Patriots shut out Falcons to win fifth straight game

Rookie quarterback Mac Jones passes for 207 yards, with one touchdown and one interception; New England Patriots defense finishes with four interceptions in the game, including a 35-yard pick six touchdown from Kyle Van Noy

Last Updated: 19/11/21 6:34am

Matt Ryan was sacked four times and intercepted three times as the Atlanta Falcons were shut out by the New England Patriots defense

The New England Patriots shut out the Atlanta Falcons 25-0 on Thursday Night Football to stretch their win streak to five straight games.

Story of the Game

Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones passed for 207 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, while Nick Folk kicked four field goals and Kyle Van Noy returned an interception 35 yards for a TD late in the game.

New England had four total interceptions in the game, with J.C. Jackson, Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips also coming down with picks.

Falcons veteran QB Matt Ryan threw two of them, while Van Noy’ pick six came courtesy of Josh Rosen and fellow back-up Feleipe Franks tossed one up to Phillips to end the game.

While the Patriots (7-4) win streak rumbles on, the Falcons (4-6) have now failed to find the endzone for two straight games – outscored 68-3 in losses to the Dallas Cowboys and now New England – with Thursday’s game also the first time Atlanta have been shut out at home since losing 33-0 to the Los Angeles Rams back in 1988.

Stats leaders

Patriots

Passing: Mac Jones, 22/26, 207 yards, 1 TD, 1 INTRushing: Rhamondre Stevenson, 12 carries, 69 yardsDamien Harris, 10 carries, 56 yardsReceiving: Nelson Agholor, five catches, 40 yards, 1 TD

Falcons

Passing: Matt Ryan, 19/28, 153 yards, 2 INTsRushing: Qadree Ollison, nine carries, 34 yardsReceiving: Russell Gage, five catches, 49 yards

Scoring Summary

Key Plays

A Folk 32-yard field goal in the first quarter opened the scoring for the Patriots, while Jones then made it 10-0 to the visitors with a 19-yard scoring strike to Nelson Agholor on their next series.

The Falcons had chances to get back in the game but came up empty each time. The first instance of this came in response to Agholor’s touchdown, with Atlanta driving down to the New England 14-yard line only for Ryan to be sacked on 3rd-and-1 by Van Noy for a loss of 13 yards. Younghoe Koo then connected on a 45-yard field goal, but an illegal-formation penalty nullified the three points and the kicker then missed wide left on his subsequent try from 50 yards.

Then, off the back of a Jones interception, trailing by 13 late in the third quarter – Folk having fire through a second FG just before the half – the Falcons turned the ball over on downs at the Patriots 16-yard line as Qadree Ollison was stopped for no gain when going for it on 4th-and-1.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, with Atlanta again deep into New England territory, this time at the 22-yard line, Ryan threw the first of his two interceptions – both of which helped tee up further Folk field goals as the Patriots moved 19-0 clear inside the final two minutes of the game.

As Atlanta sent in their backup QBs in relief of Ryan, Van Noy returned his pick off former 2018 first-rounder Rosen – now on his fifth team – for a touchdown.

What’s Next?

The Patriots (7-4) have a real test of their credentials next up as their win streak is put up against the AFC-leading Tennessee Titans (8-2) in Week 12. As for the Falcons (4-6), they will look to try to get their playoff push back on track on the road at the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7).

Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated channel for NFL coverage through the season – featuring a host of NFL Network programming. Don’t forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports – on the go!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *