Falcon Report

What We Learned from Atlanta Falcons Heartbreaking Loss to Patriots

The Atlanta Falcons put up a valiant effort against the New England Patriots, but came up painfully short in their 24-23 loss.
Scott Kennedy|
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London had three touchdown catches against the New England Patriots.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London had three touchdown catches against the New England Patriots. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons came up short in a hard-fought 24-23 loss to the New England Patriots that saw their chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter go wide as persistent problems at kicker plague this team.

Several players had big days, including Drake London and Jalon Walker, but in the end, Atlanta came up short.

Here’s what we learned on Sunday:

Battle of Second-Year Quarterbacks

Drake Maye was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Five picks later, Michael Penix Jr. went to the Falcons. Neither quarterback started right away as rookies, but both showed promise to close out the 2024 season.

Penix was considered to be in the better situation with established playmakers and a veteran offensive line. But the big difference might be on the sideline.

Say what you want about Josh McDaniels as a head coach, but he’s done a terrific job with Maye this year with a group of weapons that don’t approach the likes of Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson.

Penix looks uncomfortable running Zac Robinson’s offense through three quarters, while Maye is in MVP discussions. Penix does his best work under the pressure of trying to come from behind in the fourth quarter. His gunslinger tendencies are unleashed. 

The flaw in Maye’s day was a couple of turnovers, including a fumble and an interception, that led to 10 Falcons’ points and kept the game close. 

Drake is Open

A wide receiver doesn’t have to have 4.3 speed to be a deep threat. If Drake London is in one-on-one coverage on the outside, he’s open. London had three contested catches for touchdowns, and Penix hit London for a 40-yard completion in the fourth quarter by just giving London a chance to make a play.

Good things are likely to happen. Either a penalty or a catch. On London’s big play, it was both.


The deep shots help open up things underneath, including the Falcons' stagnant running game that has faced too many stacked boxes in recent weeks.

Falcons Special Teams are Bad and Getting Worse

The Falcons entered the game ranked 30th in DVOA for special teams. DVOA is an efficiency metric that includes several factors, including kick coverage and returns, punting and of course… place kicking.

After a valiant drive to potentially tie the game in the fourth quarter cut the Patriots’ lead to 24-23, Parker Romo missed the extra point.

It’s the most visible problem in a unit that has come up short for two consecutive years. 

The defense responded with a critical three-and-out and gave the ball back to the offense with 3:30 left. 

Falcons Poor Effort vs. Miami Carried Over to Start

An inauspicious beginning for the Atlanta Falcons offense as they started with a three-and-out after a screen pass was thrown behind Bijan Robinson, a sack, and a checkdown to Robinson that was thrown at his feet.

To make matters worse, starting left guard Matthew Bergeron left the game after the first series with an ankle injury. He was replaced by Kyle Hinton, who had 179 offensive snaps in his four-year career prior to Sunday. 

The defense had trouble stopping the run against the Miami Dolphins, so it was a bit of a surprise to see the Falcons open up in the 2-4-5 defense on the Patriots’ first play. They ran the ball successfully with rookie TreVeyon Henderson for an initial first down, then went back to him on a screen. He broke a pair of tackles for another first down.

The Falcons reverted back to their 3-4 on the Patriots’ next drive, but they were unable to get initial pressure on Maye. When Dorlus finally got through, Maye had a lot of open field for another first down. 

New England finished the opening drive with a wheel route that got 5’9 and 192-pound wide receiver Deario Douglas, lined up as a halfback, isolated on outside linebacker Jalon Walker. Walker didn’t have a chance up the sideline, and it was 7-0 after each team had the ball once.

Making Adjustments

It got better for the Falcons after each team’s first drive. The Falcons reverted back to their 3-4 on first down, and after a Leonard Floyd pressure on a stunt, they were able to force the Patriots to punt. Floyd left the game in the second quarter with a recurring hamstring injury.

After the Falcons struggled to block K’Lavon Chaisson, they started leaving a running back in to help Jake Matthews. It paid off. Penix was 4 of 4 on the drive, including the touchdown pass to Drake London on what looked like a tipped ball in which London boxed out the smaller defender.

Live By the Blitz, Die By the Blitz

There’s no question that the Falcons' defense is considerably better this season than last season. A lot of the improvement can be attributed to a change in mentality: Aggressive vs. Passive.

The Falcons still have trouble getting pressure on the quarterback without sending extra rushers, and if the rushers don’t get home…

Douglas got loose again in the second quarter for a 58-yard catch and run. Dee Alford was on the coverage, but he can’t be blamed for not being able to track Douglas across the entire field after the Patriots picked up a heavy blitz from the Falcons. What can be criticized is the shoddy tackling that plagued the Falcons, including several on that play and the subsequent touchdown to Stefon Diggs for a touchdown on the same drive.


The Falcons hadn’t allowed 200 yards passing in a game all season. Maye threw for 173 in the first half and finished with 259 yards, 2 touchdowns, and was sacked 6 times. 

Dynamic Duo Changes Game Before Halftime

The Falcons would love to be able to get pressure without blitzing. That’s why they selected Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s not easy for rookie edge rushers to pile up numbers, but the pair of them combined to give the Falcons a lifeline ahead of halftime.

Walker broke through on a stunt and got a sack fumble against Maye. Pearce picked it up and returned it to the five. Penix found London for their second touchdown of the game. 

The Falcons were staring 24-7 in the face with the Patriots getting the ball to start the third. Instead, they got much-needed momentum and a 21-14 game, thanks to their dynamic rookies.

This was arguably Walker’s best overall game in his young career.

Trade Tyler Allgeier

Tyler Allgeier is in the final year of his contract. He’ll be one of the, if not the, most coveted running backs in free agency at the end of the season. With the Falcons struggling to get first downs the last few weeks, the number of plays has declined.

Allgeier had two runs for six yards.

The trade deadline is Tuesday, and the Falcons have just five picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. A team like the Kansas City Chiefs could send Atlanta a fifth or sixth-round pick and drastically improve their backfield.

Missing Harrison

Zach Harrison has arguably been Atlanta’s best defensive lineman this season. He was out against the Miami Dolphins, and the ‘phins gashed the Falcons defense on the ground. His absence was felt again against the Patriots as they ran up 110 yards on the ground.

On the bright side, second-year defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus was a menace. He disrupted the Patriots' offense all game and had two sacks and two tackles for loss.

 Getting Dorlus and Harrison healthy at the same time is a tantalizing prospect for defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

The Verdict

It wasn't a bad effort from the Falcons. It was the type of game, losing on the road to a divisional leader, that can be forgiven if they hadn't just been blown out at home by the Dolphins.

However, the Atlanta Falcons now find themselves sitting at 3-5, 5-11 in their last 16 games. The trade deadline is Tuesday, and they should be sellers to pick up more draft picks with only five next year.

The Falcons are in action next Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts in Germany. It could be a long trip if they can't find a way to get back in the win column.

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Scott Kennedy
SCOTT KENNEDY

Scott is an Atlanta-based sports media professional with stints as Director of Scouting of Scout.com, VP of Content Production at Sports Illustrated, and Managing Editor at CBS Interactive / 247 Sports, among others.

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