The New England Patriots had just taken a 13-10 lead in the third quarter in Sunday night's prime time match up with the Atlanta Falcons when it appeared that Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan had grown tired of the cat and mouse game between his receivers and the Patriots defensive backs...
...frustrated because his trio of exceptional wide receivers were being held in check by a combination of coverage schemes that left him little choice but to target tight end Tony Gonzalez and his running backs instead of going down the field and engaging Atlanta's high-flying vertical game - so he started throwing caution to the wind, and throwing the ball to his speedy wideouts.
Starting from his own 20 yard line, he started to find them. A pass over the middle to Julio Jones and his world class speed and then to the left flat to cagey veteran Roddy White found the Falcons into Patriots territory and finally in a groove that had eluded them to that point.
That's where Joe Vellano decided to take matters into his own hands.
When Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vince Wilfork left early in Sunday night's game with what turned out to be a torn Achilles tendon, coach Bill Belichick turned to his rookie free agent out of the University of Maryland to fill Wilfork's big size 15 turf shoes...
...and with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter in the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta, Vellano filled those shoes. Big Time. And with 14 rookies on the roster - including seven of those undrafted rookie free agent types - is anyone surprised that Vellano jumped in those shoes and asserted his presence?
Vellano's sack of Ryan for a 13 yard loss stalled a promising looking drive and turned the momentum of a tight slug fest into a rout, New England's struggling offense suddenly coming to life and scoring on four consecutive possessions to take a 30-23 victory over the Falcons in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score would indicate.
That said, it took an Aqib Talib breakup of a pass intended for White in the end zone on a fourth down from the New England 10 yard line to stem a furious late comeback - spurred by a couple of fundamental breakdowns by the offense and special teams - before the Patriots walked out of the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta with their undefeated record still intact.
Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady overcame some early game shakiness to record his best performance of this weird and wonderful season, but it was his fumble on a 4th and inches from the Falcons' 37 just following the two minute warning that opened the door for Ryan and the Falcons to take one last shot at the Patriots' defense, and also setting the table for Talib's last second heroics.
Brady went 20 for 31 and two touchdowns, thirteen of those completions going to receivers Julian Edelman and rookie free agent Kenbrell Thompkins who combined for 245 of Brady's 316 total - both wide outs enjoying break out performances and delivering on their potential under the bright lights of the nationally televised stage...
...plodding clock-killer LeGarrette Blount rumbling for 64 yards on just nine carries - 47 of them on a highlight reel touchdown run that seemed to break the spirit of the injury ravaged Atlanta defense that had held on for dear life for the first three quarters, giving New England a 10 point lead just seconds into the fourth quarter.
Ryan threw for 421 yards on a 34 of 54 performance, nearly half of that yardage coming during a desperate fourth quarter rally that was aided greatly by New England miscues. Through the first three quarters, Ryan was an inconsistent 14 of 25 for just 237 yards as the Patriots defensive backs limited his trio of speedy wide outs, forcing him to target his backs and Gonzalez...
...but he was epic in the final frame with his back to the wall, hitting on 20 of 27 pass attempts for 184 yards as he started firing desperation fastballs into tight coverage. But in the end the Patriots balanced offense and a big play defense led by Talib was enough to hold off the hard-luck Falcons, sending them to 1-3 at the season's quarter-mark.
New England raised it's record to 4-0, undefeated despite the absence of several key playmakers on offense.
Atlanta took the opening kickoff and drove down into the Patriots red zone but, as has been a running theme for both teams this season, the Falcons had to settle for a 23 yard Matt Bryant field goal and a 3-0 lead that carried over into the second quarter.
Brady started their second drive by finding running back Stevan Ridley for a 24 yard gain to midfield, then turned to the running game - calling 10 consecutive running plays that sapped the will from the Falcons' defenders, finishing the drive with a one yard bullet to recently signed free agent tight end Matthew Mulligan and a 7-3 lead.
A 48 yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal gave New England a 10-3 lead with three and a half minutes left before the half, but a frustrated Ryan started targeting Gonzalez and his backs exclusively, finding Gonzalez wide open in the right flat, the 37 year old slipping a Steve Gregory tackle and gliding into the end zone to tie the game at 10 heading into the locker room at the break.
After a third quarter dominated by defense, highlighted by Vellano's drive-killing sack of Ryan and smothering coverage in the secondary, Brady and the Patriots' offense sparked a fourth quarter rally by both teams' offenses that saw 30 points scored between the two.
Blount's 47 yard run right into the teeth of the Falcons' front, bursting through a huge hole then floating to the outside and skirting the sideline extended the New England lead to 10 points, the ensuing Atlanta possession falling short in the red zone once again, this time Ryan sacked by rookie defensive end Michael Buchanan, forcing the Falcons to settle for another Bryant field goal to cut the lead to 20-13.
Julian Edelman made his presence known when the Patriots got the ball back, catching two balls for 16 and 44 yards respectively before Brady hit Thompkins for a gorgeous diving touchdown grab and a 14 point advantage.
A Talib interception on the first play of the Falcons' next possession led to a Gostkowski field goal and a seemingly insurmountable 17 point lead with just over 6 minutes remaining in the game - but a desperate Ryan started finding his wide receivers, fitting perfectly thrown balls into excellent coverage - the big play coming on a Harry Douglas crossing route that went for 40 yards before Ryan found Gonzalez in the end zone to cut the New England lead back down to 10.
That's when the normally composed Patriots contracted a case of the yips.
The ensuing onside kick took a strange bounce, rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld failing to find the handle - and the Falcons were in business again at midfield with four and a half minutes remaining. Good coverage by the New England secondary forced the Falcons to settle for yet another Bryant field goal to make it a seven point game, and after the Patriots secured the next onside kick attempt, Brady took over just inside Atlanta territory...
...where on a fourth and inches at the Falcon 38, the Patriots decided to go for the first down that would have essentially ended the game - but instead, Brady couldn't handle the snap from center Ryan Wendell and Ryan had the ball back for one last gasp drive - and he promptly went vertical, hitting a tightly covered Jones on the sideline for 49 yards to the Patriots' 13 yard line.
But the New England defense stiffened and Talib's play on Ryan's attempt to White in the end zone ended the Falcons' valiant, if Patriots' error aided comeback bid.
Now the undefeated Patriots have to fill Wilfork's shoes for the rest of the season, and with run happy Cincinnati up on the docket next, they have to figure out their next move quickly - but the steady play of Vellano and with two defensive tackles healthy and ready to go on the team's practice squad, the answer could be already be on the roster.
With the way in which the Patriots have been able to make due with all of the injuries thus far, would it be that much of a surprise if the team didn't miss a beat?
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