Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots stayed in the win column on Sunday, celebrating a sixth straight W to improve to 7-2 on the year.
Here is who caught our eye for better or worse upon live viewing the 24-23 victory.
WR DeMario Douglas: It was an emotional day for Pop Douglas after losing his uncle on Saturday. Playing in his honor, Douglas led New England with four catches for 100 yards and a score — the yardage marking a career-high. His touchdown came with Josh McDaniels taking advantage of a Falcons defensive tendency, where starting Douglas in the backfield resulted in one-on-one coverage against an edge rusher — an easy matchup for the receiver.
Douglas then had a long 58-yard catch-and-run where he made multiple defenders miss as he continues to take advantage of his opportunities.
“We’ve got to keep finding Pop,” Mike Vrabel said after the game. “We have to continue to find him on some of these runaways or some of these slot plays that are really good for him. I love having him on the team. He’s fun to coach. He sits right up front, and he’s always into it. Great teammate. Always happy for his success.”
RBs TreVeyon Henderson and Terrell Jennings: Filling in for the injured Rhamondre Stevenson (toe), New England’s top two backs ran well in between the tackles en route to piling up 90 total yards on the ground. Henderson took over the lead role (51 snaps; 75 percent) and added four catches for 32 yards to go with 55 yards on the ground. Jennings, meanwhile, found the end zone for the first time in his career and finished with a 100 percent success rate in late-down situations.
Run defense: Entering the week not allowing a single 50-yard performance to a running back this season, the Patriots front faced their toughest task yet against Bijan Robinson, who Vrabel compared to Marshall Faulk earlier in the week. The unit continued to hold their ground limiting Robinson to just 46 yards on the ground in 12 attempts with one explosive run.
RG Mike Onwenu and pass pro: Facing a defense that led the league in blitz-rate (48.1 percent), New England’s offensive line was set to be challenged on Sunday. The Falcons then dialed up the pressure even more blitzing Maye on 25 of his drop backs (62.5 percent) which helped led to six sacks (some again on the Pats QB).
Right guard Mike Onwenu had his struggles missing on a pair of twists up front, with one leading to a strip sack at the end of the second quarter. Onwenu then also lost to Ruke Orhorhoro to derail a red zone possession, while fellow guard Jared Wilson also gave up a sack and three pressures upon initial charting.
Pass rush: New England’s pass rush on the other hand failed to consistently get after Michael Penix Jr. throughout the day, as the lefty had ample time in the pocket in order to help...
