Week 9 Pros & Cons: Patriots 24 Falcons 23

2025-11-02

Pros

  • Defense played very well overall: Falcons 1/10 on third down, 288 total yards, and Bijan held to 46 yards on 12 carries. The Patriots still haven’t allowed a RB to rush for 50 yards all season.
  • Offense moved the chains: 8–12 on third down; won time of possession 34 minutes to 26 minutes.
  • Demario Douglas was open all game: 100 yards and a TD on 4 catches.
  • Winning ugly: tough matchup and momentum swing on the fumble, but we still found a way. Scoring 24 in a “bad” game is encouraging.

Cons

  • Offensive line is a huge problem: sacks allowed trend is getting worse, and twist stunts are killing us.
  • Running game is still inconsistent; it would help solve the pass-rush problem if we could be more reliable.
  • Big physical WRs can exploit smaller corners right now. Drake London dominated; this is something to watch in the playoffs.
  • Drake Maye needs better risk management: less jumpiness, fewer risky throws, more “boring” high-percentage plays when needed.