Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots have played two games versus NFC South teams so far, winning both by a combined score of 67-32. In order to make it 3-0 against the division, they will have to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
An up-and-down team so far this season, the Falcons have played some good football even though inconsistency has hurt them. Nonetheless, even at 3-4 they are no pushovers as a look at their core info shows.
Playing in a division that has had its issues in the past few years, the Falcons seemed like a potential candidate to sneak into the playoffs as a wild card team before the season. While that might still happen, the current 11 seed in the NFC has some work to do as a look at the stats shows.
Record: 3-4 (3rd NFC South)
Scoring differential: -34 (22nd)
Turnover differential: +2 (t-11th)
Offense: 17.1 points/game (28th), 342.7 yards/game (14th), 7 giveaways (t-11th), -0.030 EPA/play (26th), 0.005 EPA/dropback (23rd), -0.082 EPA/run (20th)
Defense: 22.0 points/game (13th), 275.6 yards/game (2nd), 9 takeaways (t-12th), 0.004 EPA/play (15th), 0.025 EPA/dropback (12th), -0.023 EPA/run (24th)
The Falcons are moving the ball relatively well and are not turning the ball over at a worrying rate, so why are they only ranked 28th in points per game (17.1) and points per drive (1.62)? Part of it has to do with their average starting field position being the worst in football at their own 27.8-yard line, but they also cannot get out of their own way once in the red zone: their 45% success rate is ranked just 29th in the league.
For comparison, their defense has been quite solid — with the yards per game number standing out. Once again, however, the red area is an issue: Atlanta is ranked 29th on that side of the ball as well (68.8%). The fact that they are still 13th in scoring still speaks for itself and the quality the rebuilt unit possesses on that side of the ball.
Atlanta’s season so far has been a rollercoaster. The team started out alternating wins and losses, heading into its Week 5 bye with a 2-2 record. Since then, they managed to beat the high-flying Buffalo Bills — a feat also accomplished by the Patriots one week earlier — before losses to the 49ers and Dolphins dropped them to 3-4.
Week 1: 23-20 loss vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)
Week 2: 22-6 win at Minnesota Vikings (1-1)
Week 3: 30-0 loss at Carolina Panthers (1-2)
Week 4: 34-27 win vs. Washington Commanders (2-2)
Week 5: Bye
Week 6: 24-14 win vs. Buffalo Bills (3-2)
Week 7: 20-10 loss at San Francisco 49ers (3-3)
Week 8: 34-10 loss vs. Miami Dolphins (3-4)
There is a difference between the Falcons’ first six games and their most recent one: their 24-point loss to the Dolphins saw them start Kirk Cousins at quarterback over regular QB1 Michael Penix Jr. (and also miss...
