Falcons vs. Patriots: Impressions from Week Three

Final Score: Patriots 26, Atlanta 10

Record: 2-1

Quick Thoughts/Grade

After last week against the Jets, it was easy to be concerned about the state of New England Patriots football. However, in typical Patriots fashion, the team responded well, and took it to the visiting Atlanta Falcons, pulling out a gritty 26-10 win.

It wasn't always pretty, and the Patriots certainly have plenty of things to improve on going into next week, but it looked as if this defense may indeed be for real, and that the offense is making strides, on all fronts.

On the whole, I would give New England a B for their performance today.

The Good

1. The Running Game: Finally, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots coaching staff began to utilize their talented backfield and started to establish a rushing attack. On the day, the Pats rushed for 168 yards, 105 of which came from newcomer Fred Taylor. This helped New England control the game clock, holding onto the ball for 39:49.
2. The Defense: Once again, the defense looked strong. Despite the loss of Vince Wilfork and Mike Wright in the middle (more on that later), the Patriots' defense performed well once again. Rookie defensive tackle Myron Pryor looked to be playing well, and the unit held the Falcons to 58 yards on the ground and 257 total yards. No team has gained more than 300 yards this season on the Patriots defense. This unit is starting to look like it's for real.
3. Blocking: Following the intense pressure that Brady was under last week in New York, the microscope was on the New England offensive line today. In short, they responded well. Not only did they protect Brady and keep him off the ground, but they also opened up some nice holes for the backs to run through. Left tackle Matt Light played well against John Abraham, one of the elite pass rushing defensive ends in the NFL.
4. Brady's Timing/Confidence: Granted a lot of this had to do with the fact that he had a lot of time to throw most of the game. And he still has a very long way to go (he was still off on some throws, and he should have had at least one pick, maybe two). But it did look like he was having an easier time connecting with receivers, particularly towards the end of the game when he and Randy Moss seemed to begin to hook up for some nice gains. And his touchdown pass to tight end Chris Baker was a very nice throw. He still has a ways to go, but he appears to be on the right track.

The Bad

1. Joey Galloway: I keep wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt, as he is trying to adjust to a new system and he and Brady are still trying to work out some chemistry issues. But, once again, Galloway simply did not look comfortable today out there on the field. He caught two passes for 14 yards, with a long of eight. He also dropped a pass in the first half when he was running across the middle. If he can ever figure it out, he would be a very dangerous weapon in the Pats' arsenal. As of right now, however, Galloway just can't seem to put it all together.
2. Red Zone Efficiency: Like last week in New York, the Patriots seemed to struggle once they got inside the red zone. While Taylor was able to pound the ball into the end zone early in the second quarter from eight yards out, kicker Stephen Gostkowski needed to kick field goals from inside the 20-yard line three or four times. The Patriots need to start turning these field goals into touchdowns if they want to go far this year.

Injuries

1. Laurence Maroney; RB: This did not seem like a serious injury. However, in the first half, it appeared as if Maroney injured his thigh. He did not leave the sideline, which is a good sign. Even if Maroney is out for a bit, Taylor made it clear that he can carry the load. I don't expect this injury to hurt the Patriots too much.
2. Vince Wilfork; NT: This was the scary one of the day. Wilfork apparently injured his ankle, and the severity is unknown. Wilfork was able to gingerly walk off the field, and he then went down into the locker room, and he didn't return. His backups filled in well, as Falcons running back Michael Turner never was able to get going. However, this is one injury that the Pats cannot afford to be serious.
3. Mike Wright; DT: Another injury that looked minor. Wright stayed on the sideline, and it looked as if the trainers were checking out something on his upper body. Again, this didn't look to be a serious problem. Myron Pryor, the rookie DT out of Kentucky looked solid, and held down the fort in Wilfork and Wright's absence.

Next Week

Next week, the Patriots will welcome the Baltimore Ravens to Foxboro. This week, Baltimore dominated their division rival Cleveland, winning 34-3, moving the Ravens to 3-0 on the young season.

This will be a difficult matchup for the Patriots, as the Ravens have a stingy defense. And Joe Flacco and the Baltimore offense seems to be coming into their own.

Defensively, the Ravens are currently ranked 17th, allowing 331 yards of offense per game and yielding 25 points per contest (not including today's game).

Offensively, the Ravens are ranked third in the NFL, scoring 34.5 points per game and amassing 406 yards per contest (not including today's game).

Check back later this week for a more in depth look at this Week Four showdown.

Final Thoughts

Admittedly, I was a little down last week after the Patriots were handled in New York.

While I am still cautiously optimistic about this group, I liked what I saw today from the Pats, on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, New England established a running game, and it looked like Brady was starting to work out some of the kinks that he was experiencing earlier in the season, particularly as the game wore on.

On the defensive side of the ball, New England looked solid once again, holding their third straight opponent to under 300 total yards. Some of the guys who filled in for a couple injured regulars looked solid, which undoubtedly infused some confidence into the unit.

There were still issues, however, as the Patriots continued to struggle in the red zone. They didn't seem to have any issues getting down to that area of the field, but once they got there, they tended to stall, with the obvious exception being Taylor's eight-yard touchdown run in the first half.

Additionally, Galloway, who was supposed to come in and establish himself as the No. 3 receiver, continues to struggle. Granted, Brady missed him on a couple throws, but the veteran wideout still doesn't look comfortable out there in his new uniform.

If Galloway can pull it all together and he and Brady can establish some kind of chemistry, he would be a potent threat across from Moss, and it would almost be impossible for opposing defenses to choose who to cover (especially once Welker gets back).

On the whole, it was hard not to be pleased with the performance that the Patriots put out on the field today. It was not always flashy or pretty, and there are still many things that this team needs to work on in order to get where they want to be.

However, Atlanta is no push over. They came in with a decent defense and a very potent offense featuring a star running back in Michael Turner, one of the league's best young quarterbacks in Matt Ryan, and a host of receiving threats (most notably Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez).

New England took care of business today against a likely playoff team, so this is a performance that they can be proud of. This game gives them something positive to work off of as they prepare for their Week Four game against a tough Baltimore Ravens squad.

It wasn't always glorious, but the Pats looked solid, and they were definitely good enough for the win today. There was no fluke about this performance.