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| Other Week 3 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL at NE | CAR at DAL | CHI at SEA | CLE at BAL | DEN at OAK | GB at STL | IND at ARI | JAX at HOU |
| KC at PHI | MIA at SD | NO at BUF | NYG at TB | PIT at CIN | SF at MIN | TEN at NYJ | WAS at DET |
Week 3 Game Recap: Atlanta Falcons 10, New England Patriots 26
Atlanta Falcons
| QB Matt Ryan, Pass: 17 - 28 - 199 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 |
Ryan drove the team right down the field on his first drive for a field goal, and led the Falcons to a TD on his third drive, but the rest of time, he struggled to find open receivers and convert on his bread and butter plays to Roddy White outside and Tony Gonzalez in the middle of the field. Ryan honed in on Michael Jenkins, but Jenkins wasn't getting open downfield enough to punish the Patriots for focusing attention on White and Gonzalez. Michael Turner didn't break off any long runs to loosen up the D, and Ryan didn't make any individual plays to overcome the good game plan. You can't say Ryan or the Falcons offense played badly as much as you can say the Pats defense had a very nice game.
| RB Michael Turner, Rush: 15 - 56 - 1 |
Turner never really got on track even though he scored a first half touchdown. He was dragging tacklers and taking a lot of energy to bring down, but he didn't get free in the open field or find a lot of room to run all day. Turner fumbled in Patriot territory on a key drive that could have put the Falcons in the lead, but it was a great defensive play more than a lapse on his part.
| RB Jason Snelling, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 3 - 41 - 0 (4 targets) |
Snelling got some good yards after catch on a few dump-offs, although they mostly came on third and long on surrender plays. He is still showing enough burst and power to be considered the real handcuff to Michael Turner while Jerious Norwood is banged up, and maybe even when he returns.
| WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 5 - 78 - 0 (8 targets) |
Jenkins had a chance for a big day with the defense focused on other weapons, but he had an offensive pass interference penalty nullify his long TD catch (not blatant, giving the DB a stiff arm as the ball was arriving), and didn't do anything after the catch on his targets. He did have good timing with Ryan, and showed good hands and ball security, but he is mostly a possession receiver, not a playmaker. This is basically as good as it gets for Jenkins fantasy value.
| WR Roddy White, Rec: 4 - 24 - 0 (6 targets) |
White never got free downfield, and he had most of his production on the scripted first drive of the game. A drop and a trip limited his production, and the Patriots took away his intermediate outside routes that had been open with regularity in the first two games.
| WR Brian Finneran, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (3 targets) |
Finneran had a few nice conversions on short crossing routes, and he did get a red zone target, but like Marty Booker, he is just a role player in this passing offense.
| WR Marty Booker, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (5 targets) |
Booker got a few short targets as the Pats defense was taking away White and Gonzalez, but he is still just a role player in this passing offense.
| TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (2 targets) |
Brandon McGowan did a terrific job covering Gonzalez, who didn't make a catch until the fourth quarter. Even when Gonzalez was at the top of his game (and he's still close), he would have games like this, so there's no need to get worried.
New England Patriots
| QB Tom Brady, Pass: 25 - 42 - 277 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 0 - 0 |
It's clear that in some aspects of his game, Brady isn't himself. He surveyed the field, moved in the pocket, and made good decisions all day, but he overthrew deep balls for most of the game. He didn't seem to be affected too much by the absence of Wes Welker, using Randy Moss to move the chains. Brady could have easily had 350 and two touchdowns in this one, even though the Pats decided to run more in the second half. Brady's ball-handling and execution of the offense were both precise and confident, and his numbers should only improve going forward.
| RB Fred Taylor, Rush: 21 - 105 - 1, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) |
Taylor ran just as hard and strong as he had in the first two games, but the offensive line gave him bigger holes today, so 100 yards and touchdown was no problem for the age-defying RB. He continues run with a nice initial burst, good pad level, and great intensity. Taylor got yards after contact on almost every run, and he has staked his claim to be the closest thing this team has to a lead back.
| RB Sammy Morris, Rush: 5 - 16 - 0, Rec: 3 - 46 - 0 (3 targets) |
Morris got a lot of action as a fullback in this game, and made some nice gains as a receiver from that position. Still, this development combined with Fred Taylor's excellent game really limits his upside going forward without injuries ahead of Morris on the depth chart.
| RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 5 - 25 - 0, Rec: 3 - 12 - 0 (4 targets) |
Faulk got fewer snaps than normal as the Pats went to Fred Taylor more in the second half. He had a nice gain on the ground in the two minute offense, but for the most part he was contained by the aggressive Atlanta defense on his touches.
| RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 4 - 17 - 0 |
Maroney had a few solid runs inside and outside early in the game before leaving with a thigh bruise. With Fred Taylor's emergence, it's probably safe to drop Maroney.
| WR Randy Moss, Rec: 10 - 116 - 0 (16 targets) |
You couldn't tell if Moss was in any pain from the back injury that made him questionable on the injury report. He got open deep numerous times, but was overthrown by Brady on one, had a TD barely broken up on another, Brady tripped and missed him on a third end zone target, and Moss juggled the fourth deep target. When Brady targeted Moss on short end zone throws, the timing was off, or Moss was covered. Still, Moss is clearly the apple of Brady's eye, and his many key first-down conversions on short passes should keep things that way.
| WR Julian Edelman, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0, Rec: 3 - 20 - 0 (5 targets) |
Edelman got the same underneath targets he got vs. the Jets, but fewer of them, and he only made something happen after the catch on one of them. He also had a nice gain on an end around. While he'll have to yield to Wes Welker when he returns, Edelman is still playing well enough to keep a large role if Welker misses more time.
| WR Joey Galloway, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (5 targets) |
Galloway continues to be out of sync with Brady, although Brady did overthrow him when he was open deep. Galloway had a big gaffe in the first half when unnecessarily stepped out of the back of the end zone on what should have been a TD catch, and he also had a bad drop. The opportunity has been there for Galloway to become a big part of this passing offense, but he hasn't seized it.
| WR Sam Aiken (2 targets) |
Aiken got two high value targets - one in the end zone, and one deep, but neither one was catchable.
| TE Chris Baker, Rec: 2 - 42 - 1 (3 targets) |
Baker got open deep and Brady dropped it in perfectly for the Pats only TD through the air on the day. He is still second to Ben Watson in prominence among the TEs in the passing game.
| TE Ben Watson, Rec: 1 - 23 - 0 (3 targets) |
Watson was open deep, only to be one of many Patriot passcatchers to be overthrown by Tom Brady. He make a very athletic catch downfield when he was covered pretty well, and also got a target at the goal line that was a little high. Watson continues to get high value targets, but his production will remain sporadic.