New England
Patriots
0-4
28
FINAL
31
Atlanta
Falcons
3-1-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 8 matchup, the Atlanta Falcons narrowly defeated the New England Patriots with a final score of 31-28. The stakes were high as both teams sought to solidify their playoff positioning, making this victory crucial for the Falcons’ campaign.
Julian Sayin was the star of the night, throwing for an impressive 374 yards and three touchdowns, showcasing his ability to lead the Falcons' offense. Nyck Harbor also made a significant impact, racking up 122 receiving yards and proving to be a key target in the passing game. Dante Dowdell added a solid ground game with 51 rushing yards, helping to balance the offensive attack.
Defensively, while the Patriots struggled to contain Sayin, they did have standout performances, particularly from Williams Nwaneri, who recorded eight total tackles. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Atlanta's defense stepped up to halt New England's drive, allowing the Falcons to hold on to their slim lead. Atlanta's ability to make key stops at crucial moments ultimately sealed their victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Sayin | QB | 35 | 26 | 74% | 374 | 3 | 0 | 137.0 |
| Jaxson Dart | QB | 29 | 18 | 62% | 224 | 2 | 0 | 108.9 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dante Dowdell | HB | 18 | 51 | 2.8 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Kewan Lacy | HB | 18 | 43 | 2.4 | — | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Jaxson Dart | QB | 8 | 32 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jaydon Blue | HB | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 4 | 13 | 3.3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Skyler Bell | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Nyck Harbor | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Cam Skattebo | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| A.J. Barner | TE | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Julian Sayin | QB | 3 | 2 | 0.7 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Mark Andrews | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Fannin Jr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Duce Robinson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyck Harbor | WR | 4 | 122 | 30.5 | 81 | 1 | 70 | 1 |
| Skyler Bell | WR | 8 | 85 | 10.6 | 18 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Ryan Wingo | WR | 4 | 77 | 19.3 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| Garrett Wilson | WR | 5 | 72 | 14.4 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Duce Robinson | WR | 1 | 61 | 61.0 | 52 | 1 | 61 | 0 |
| Mark Andrews | TE | 5 | 55 | 11.0 | 19 | 1 | 29 | 0 |
| A.J. Barner | TE | 4 | 32 | 8.0 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Carnell Tate | WR | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 17 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Harold Fannin Jr | TE | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| Peter Clarke | TE | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Kewan Lacy | HB | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | — | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Cyrus Allen | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Cam Skattebo | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Nwaneri | REDG | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Winston Jr | FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darrick Forrest | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Golday | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deommodore Lenoir | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ivan Pace Jr | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nohl Williams | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dillon Thieneman | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Oliver | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Omar Speights | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Wright | LEDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier McKinney | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Teitum Tuioti | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Quincy Rhodes Jr. | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drayk Bowen | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elinneus Davis | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cor'Dale Flott | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Beanie Bishop Jr | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JT Tuimoloau | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grover Stewart | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kris Jenkins Jr | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grady Jarrett | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Sainristil | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tyler Nubin | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Emerson Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Mevis | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 29 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |

