Patriots 25, Atlanta 0: Falcons Let Comeback Chance Slip Away

A sliver of hope shot through the Atlanta sideline in the third quarter Thursday night of what would become a 25-0 home loss to the Patriots. (Game story here.)

Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell made a spectacular play on a deep throw from New England quarterback Mac Jones, leaping to pick it off. The 35-yard return to midfield made the prospect of a comeback seem possible.

Atlanta was down just 13-0 at the time. Set up in good field position, a touchdown by the Falcons would have made the Patriots sweat.

The drive started with promise. A couple of short passes from Matt Ryan led to a first down. Ryan connected with fullback Keith Smith for 11 yards and another first down at the Patriots’ 25-yard line.

Momentum appeared to be with the Falcons. The next two plays gained nine yards, as Atlanta moved into the red zone for only the second time in the game at that point.

Needing just one yard, though, proved too much. Smith was stuffed one third-and-1. Knowing a field goal would do little, the Falcons went for it.

Running back Qadree Ollison found even less room the Smith. Turning the ball over with less than a minute less in the third effectively sucked the life out of the Falcons, who were looking to get back to .500.

Instead, Atlanta dropped to 4-6 with the shutout loss at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Statistically, the Falcons shouldn’t have been in the game at the time of Terrell’s interception. The Patriots (7-4) were dominating up to that point and finished the game with a 308-165 edge in total offense.

But in low-scoring game, especially at home, the opportunity was there to make a run. Not taking advantage of scoring chances – Atlanta kicker Younghoe Koo missed a field goal in the second quarter – ultimately was too much to overcome.

PHOTOS: Falcons vs. Patriots