Falcons vs. Patriots: Score, results, highlights from Sunday night game in New England

E.Jay Zarett
• 7 min read
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The New England Patriots pulled away early in their Super Bowl rematch with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.

The Patriots scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and headed into halftime with a 17-point lead. New England added two field goals in the second half and cruised to a 23-7 win in Foxborough, Mass. 

MORE:  Super Bowl hangovers for Pats' defense, Falcons' offense

Tom Brady threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Patriots to the victory, while Dion Lewis chipped in 76 yards on the ground. Matt Ryan totaled 233 passing yards and a score in the losing effort.

The Patriots rallied from a 28-3 second-half deficit to defeat Atlanta 34-28 in overtime in last season’s Super Bowl.

Sporting News provided live updates throughout Sunday’s game. Here’s how New England secured the home win (all times Eastern):

Falcons vs. Patriots: Score, results, highlights

Final Score: Patriots 23, Falcons 7

11:25 p.m.: Brady takes three knees and runs out the clock as New England secures the win. 

11:21 p.m.: We’ve reached the two-minute warning at fog-filled Gillette Stadium. New England has the ball at the Atlanta 17 leading 23-7. 

11:13 p.m.: Touchdown, Falcons. The Falcons finally score and cut their deficit to 23-7 with 4:09 remaining. Matt Ryan leads them down to the Pats' 1-yard line. There, he throws a fade route to Julio Jones, who jumps up and rips the ball away from Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler for the touchdown.

11 p.m.: Field goal, Patriots. Brady leads New England to the Atlanta 23 and completes a third-down pass to James White, who is brought down 6 yards short of the first down. Stephen Gostkowski enters and kicks his third field goal of the game, putting the Patriots ahead 23-0 with 9:15 to play. 

10:47 p.m.: Another Atlanta drive ends in the red zone with no points. On second-and-goal, Ryan completes a pass to Mohamed Sanu, who is brought down 1 yard shy of the end zone. Atlanta fails to punch it in one play later, and then on fourth down, Taylor Gabriel takes a handoff on a jet sweep and is tackled well short of the goal line. New England takes over. 

End of third quarter: Patriots 20, Falcons 0

10:40 p.m.: We’ve reached the end of the third quarter in New England with the Patriots leading big. The Falcons will face a second-and-goal on the first play of the fourth. 

10:31 p.m.: Field goal, Patriots. The Patriots put together another long drive, this one ending in a field goal, and take a 20-0 lead. New England ran 13 plays and ate up 6:23. 

10:19 p.m.: Atlanta is still scoreless. The Falcons advance to the New England 20 on a 21-yard run by Devonta Freeman, but after a short run and two incomplete passes from Ryan, they’re forced to settle for a field goal attempt. Matt Bryant’s 36-yard kick hits off the upright and the score remains 17-0. 

10:14 p.m.: Fog is rolling in at Gillette Stadium.

10:11 p.m.: We’re back for the second half in Foxborough. Atlanta will start the half with the ball. 

Halftime: Patriots 17, Falcons 0

9:57 p.m.: The Patriots carry a three-score advantage into halftime. Brady has already recorded 135 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Atlanta has struggled to find any offensive momentum. The Falcons have picked up just seven first downs and were on the field for only 7:44. 

9:52 p.m.: Touchdown, Patriots. Brady gets the Patriots back into the end zone in just 1:34 of game action. He completes four passes on the drive, including a 2-yarder to James White to put New England ahead 17-0 just prior to halftime.

9:46 p.m.: After moving the chains once, Atlanta is stopped 6 yards short of the marker on a third-down play near midfield. The Falcons elect to go for it, but Ryan overthrows Mohamed Sanu and the Falcons turn it over on downs. 

9:33 p.m.: Field goal, Patriots. Brady leads the Pats on 14-play, 68-yard drive that eats up 6:37. Atlanta, however, keeps New England out of the end zone and the Patriots settle for a 29-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. New England now leads 10-0.

9:20 p.m.: Atlanta goes three-and-out following the New England touchdown. The Falcons have picked up just three first downs so far. 

9:12 p.m.: Touchdown, Patriots. New England drives into Atlanta territory after a 20-yard completion by Brady and a 25-yard run by Dion Lewis. Two plays later, Brady drops back and throws a pass across the field and into the end zone that is easily intercepted, but Atlanta is called for roughing the passer. Brandin Cooks follows by taking a pitch from Brady 11 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 7-0 lead. 

End of first quarter: Falcons 0, Patriots 0

9:02 p.m.: After the fourth-down conversion, Ryan throws two straight incompletions and Atlanta brings on Matt Bryant to attempt a 37-yard field goal. Bryant’s kick is blocked and the Falcons come away with no points. 

8:58 p.m.: The Falcons go for it on a fourth-and-7 near midfield. Matt Ryan drops back, rolls to his right and scrambles for 8 yards and a first down. 

8:52 p.m.: After the pass interference penalty, Brady completes a pass to James White for 16 yards, but he’s brought down well short of the first-down line and New England punts it away. 

8:50 p.m.: Rob Gronkowski makes an incredible diving catch that would have moved New England into Falcons territory, but he’s called for pass interference and the play is waved off. 

8:46 p.m.: Matt Ryan throws an incomplete pass on third down and the Falcons are forced to punt. New England will get the ball back at its 27 following a holding penalty on the punt. 

8:39 p.m.: The Patriots drive to their 40 but stall there, and they punt. The Falcons will start their first drive at their 20, following a touchback. 

8:31 p.m.: Last year’s Super Bowl rematch is underway. The Falcons win the toss and elect to defer. The Patriots receive the opening kickoff and return it to the 21, where they’ll start their opening drive. 

8:25 p.m.: We’re minutes away from kickoff in Foxborough.

8:01 p.m.: The NFL announced Sunday night that Justin Timberlake will be the halftime performer at this season's Super Bowl.

7:17 p.m.: Here are Sunday night's inactives. 

Author(s)
E.Jay Zarett
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nfl
American Football
New England Patriots
Atlanta Falcons
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