The Patriots had a day to enjoy their satisfying victory over the Atlanta Falcons before getting started on their work for Sunday's visit from the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium.
Before turning their attention completely toward LA, there was still plenty to discuss about the Falcons win, which featured the best overall effort from the team this year.
The Boston Globe has Tom Brady praising the complementary nature of New England’s performance against Atlanta. Brady tore up the Falcons with lots of throws outside the numbers.
The Boston Herald believes the improvement shown on defense against Atlanta may have some staying power. The notebook gives some credit to Kyle Van Noy, who came up with a big play near the goal line on fourth down. The fog made life difficult for the film crew.
ESPN.com has Bill Belichick discussing the Patriots depth at running back. The Patriot Ledger wonders if the effort against the Falcons was a one-time thing or a sign of things to come. Unheralded defensive backs like Johnson Bademosi coming out of nowhere to contribute is nothing new to the Patriots according to MassLive.com. NBC Sports Boston says the Patriots got contributions from "forgotten" man David Harris. The offensive line did its job as well.
NESN.com examines how the Patriots buried the Falcons Sunday night. The Patriots continue to move up NESN.com’s power rankings as well. WEEI.com has Belichick offering praise for Joe Cardona for his work in arranging for a special night for the military in Foxborough. Just like that the Patriots look like Super Bowl favorites again.
In Los Angeles, the Chargers are on a three-game winning streak as they head to Foxborough for Sunday's matinee with the Patriots. The LA Times says rookie Dan Feeney, a player the Patriots showed interest in during the draft, will need to step up in place of the injured Matt Slauson at guard. Philip Rivers feels the win over the Broncos can be a springboard for a turnaround.
