Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
10 takeaways from Patriots’ 24-23 win over the Falcons
A missed extra point from the Falcons helped New England escape with a win.
FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots’ win streak extended to six games on Sunday via a 24-23 victory over the Falcons at Gillette Stadium.
It wasn’t a pretty one for Mike Vrabel and his team, but New England made enough plays — especially in the first half — to come away with a nail-biting win.
Here are 10 takeaways from Sunday’s win in Foxborough.
Patriots escape with a win
A win is a win.
But it was far from an easy afternoon for the Patriots, who will likely be stewing over a game where they had multiple opportunities to turn Sunday’s matchup into a blowout while letting the Falcons hang around.
Advertisement:
The 7-2 Patriots are continuing to stack wins, but they were just a shanked extra-point attempt from Parker Romo away from potentially going into overtime against an Atlanta team that was seemingly on the ropes for most of the first half.
Be it Drake Maye’s turnovers and New England’s struggles with generating pass-rushing pressure, there’s still plenty of work to be done with this team.
A roller-coaster day from Maye
It was far from a perfect game for Maye, who was knocked for two turnovers in a game that should have probably been a blowout early in the third quarter.
But even with the Patriots QB’s strip-sack and interception directly leading to 10 points for Atlanta, Maye still managed to dole out plenty of damage through the air on Sunday — especially in the first half.
Advertisement:
Matched up against a Falcons defense allowing an average of just 149 passing yards, Maye recorded 259 passing yards and two touchdowns — while completing 19 of his 29 pass attempts.
Maye recorded his seventh multi-pass TD of the season on Sunday, the most such games for a Patriots player since Tom Brady in 2015.
Still, his showing against Atlanta was a bit more uneven given his turnovers and struggles with execution in the second half. Maye and the Patriots ultimately landed enough punches with a win, but there’s still plenty to clean up moving forward.
A perfect start
One of the few flaws for the Patriots amid their strong start to the season has been a sleepy showing on defense over the first few drives of a game. Entering Sunday, the Patriots allowed a score on six of the eight opening drives from opposing offenses.
But Sunday was a step in the right direction for New England, as the Patriots jumped out to an early 7-0 lead off of strong complementary football.
Atlanta had the ball first on Sunday after New England won the coin toss, but immediately punted off of a short three-and-out drive that was punctuated by a sack from K’Lavon Chaisson.
Advertisement:
While New England’s defense made quick work of Michael Penix and the Falcons offense, Maye and Co. went to work on their first drive — going 75 yards off of 10 plays en route to a touchdown.
Beyond featuring rookie TreVeyon Henderson heavily on that first drive (39 total yards), Josh McDaniels was in his bag with some effective play-calls — including slotting in defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga as a fullback on a third-down conversion and motioning DeMario Douglas out of the backfield on a wheel route that resulted in a 16-yard touchdown.
Atlanta eventually punched back and scored an equalizer touchdown off a 1-yard snag by Drake London near the end of the first quarter. But New England was seemingly in control over the first 15 minutes of play.
Terrell Jennings’ first TD highlights Patriots run game
The Patriots’ run game suffered a setback entering Week 9, as Rhamondre Stevenson was ruled out of the game earlier this week due to a toe injury.
But even with Stevenson sidelined, New England still managed to generate 110 total yards on the ground — with Terrell Jennings recording his first NFL touchdown in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 14-7 advantage at the time.
Jennings — who was signed off the practice squad earlier this week after Stevenson’s injury — finished the game with 35 yards off of 11 rushing attempts. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson — who posted a career-best 75 yards in Week 8 against the Browns — also finished with 87 total yards.
Pop’s big catch sets up another TD
Maye and the Patriots’ offense once again showcased their deep-ball acumen in the second quarter — with a 58-yard snag by Douglas helping to orchestrate another touchdown before the end of the first half.
Advertisement:
While Maye has routinely hit his pass-catchers in stride while targeting them down the field, Douglas gained plenty of yardage after the catch on that play — bouncing off a few Falcons defenders before eventually getting brought down at the Falcons’ 11-yard line.
That play marked a career-long for both Maye and Douglas when it came to both a throw and catch so far in their respective NFL careers. Douglas finished with a career-high 100 yards in the win.
Just two plays later, Stefon Diggs reeled in a catch from Maye off a spot route and scrambled his way into the end zone to give the Patriots a 21-7 advantage with 5:18 left in the first half.
It marked the 900th catch of Diggs’ NFL career.
Maye’s miscue proves costly
The Patriots were seemingly primed to turn Sunday’s game into a blowout in the first half, with Maye driving New England down the field to the 50-yard line with under a minute to go until halftime.
Even if the most New England could get out of that drive was a field goal from Andy Borregales, the Patriots had a prime chance to stack that drive with a double-score after getting the ball to open the second half.
Instead, some ball-security issues from New England’s QB led to disaster — as Atlanta edge rusher Jalon Walker strip-sacked Maye after storming through the line of scrimmage.
Rookie James Pearce Jr. scooped up the ball and nearly made his way into the end zone, only to be taken down by Will Campbell at New England’s six-yard line.
Despite Campbell’s hustle play, the Falcons eventually did find the end zone off another red-zone snag from London — flipping what was once looking to be a lopsided game into a one-score contest going into the second half.
Advertisement:
Maye still stuffed the stat sheet on Sunday, but that turnover stood as another lesson learned for the second-year QB.
Patriots let the Falcons hang around
The Patriots have routinely torched teams in the third quarter this season, but New England struggled to land a knockout punch against Atlanta on Sunday.
New England had a promising opening drive in the second half, advancing all the way to Atlanta’s five-yard line — only for New England’s offensive line to get caved in on the next play en route to a nine-yard sack against Maye.
The Patriots ultimately had to settle for a 32-yard field goal from Borregales — making it a 24-14 game.
After New England’s defense forced another punt, Maye and the Patriots had another chance to put this game away. But a miscommunication between Maye and Hunter Henry led to a throw over the middle that was picked off by safety Jessie Bates III for Maye’s second turnover of the year.
Romo ultimately converted on a 38-yard field goal to close out the subsequent drive — making it a 24-17 game with 14:08 left in regulation. Atlanta generated 10 total points off of Maye’s two turnovers.
Patriots survive in fourth quarter
It looked as though Sunday’s game was destined for overtime after London capped off a 12-play, 80-yard drive with his third touchdown catch of the game — making it a 24-23 game.
But Romo, the former Patriots kicker, shanked the extra-point attempt wide right, keeping it a one-point game in favor of the Patriots.
Advertisement:
New England’s offense once again could not take advantage and put the game away, as Maye and Co. went three-and-out on their next drive to once again put the pressure on New England’s defense to close it out.
The Patriots’ defense ultimately stood tall, with a key rush up the gut from Milton Williams forcing an intentional grounding on Penix that stalled Atlanta’s drive — and ultimately prompted a punt.
New England ultimately iced the game after Maye hit Henry for a 17-yard pickup on a third-down play — giving the Patriots the downs they needed to run out the clock.
Patriots defense doesn’t break, but showcases flaws against Falcons
The good news? New England’s defense once again prevented a running back from gaining 50 yards on the ground Sunday — with Atlanta’s star back Bijan Robinson finishing with 46 rushing yards off 12 attempts.
But New England’s defense still labored when it came to putting pressure on Penix — who threw for 221 yards while only getting sacked once.
New England’s defense also had some major issues when it came to accounting for London, with the 6-foot-4 wideout recording two of his touchdowns with 5-foot-8 Marcus Jones in coverage. He also burned Christian Gonzalez for a 40-yard snag in the fourth quarter before reeling in his third touchdown with Carlton Davis in coverage.
With the NFL trade deadline less than a week away, New England desperately needs another pass-rushing force.
Odds and ends
The Patriots had a few injuries sprout up in this win, as both Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) and Christian Elliss (hip) were downgraded to out during the second half of Sunday’s game. Christian Gonzalez also suffered a head injury after giving up that 40-yard catch to London in the fourth quarter.
It was another up-and-down showing from New England’s offensive line, as Maye once again took a beating by way of six sacks. He has been sacked four or more times in 11 of his 21 starts so far in his NFL career.
Advertisement:
Cardi B was spotted in Robert Kraft’s luxury box during Sunday’s win, with the rapper doing Diggs’ celebration when the cameras showcased her on the Gillette Stadium video board. Diggs — Cardi B’s boyfriend — was spotted dancing on the sidelines after her music started to play at Gillette following his second-quarter touchdown snag.
LIVE UPDATES
4:00: Final: Patriots beat the Falcons, 24-23. A nail-biter for New England, but they gut their way to a sixth-straight win.
3:59: 17-yard completion for the Patriots. Hunter Henry moves the chains and that should do it.
3:54: Falcons are punting with 2:03 to go. It’s once again going to come down to Maye and the Patriots to gain some first downs and bleed the clock.
3:52: Intentional grounding on Penix. Huge play by Williams to bring the pressure.
3:51: Drake London continues to torch New England. 26-yard pickup.
3:37: Sure feels like Vrabel is going to be irked after this one. Maye and the Patriots go 3-and-out.
It’ll fall on New England’s defense to close this one out.
3:44: Gonzalez suffered a head injury on that catch from London and he’s questionable to return.
3:41: Drake London is smoking the Patriots right now. His third TD catch makes it a 24-23 game with 4:40 left in regulation.
BUT. … Parker Romo misses the extra point. It’s wide right.
Patriots somehow still lead, 24-23.
3:38: Drake London is killing the Patriots on this drive. 10-yard pickup on a fourth-down has Atlanta on the 10-yard line.
3:34: Drake London reels in a 40-yard catch with Gonzalez in coverage. Falcons now on the 26-yard line.
Gonzalez slow to get up after that deep ball. He’s now in the medical tent.
Advertisement:
3:30: Chaisson whistled for hands to the face. Automatic first down for Atlanta.
3:27: But an eight-yard loss from Henderson stalls out the drive. New England has to punt with 9:41 to go.
3:24: Diggs to the rescue. He reels in a 21-yard catch on a 3rd and 11.
3:21: Tavai called for a hold on the kick return — New England’s first penalty of the day.
3:17: The Falcons settle for a field goal from Parker Romo — making it a 24-17 game with 14:08 left in regulation. Falcons get 10 points off of Maye’s two turnovers.
3:12: End Third: Patriots are up, 24-14. But Falcons are driving and have the ball on the 21-yard line.
3:04: Annnnd Maye throws a pick instead. Not great. Falcons taking over at New England’s 49-yard line.
3:02: A good response by New England’s defense to force a punt on Atlanta’s first drive of the second half. Let’s see if the Patriots can build some breathing room here.
2:54: Patriots get the ball to Atlanta’s 5-yard line, but a critical sack from the Falcons stalls the drive.
Borregales’ 32-yard field goal is good.
It’s 24-14 Patriots with 6:26 to go in the third.
2:48: Boutte has been downgraded to OUT with his hamstring injury.
2:47: 14 yards on back-to-back runs from Henderson.
2:43: Patriots LB Christian Elliss is questionable to return with a hip injury.
2:27: Halftime: Patriots lead the Falcons, 21-14.
Felt like the Patriots were primed for a knockout punch against Atlanta, but instead it’s now a one-score game after that Maye strip-sack.
2:24: TOUCHDOWN FALCONS. Drake London snags another TD over Marcus Jones.
Advertisement:
It’s 21-14 with just 12 seconds to go in the half.
2:22: That’s brutal. Jalon Walker strip-sacks Maye and James Pearce returns it all the way to the 6. Falcons with a 1st and 6 and 23 seconds to go.
2:15: Christian Gonzalez with another PBU against London — and the Falcons turn the ball over on downs. Patriots have the ball on their own 29 with 1:17 left in the half.
2:14: We have a Cardi B sighting at Gillette Stadium.
2:08: Kayshon Boutte is questionable to return with a hamstring injury.
2:05: Patriots QB Drake Maye so far in the first half: 9/13, 157 yards, two TDs
2:04: Gillette Stadium just played Cardi B over the speakers after Stefon Diggs’s touchdown — he is enjoying it quite a bit.
2:01: TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS. Maye hits Stefon Diggs on a spot route, and he scrambles his way to an 11-yard touchdown.
It’s 21-7 Patriots with 5:11 left in the hahlf.
1:58: What a play by Maye and Pop Douglas, who refuses to go down and scrambles for a 58-yard pickup. Patriots now at Atlanta’s 11-yard line.
1:51: Nice play by Gonzalez to break up a pass intended for Drake London.
Falcons are punting.
1:46: TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS. Jennings runs it in from 3 yards out. That’s the first of his NFL career.
It’s 14-7 Patriots with 8:52 left in the half.
1:45: An 11-yard pickup by Terrell Jennings. He’s generating some chunk yardage on the ground.
1:41: Another clutch 3rd-down pickup by Henry. Thought that ball was going to get batted down.
1:39: Nice pickup by Hunter Henry for an 11-yard catch on a 3rd-and-10.
Advertisement:
1:35: End First: Patriots and Falcons are tied, 7-7.
1:31: TOUCHDOWN FALCONS. Atlanta takes advantage of a short field after the Patriots punt, with Penix hitting Drake London for a 1-yard touchdown. A bit of a size mismatch with London going up against Marcus Jones.
It’s a 7-7 game.
1:24: Atlanta dials up a blitz and Maye throws an incompletion over the middle.
Patriots are punting.
1:19: Two series, two punts for the Falcons.
1:18: A great start for Chaisson, who takes down Bijan Robinson behind the line for a 5-yard loss.
1:12: TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS. Maye hits Pop Douglas for a 16-yard touchdown.
It’s 7-0 Patriots.
Talk about a perfect start for New England.
1:10: Maye gains 12 yards on a scramble. … Still wish he’d slide a bit more.
1:08: DT Khyiris Tonga is in at fullback — and it leads to a first down pickup by Jennings.
1:04: Chaisson sacks Penix for four years. Falcons are punting.
A strong start for New England’s defense — which hasn’t always been the case this year.
1:00: Patriots win the coin toss and defer. Falcons offense is first up.
12:08: Warmups are underway.
11:31: A look at New England’s inactives today. As expected, Rhamondre Stevenson is inactive due to a toe injury. Could mean a lot of reps for TreVeyon Henderson today.
11:11: Mack Hollins understood the assignment.
11:00: Greetings from Gillette Stadium!
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com