New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots kept their winning streak alive with a 24-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday — though it didn’t come easy.
Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses allowed a game-changing strip sack in the waning moments of the first half. Drake Maye turned the ball over twice for the first time since Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Marcus Jones was placed in some disadvantageous situations and faltered because of them. Carlton Davis allowed what looked to be the game-tying touchdown.
It’s the kind of game that led to losses in each of the last two seasons, but not this time.
New England stepped up and kept itself in the driver’s seat in the AFC East, which is all you can ask for at this point in the rebuild. I’ve got your takeaways:
Maye has been absolutely fantastic over the last month, completing 77.5% of his passes for 1,241 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception across the club’s five-game winning streak entering Sunday’s matchup with the Falcons.
It’s the type of stretch that would push anyone squarely into the MVP conversation, and the sophomore quarterback is no different… DraftKings Sportsbook loved his chances entering the weekend, dropping his odds to +500. FanDuel Sportsbook had him at just +550.
I’d imagine those odds will continue to fluctuate, as the dual-threat weapon accounted for 281 total yards, two total touchdowns and two turnovers in the victory — with traces of a young player who isn’t careful enough with the football remaining evident.
New England made a concerted effort at revamping the offensive line this offseason, spending premium draft selections on both Will Campbell and Jared Wilson while also bringing in proven veterans Moses and Garrett Bradbury.
It’s looking like that trend might have to continue…
Campbell and Wilson look like cornerstone players, but the unit isn’t without its flaws. Maye has been sacked six or more times in back-to-back games. Bradbury still isn’t very good in the running game. Moses doesn’t have much time left playing at a starting level. Onwenu, the longest-tenured player on the unit, has regressed each of the last two seasons and had one major whiff that led to a strip sack that should have been more disastrous than it was.
The Patriots can’t continue to allow their franchise quarterback to take that many hits, which means their never-ending quest to give him the best protection possible is underway.
Patriots interim defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr has been tremendous to this point, but struggled to find his footing against Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
The Falcons were able to dictate matchups in the first half, which led to multiple instances of 5-foot-8 cornerback Marcus Jones being left in one-on-one coverage in the red zone against 6-foot-4 wide receiver Drake London — who scored three times.
It’s one of those little things that will eventually be addressed, but you would have imagined...
