Thursday’s NFL Matchup

NEW ENGLAND (6-4) AT ATLANTA (4-5)

KICKOFF: 8:30 p.m., FOX, NFL Network

BETTING LINE: Patriots by 7, according to FanDuel SportsBook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Patriots 6-4, Falcons 4-5.

SERIES RECORD: Patriots lead 9-6.

LAST MEETING: Patriots beat Falcons 23-7 on Oct. 22, 2017, at Foxborough, Mass.

LAST WEEK: Patriots beat Browns 45-7; Falcons lost to Cowboys 43-3.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Patriots LB Matt Judon has led New England’s’ pass rush this season, getting a team-high 9½ sacks . ... Falcons QB Matt Ryan is coming off the lowest-rated game (21.4) of his career. He completed just 9 of 21 passes for 117 yards and two interceptions in the ugly loss to Dallas.

STATS AND STUFF: The Patriots have won four straight games and five of their last six after a 1-3 start. … With a victory, New England coach Bill Belichick would take sole possession of third place on the regular-season career win list with one team. He is tied at 250 wins with former Dallas coach trailing George Halas (318 with Chicago) and (257 with Miami). . The Patriots are one of two teams, along with Tampa Bay, to score at least 45 points in multiple games. . Rookie QB Mac Jones has completed at least 70% of his passes in six of his first 10 games, the only rookie quarterback to do so. The rookie record is nine such games by Dallas’ … The Patriots have scored in the first half in 96 consecutive games (regular season and playoffs), an NFL record. . The Patriots are tied with Dallas for second in the NFL with 14 interceptions, one behind Buffalo. … The Falcons fell behind 36-3 against the Cowboys, the second-largest halftime deficit in franchise history. The largest was a 35-0 deficit to

Unitas and the Baltimore Colts in 1967, the franchise’s second year in the NFL. … The 40-point loss was Atlanta’s worst since a 56-10 rout by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004. … Atlanta has lost five straight games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including an 0-3 mark this year. Since moving into the retractable-roof stadium in 2017, Atlanta is just 14-21 at home. … The Falcons will try to get to .500 for the third time this season. They have not been above .500 since the end of the 2017 season. … K

Koo has made 15 of 16 field goals and all 17 PATs. … The Falcons have won six of their last seven prime-time games in Atlanta. …

Kyle Pitts has a team-high 606 yards receiving, second most through the first nine games of a season by a rookie tight end in NFL history. … In his first two games against the AFC East opponents, Pitts had 16 receptions for 282 yards and one TD.