Patriots continue mastery of Falcons
Super Bowl rematch favors New England with no prolific comeback required
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — To Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, this was simply an extension of last February’s Super Bowl.
For the Atlanta Falcons, it was another dose of football pain.
By the end of New England’s clinical 23-7 romp through the fog Sunday night, it was clear that the Patriots have straightened out what ailed them earlier this season. And that the Falcons are a shadow of the team that built a 25-point third-quarter lead in that championship game, only to fall apart and lose the first overtime contest in Super Bowl history.
Brady led that historic comeback, and he guided an offense that dominated the clock when the score was relatively close. Plus, unlike in the last meeting, he had a strong defense complementing him. A unit that ranked dead last in the NFL through six weeks nearly pitched a shutout against the league’s No. 5 offense.
“They had some big stops in the red area, the fourthdown plays were huge,” Brady said about the defense. “It was great complementary football and everyone did a great job contributing.”
Brady threw two touchdown passes as the Patriots toyed with the Falcons — sound familiar? — in the foggy Super Bowl rematch that wasn’t particularly super.
New England scored the final 31 points to win the NFL championship in February. Placards and shirts reading 28-3 were ever-present in and around Gillette Stadium.