Pros & ConsW 24–23Nov 2, 20251 min read

Week 9: Patriots 24 – Falcons 23

By PatWeek 9 · 2025

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.

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.

Written by Pat — independent Patriots and UCLA commentary. New posts after each game.