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DeMario Douglas had a career day. Drake Maye had a couple of shaky turnovers. The Falcons attacked Marcus Jones. The Patriots extended their win streak to six with a win against the Falcons on Sunday afternoon. The game was closer than it needed to be with Atlanta capitalizing on a pair of Drake Maye turnovers. The Falcons took advantage of Drake London’s height advantage over Marcus Jones in the red zone twice for a pair of touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with Maye’s production. The second-year quarterback withstood six sacks and several more hits and unleashed several big throws for explosive gains. It was a quiet day for the Patriots’ running backs with Rhamondre Stevenson out, but Terrell Jennings picked up his first NFL touchdown in the win. It was even quieter for Atlanta’s backs, who totatled just X yards as New England’s defense turned in another stellar performance against the run. Here’s a look at who stood out and struggled in the close victory. Stock Up DeMario Douglas DeMario Douglas is hitting his stride as a deep threat. For the third time in the last four weeks, Douglas hauled in a catch of 40-plus yards. This week, Maye hit Douglas in stride for a 58-yarder in the second quarter. The speedy slot receiver stumbled, slashed, and juked his way into the red-zone setting up a score. He opened the scoring with a 17-yard catch from Maye on a wheel route. Sunday marked Douglas’s first career 100-yard game. A breakout performance for the young receiver. K’Lavon Chaisson K’Lavon Chaisson was the only Patriot with multiple tackles for loss, and was one of just four New England players to hit the quarterback. On a day when Michael Penix was mostly able to avoid the pressure from New England’s pass-rush, Chaisson got into the backfield early for a sack. He was the Patriots’ most impactful rusher today, and he now has three sacks over the last three games, bringing his total to 5.5. Christian Gonzalez Christian Gonzalez led the team in tackles (7) and pass-breakups, and he nearly had an interception in the fourth quarter before a penalty flag wiped it out. London hauled in a highlight-reel catch over Gonzalez, but the bulk of his scoring came when Gonzalez was away from him. Gonzalez wound up leaving the game with a head injury in the fourth quarter, a concerning development as he did not return for Atlanta’s final drive. But, he was impactful when he was out there. Stefon Diggs Stefon Diggs caught three of his four targets and made his way into the endzone for the second-straight week. It wasn’t his most productive game in terms of yardage, but Diggs once again showed that he is a reliable target in clutch situations, picking up a key conversion on 3rd-and-11 early in the fourth quarter. Stock Flat TreVeyon Henderson TreVeyon Henderson did some nice things on the perimeter and had what could be considered an above-average game for him at this early point in his career. He showed some burst when the Patriots were able to get him the ball with space on outside runs and screens. His running between the tackles left something to be desired. A decent showing from the rookie, but nothing flashy. Khyiris Tonga The Patriots added an interesting wrinkle early in the game, using the 6-foot-2, 335-pound Khyiris Tonga as a short-yardage fullback on third down. Tonga filled the lane enthusiastically, freeing up enough space for the back to get the first. New England stuffed the run again, allowing just 70 yards on 16 carries. None of the Atlanta running backs had a carry longer than 15 yards. The Patriots handled their business on the interior and Tonga was a part of that. Drake Maye Maye, for the most part, was his accurate and productive self. However, a pair of costly turnovers kept the Patriots from putting the game away. New England was up two touchdowns with the ball when Maye was strip-sacked just before halftime. A field goal would have given the Patriots a three-score lead. The turnover and ensuing Atlanta touchdown drive sliced New England’s halftime lead down to seven. Maye had the deep throw to Douglas, and he spread the ball around to Diggs, Hunter Henry, and Austin Hooper. His statline wasn’t horrible, but his ball-security issues brought back flashbacks from last year and certain parts of training camp. Stock Down Marcus Jones Atlanta exploited the height mismatch between Jones (5-foot-8) and London (6-foot-4). They got the bulk of their points (14 out of 23) off of those plays in the red zone. Jones had an excellent month of October, inking a new contract extension, winning AFC defensive player of the month, and making a variety of clutch plays. But, the Falcons found a matchup that made his November get off to a rough start. The entire offensive line The Patriots gave up six sacks. Need we say more? Neither the run game nor the pass-protection were particularly effective in this one. Credit to Will Campbell for saving a touchdown with his hustle on Maye’s interception, but Maye was hit early and often. Pressure came from several directions. The Patriots were able to overcome it, but this game was far from the best we’ve seen this offensive line play.
