02-06-2017, 07:15 PM
Acer wrote:
The Falcons defense burned out early. They were an unstoppable onslaught in the first quarter. The signs started to stack up with the sequential third down holding calls in the series in the second quarter. Defenders getting tired get grabby. They avoided the score with the pick 6, but they had to stay on the field for that many more downs. It only got worse in the second half when they found themselves on their heels with the patriot's classic dink and dunk.
That's what I think too. After the Patriots' fumble, their defense were on the field for much of the time, and appeared to be tiring themselves. The Pats long drive before halftime seemed to start to turn that around, and the Pats long drives in the third quarter took a lot out of Atlanta's D.