 that put the Green Bay Packers in position to win with a Hail Mary touchdown throw. Former NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira wrote in his book, “After Further Review,” that the penalty was “too technical to call.”

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Yaya Toure capped his return to the Manchester City fold as he and new signing Gabriel Jesus were included in its squad for the Champions League knockout stages.

Toure was left out of City’s 25-man list for the group stages, sparking a row between boss Pep Guardiola and the Ivory Coast midfielder’s agent that led to him being frozen out of the side.

But since that dispute was resolved in November, Toure has reclaimed a place in the team and has been in fine form, with his latest dominant display coming in City’s 4-0 win at West Ham on Wednesday.

Toure’s inclusion in the Champions League squad comes as no surprise, with fellow midfielder Ilkay Gundogan likely to miss the rest of the season through injury.

Recent signing Jesus, who scored his first league goal since his move from Palmeiras in the West Ham win, comes into the European squad in place of Kelechi Iheanacho.

“I’m very happy for the goal, very happy for the performance and especially for the win,” Jesus told City TV.

“This is the spirit I think we have to have and if we keep that spirit we will be able to achieve our goals.

“The reception from the club has been great, my team-mates are helping a lot and the process of adaptation is going great.

“I honestly thought it would be more difficult but thanks to my family, my friends and my team-mates it’s going really well.”

Having now been registered at the club for two years, Iheanacho can be removed from the main squad quota but remain eligible as a player named on the “B” list.

City faces Monaco in the Champions League last 16 as it aims to win the competition for the first time.

Former New York Giants kicker Josh Brown admitted publicly to domestic violence for the first time during an interview with “Good Morning America,” but he disputed the more than 20 incidents claimed by his now ex-wife, Molly Brown, and said he never hit her.

Brown, 37, wants to return to the NFL. He was cut by the Giants on Oct. 25 after admitting abuse to the team.

“I mean, I had put my hands on her. I kicked the chair. I held her down. The holding down was the worst moment in our marriage,” Brown said during an interview with ABC News’ Paula Faris. “I never hit her. I never slapped her. I never choked her. I never did those types of things.”

Farris asked Brown how people reconcile are supposed to reconcile him abusing but not hitting his ex-wife.

“They’re not supposed to. What I did was wrong. Period,” Brown said. “Domestic violence is not just physical abuse. We’re talking intimidation and threats, the attempt to control, body language. An abuser is going to abuse to a certain degree to acquire some kind of a reaction.”

Brown still seemed to take offense to the notion that he hit his wife.

“The world now thinks I beat my wife,” Brown said. “I have never hit this woman. I never hit her. Not once.”

In October, documents were released related to Brown’s arrest on domestic violence charges in Woodinville, Washington. The letters, emails and journals contained admissions by Brown that he had physically, verbally and emotionally abused his wife.

“These were the things that you say to yourself and then you’d burn them. … And I didn’t,” Brown told GMA. “The fact that my private things are being used against me, that’s hard to swallow. I’m talking about my journals. I had to learn all that and write that down in order to heal and now you’re telling me that I’m going to be punished for trying to correct the things in my life that needed to be changed.”

Brown was coming off his best season of his career in 2015 when he made 94 percent of his kicks. The Giants signed him to a two-year, $4 million deal last April despite knowing he was under investigation for domestic abuse.

Brown was arrested on May 22, 2015 for domestic assault, fourth degree. Charges were never filed.

The NFL ultimately suspended Brown for one game for what he repeatedly called a “moment.” Brown was arrested after he was accused by his ex-wife of grabbing her wrist during an argument the previous year. He said the league has known everything since the start of the investigation and that he’s never tried to hide his problems.

But the arresting officer wrote in his report that Brown told him he tried to grab the phone and grabbed her wrist. Brown provided a different version of the story during his interview with ABC News.

Frank Lampard has called time on his illustrious football career.

The Chelsea legend took to social media to announce that he is stepping away from the sport after more than two decades.

Despite receiving multiple offers to continue playing following the conclusion of his contract with Major League Soccer’s New York City FC, Lampard explained that he is content with his accomplishments and that it’s “time to begin the next chapter” of his life.

“After 21 incredible years, I have decided that now is the right time to finish my career as a professional footballer,” he said on his Instagram page.

“Whilst I have received a number of exciting offers to continue playing at home and abroad, at 38 I feel now is the time to begin the next chapter in my life. I’m immensely proud of the trophies I’ve won, of representing my country over 100 times and of scoring more than 300 career goals.”

The 38-year-old went on to thank his former clubs – West Ham, Manchester City, and NYCFC – before paying tribute to Chelsea, where he spent the majority of his career and won numerous trophies during the most successful era in the club’s history.

“Of course, the largest part of my heart belongs to Chelsea, a club which has given me so many great memories,” he said.

“I will never forget the opportunity they gave me and the success that we managed to achieve together. It is impossible to give thanks individually to all the people that helped and supported me in my 13 years playing there.

“All I can say is from the day I signed until now and going forward, I’m eternally grateful for everything and to everyone.”

Although he’s hanging up his boots, he won’t be far from a football pitch. He thanked the FA for the chance to pursue an opportunity to coach, and added that he is eager to pursue “off-field opportunities.”

Lampard – whose decision to retire comes just months after compatriot Steven Gerrard stepped away from the game – finishes his storied career with countless trophies, including three Premier League titles and a Champions League crown.

He also leaves the game with 106 England caps and more than 300 goals – 211 of which came as a Chelsea player, making him the club’s all-time leading scorer.