Atlanta – A few minutes before the start of Sunday’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots, scores of empty seats still ringed the Georgia Dome, one sign the once-ballyhooed matchup perhaps wouldn’t be quite as good as expected.
There would be no showdown between two of the NFL’s most electric performers, Tom Brady and Michael Vick, the latter sidelined with a knee injury. Hopes of determining which defensive lineman, Patrick Kerney or Richard Seymour, was the most disruptive force were dashed when Seymour sat out with his own knee injury.
But those concerned with the missing missed out on what nonetheless proved to be one of the most entertaining games of the season. Both teams entered the contest with something to prove, and it took almost 60 minutes of unrelenting give-and-take to settle the issue, with the Patriots coming away with a 31-28 victory.
The winning margin came via a 29-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri with 17 seconds remaining. It was the 19th game-winning kick of Vinatieri’s career; 19 was also the number of winning drives New England quarterback Brady had engineered in the fourth quarter or overtime during his four-plus NFL seasons, best in the league.
The victory meant the Patriots (3-2), who are on the road again this week versus the Broncos, wouldn’t be saddled with a more dubious streak. Coming off a loss last week to San Diego, the win Sunday meant New England avoided its first back-to-back losses since Dec. 2002. That span of 38 games is also the longest in the NFL.
“I don’t rank them, but it was certainly a good win,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “I’m proud of the team, proud of the players.”
With NFC South leader Tampa Bay in the process of losing its first game of the season, the Falcons had a chance to move into a tie for first place. In twice rallying from double-figure deficits, the team showed why it harbors hopes of moving into the league’s elite. However, the bottom line left Atlanta (3-2) feeling frustrated.
“It’s a great barometer of where we are, but they won the game,” Falcons coach Jim Mora said. “The barometer says they’re better than us.”
Missing players aside, perhaps the biggest expectation entering the game was that Sunday would mark one more nail in the coffin for a team that had finally run out of ways to overcome the problems that cripple almost every other organization.
Seymour was one of 14 players the Patriots listed on their injury report late last week. Missing from the lineup were eight players who started in Super Bowl XXXIX in February, including defensive glue Rodney Harrison, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Steelers.
The atmosphere that surrounds the Patriots on the road is part carnival, part carnage, with fans lusting for their team to get a piece of the two-time defending champions. And while that seemed entirely possible Sunday, New England came out and provided its own punch in the mouth, scoring touchdowns on its second and third possessions.
Making just his second career start, Matt Schaub threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns. The third, a 14-yarder to Dez White, and subsequent two-point conversion to Brian Finneran, tied the score with 3:52 to play. But as wounded as they may be, they’re still the Patriots, and that was enough time for Brady and Co. to respond.
“We came into a tough environment against an excellent team and had a chance to win with three minutes left,” Brady said. “I would take that any day of the week.”
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
