Patriots Back On Winning Track With Win Over Falcons
After an erratic start to the 2009 NFL regular season, the New England Patriots have finally found some balance to their offense. Tom Brady had carried all of the weight in the Pats first two regular season games due to their one dimensional offense, but on Sunday he received some long overdue help from running back Fred Taylor who ran for 105 yards. As a result, the Patriots dominated the time of possession battle holding onto the ball for nearly 40 minutes en route to a 26-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams are now 2-1 on the season.
NFL betting enthusiasts who backed the Patriots as -4 home favorites cashed their tickets with the 16 point victory. It was New England’s first ATS triumph of the season, while Atlanta lost to the money for the first time in the 2009 campaign.
Rushing star Taylor talked about the importance of a balanced offense:
“You want to be balanced going into games, but some situations don’t allow for it. You want to establish that momentum and look over across the ball and see the frustration in the defensive guys’ eyes.”
New England was also very effective on defense, holding the Falcons Tony Gonzalez to one catch early in the fourth quarter. An obviously frustrated Gonzalez talked about the Patriots defensive scheme after the game:
“They did the same thing they always do to me, ‘bracket coverage. If I get single coverage I am going to make them pay for it eventually.”
New England safety Brandon McGowan joked that the plan was to hold Gonzalez without any catches:
“The plan was for him to not have any catches and he had one so obviously the plan failed.”
Patriots running back Sammy Morris said it was simply a matter of making plays:
“We were making plays in the second half we weren’t making in the previous weeks. It was directly related to making the third-and-shorts and fourth-and-shorts. The offense is able to stay on the field and you’re able to get more things accomplished.”
The Falcons will enjoy a bye weekend before returning to action on the road against the San Francisco 49ers on October 11th. Theyll host the Chicago Bears the following Sunday before playing the Cowboys at Dallas. New England will host the Baltimore Ravens, with the Patriots a -1 home favorite. The total in the game has been set at 44. New England will play at Denver the following weekend before returning home to take on the Tennessee Titans.
Ross Everett is a freelance writer and highly respected authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
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