The Falcons forced a Patriots punt while trailing 24-23 with 3:30 left in Sunday's game, but an intentional grounding penalty on quarterback Michael Penix helped keep them from driving for a go-ahead score.

London continued to burn the Patriots’ secondary, as Penix had all day in the pocket to find his top receiver for a 26-yard gain to move across midfield. New England blew up a pair of passes and drew an intentional grounding penalty in the process on the second occurrence. Facing third-and-20, Penix’s pass fell incomplete forcing a punt.

Expert recap and game analysis of the New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons NFL game from November 2, 2025 on ESPN.

The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons took the drama of their Week 9 matchup at Gillette Stadium right down to the last second. Desp

The Patriots started early in the game with the defense shutting down the Falcons quickly on the first drive, and the offense torching Atlanta's No. 1-ranked passing defense with quarterback Drake Maye connecting on a 16-yard touchdown pass over the top to Demario Douglas.

Agnew was stopped around the 30. Penix then looked like he was ready to hand the ball off, there was no back there, and he threw it away under pressure. Penix tried London, but Christian Gonzalez broke it up. On third down, Penix hits Pitts under huge pressure, but it was well short of a first down. Punt, and the Patriots got it at the 27.

The Falcons had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but the former Patriots kicker missed the PAT.

The Patriots had the ball in Falcons territory with a chance to extend their lead before halftime in New England, but the Falcons' two first-round picks came up with a big play to swing things their team's way.

The Patriots escaped with a close win against Atlanta. Here's who stood out and struggled in the win over the Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons will face off against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Coming into Week 9, the two teams appear to be going in different directions. The Falcons have lost back-to-back games and were just defeated by the Miami Dolphins by 24 points in Week 8.

ESPN's betting nugget is foreboding for the Falcons as well, stating the Falcons are 6-14 against the spread as underdogs in their last 20 games. What they don't tell you is that they're 3-1 against the spread as underdogs this season.