Atlanta Falcons (3-4) @ New England Patriots (6-2)
Sunday, November 2, 1:00 PM ET
As long as the Falcons don’t get out to an early 28-3 lead, you have to think they’ve got a good shot in this one.
The New England Patriots have been one of the most impressive teams in the league under the direction of new head coach Mike Vrabel, and the results we’re seeing on the field are not at all surprising. Drake Maye has taken the step into the NFL’s elite at the quarterback position, and what we saw against the Cleveland Browns this past week is that the Patriots have also bought themselves margin for error as a team.
Maye was sacked five times last week by Myles Garrett, alone, and the Patriots still won the game handily. This team is rolling, tied for the longest winning streak in the league at five straight games.
The Falcons, on the other hand, have been one of the hardest teams in the NFL to figure out up to this point. They played Kirk Cousins this past week because Michael Penix Jr. was out with a bone bruise.
And if Cousins was hopeful of that outing being an audition for a trade and starting gig elsewhere, it’s probably not going to happen after what we saw on Sunday. While the Falcons are tough to figure out, they’ve got the playmakers to hang with the Patriots if they’re right. But when they’re not? This team just gets blown away. They’re 5.5-point underdogs on the road against New England and I think the Patriots win by at least 6.
Prediction: Patriots win 28-21