***SNF IN THE SWAMP - ATL @ NE***
***ATLANTA FALCONS @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS***
No time to spare here so I will keep it short and sweet: 28-3. The now infamous score that has been the butt of every joke regarding the Falcons after blowing a lead in the Super Bowl last season against the Patriots like never before. They haven't been right since and in my opinion the lingering effect of the negative stigma that came along with all that embarrassment to their franchise was brutal. They have dropped two straight games against to fellow AFC East opponents in the Bills and Dolphins, both at home and with a bye week in between. Both games were 2nd half crumbles similar to the Super Bowl and I feel like they won't be able to rid the bad voodoo until they go into Foxborough tonight and get revenge on the Patriots organization. The Pats have been stumbling with a bit of a Super Bowl hangover themselves to start the season. Much can be attributed to the loss of their top WR in Julian Edelman, but new acquisition Brandin Cooks has finally started to blend well along with WR Chris Hogan, TE Gronkowski, and the plethora of RBs catching passes out of the backfield. QB Tom Brady remains deadly no matter what but I feel as if the Falcons have the talent on defense to stifle them similar to how they did in the first half of the Super Bowl. These guys still have all the same pieces and only have added to their unit. LB Vic Beaseley will be back from injury tonight and will help pressure Brady in the pocket. On the other side of things, I expect a steady dose of RB DeVonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman to try and keep the Pats offense off of the field. The Patriot defense has been weaker than anticipated this offseason and are still fighting to improve every week. I believe they will be without CB Stephon Gillmore again tonight and last year's MVP Matt Ryan will be looking to strike when the time arises in the passing game by throwing deep to his main man WR Julio Jones. The Dirty Birds are still who they were last year, and the loss of Offensive Coordinator Shannahan was a HUGE one. I believe it has just taken them some time to figure things out once again. They have been waiting for tonight since the schedule came out. It's go time. Im out of time here, but I think the Falcons exorcise some demons on the Prime Time tonight. FALCONS+3
