Patriots defense clamps down in 25-0 NFL win over Falcons
Patriots defense clamps down in 25-0 NFL win over Falcons
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - New England’s defense delivered another dominant performance as the Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons 25-0 Thursday for a fifth straight NFL victory.
New England’s Kyle Van Noy intercepted a pass from Falcons backup quarterback Josh Rosen and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to cap the win.
Van Noy had two of the Patriots’ four sacks of Atlanta starting quarterback Matt Ryan, who was intercepted twice in another dismal outing that came on the heels of a 43-3 rout by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
New England’s defense has allowed opponents just 13 points in their last three games -- victories over the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Falcons.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones completed 22 of 26 passes for 207 yards in an efficient performance that included a 19-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor.
"I think it was a good team win and the defense stepped up and played really well," said Jones, who joined Dak Prescott and Ben Roethlisberger as the only NFL rookie quarterbacks to win their first five road starts.
Nick Folk booted four field goals for New England, who posted their first shut-out victory since a 45-0 triumph over the Los Angeles Chargers last season.
The Falcons were held scoreless for the first time since a 38-0 loss to Carolina in 2015. It was their first shut-out loss at home since they fell 33-0 to the Los Angeles Rams in 1988.
Three Falcons quarterbacks combined to throw four interceptions in the fourth quarter.
Devin McCourty and J.C. Jackson had interceptions off Ryan that led to a pair of field goals that pushed the Pats’ lead to 19-0.
Van Noy’s pick-six off Rosen made it a 25-0 game and Adrian Phillips intercepted third-string quarterback Feleipe Franks on Atlanta’s final possession of the game.
