Patriots eke out 6th straight win over Falcons in nail-biter

The Patriots found a way to keep their win streak rolling on a less-than-perfect day.

Drake Maye connected with tight end Hunter Henry on third-and-5 late in the fourth quarter with the Falcons out of timeouts, icing a 24-23 win for the Patriots, who are now 7-2 on the season and riding a six-game win streak. A missed extra point by Falcons kicker and ex-Patriot Parker Romo set the stage for the critical final possessions, as the Patriots overcame a three-touchdown effort by Falcons quarterback Michael Penix and wide receiver Drake London.

Maye finished 19-for-29 (65.5%) for 259 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception through the air. His 102.5 passer rating qualifies as a marked step back from his 128.2 rating over his previous seven games. Maye also got strip-sacked late in the second quarter, a play that helped the Falcons hang around for most of the rest of the game.

The Pats got off to a fast start on both sides of the ball in this one, and for the defense, it was a welcome change from the slow starts that had become a trend. New England forced a three-and-out on Atlanta's game-opening drive, which included a sack by K'Lavon Chaisson.

Maye and the offense followed up in kind. The Patriots drove 75 yards in 10 plays on their first offensive possession, capped with a touchdown catch by DeMario Douglas to make it 7-0. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, making his first career start, got four touches for 39 yards as part of the drive.

Despite the Patriots' hot start, the Falcons delivered a counter-punch of complementary football late in the first quarter to get back in it. First, punter Bradley Pinion pinned the Pats at their own 6-yard line. The defense then forced a three-and-out after a blitz up the middle forced a third-down incompletion from Maye. Finally, Penix drove the Falcons 53 yards in five plays and finished it off with a touchdown pass to London, who was going against the smaller Marcus Jones in coverage, to tie it 7-7.

Maye wouldn't let the Falcons completely take over momentum. Sparked by a pair of catches for Henry, the Patriots offense immediately answered with their second touchdown of the day, this time a 3-yard run by Terrell Jennings, the first of his career.

The Patriots defense bounced back from the touchdown with a three-and-out, which included a pass breakup by cornerback Christian Gonzalez on London and a six-man blitz that forced a short checkdown pass on third-and-10 and a punt. Maye was able to keep the momentum going on the ensuing Patriots drive, most notably hitting Douglas on a deep crosser for a 58-yard completion. Stefon Diggs finished the drive with an impressive catch-and-run, making multiple guys miss on his way to the pylon for his second touchdown of the season, which made it 21–7 Patriots.

The Falcons got aggressive after that, deciding to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Patriots' 29-yard line instead of settling for a field goal. Gonzalez recorded his second pass breakup of the day on London, getting the ball back to the Pats with 1:11 left in the second quarter.

That's when the biggest swing of the game occurred. Facing more interior pressure, Maye attempted to evade Falcons rookie Jalon Walker, but lost the football. Fellow rookie James Pearce Jr. scooped the ball and returned it 21 yards, as Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell momentarily saved a touchdown by chasing Pearce down and tackling him. The Falcons scored two plays later, however, as London caught his second TD of the day, again over Marcus Jones.

The Maye turnover marred what was otherwise a strong first half of football for the Patriots. Instead of potentially going up three scores, they suddenly found themselves up only one score at halftime, 21-14.

The Patriots had a bit of a shaky drive to start the third quarter, which included another fumble by Maye, which he recovered this time. But they still managed to grind out 56 yards in 15 plays, and added to their lead with a 32-yard field goal by rookie kicker Andy Borregales to make it 24-14.

After the defense forced a three-and-out for the third time in the game, Maye's shaky play continued on the next Patriots drive. Maye rifled a pass deep down the middle intended for Henry, but the tight end kept running across instead of sitting, so the ball ended up in the hands of safety Jessie Bates for an interception. After going four games in a row without a turnover, Maye has now given it away three times over his last two contests.

Despite the Falcons threatening on the ensuing drive to start the fourth quarter, Milton Williams pressured Penix off the edge on third-and-6, which forced the Falcons to settle for a field goal to make it 24-17.

Maye and Diggs connected for a huge play to keep their next drive alive. Facing third-and-12, Maye made a slight pocket movement to evade more pressure, then delivered a 21-yard strike to Diggs to move the chains. They couldn't sustain the momentum, however, as Maye overthrew Douglas on his next third-down attempt, so the Pats had to punt.

The Falcons very nearly tied the game after getting the ball back, but a critical mistake barely kept the Patriots in front. Penix hit London for their third touchdown hookup of the game, a sensational grab for the receiver, to make it 24-23 Pats. The score stayed that way, as Falcons kicker and ex-Patriot Parker Romo pushed the extra point to the right.

Despite getting another stop, the Falcons couldn't capitalize with a chance to take their first lead late in the fourth quarter. Penix did hit London for a 26-yard gain as part of the drive, but later got flagged for intentional grounding, then sailed his third-and-20 attempt incomplete.

The Falcons decided to punt it away on fourth-and-20, and it proved costly. The Patriots ran it twice to force the Falcons to use their final two timeouts, then Maye found a wide-open Henry on third-and-5 to officially put the game away.