Patriots 30, Falcons 23: At one point, New England held a 30-13 lead. Bob Kraft thought the game was over, gleefully taking photos with Floyd Mayweather in his box seats. But Atlanta rallied back and came extremely close to a 17-point comeback in under six minutes.
Julian Edelman called for a fair catch on a punt in the first quarter, but was lit up anyway. No flag was thrown for fair catch interference, because it was apparently a judgment call. Devin McCourty did a poor job of blocking out Drew Davis, but Davis lowered his shoulder into Edelman when he had the chance. Edelman was shaken up, but returned to the game later on.
Name the tight end that caught this pass. Time's up! Matthew Mulligan, former Maine Black Bear. It's understandable if you don't think he's a real person. Mulligan's touchdown gave New England a 7-3 lead.
Kenbrell Thompkins saved a possible interception and somehow caught this 49-yard pass. Since it's Kenbrell Thompkins, he only caught it after it bounced off of his chest. Baby steps, though.
Breakaway speed does not exist for LeGarrette Blount. He's just too damn big. Despite his lack of acceleration, Blount still ran 47 yards to put the Patriots up 20-10.
Thompkins had an impressive touchdown catch—or was it?—to give the Patriots a 27-13 lead. The catch was reviewed and upheld, due to Thompkins's elbow just getting inside. It was close, though.
Despite a 17-point lead with just six minutes left, the Falcons made it interesting. After Tony Gonzalez's second touchdown and a Matt Bryant field goal, Atlanta was down only seven. The Patriot had to kill three minutes and end the game, but on fourth and one, Brady bobbled a snap and the Falcons took over. They marched down the field quite easily, thanks to a huge Julio Jones 49-yard catch, but couldn't tie the game up in the red zone, turning the ball over on downs and ending the game. New England ended the rally and escaped with the win.