FOXBORO, Mass. — Mike Vrabel’s celebration was subdued, one befitting of the way this game ended, a tougher, more stressful challenge than the five consecutive wins that preceded it. There was no big fist pump or hug, simply a sigh of relief after the New England Patriots survived an ugly second half to eke out a 24-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
It lees the Patriots in shocking territory, given the last two seasons, in which they went 4-13. In Vrabel’s first season at the helm, the Patriots are 7-2, tied for the best record in the NFL, and winners of six in a row. A team that won eight games combined in the last two years has a chance to match that mark in the first 10 games of Vrabel’s tenure when it visits the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday for one of the premier games of the week.
Still, this one wasn’t pretty. Quarterback Drake Maye had, by his recent standards, a pedestrian game: 19-of-29 passing for 259 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The offensive line struggled. The pass rush was nonexistent. The Falcons should’ve tied the score with under five minutes remaining, but kicker John Parker Romo (who spent training camp with the Pats) missed the point-after attempt after Drake London’s third touchdown.