Tom Brady was immense in this fifth tilt of the "toughest 5-game stretch in NFL history". The two-time Super Bowl MVP passed for 350 yards and 3 TDs in a methodical 31-28 win over host Atlanta.
Brady hooked-up with Daniel Graham on a 45-yard monster romp to paydirt and hit Bethel Johnson with a soaring pass for a 55-yard TD in a performance that was among his best ever (22-27;12.2 yds. per pass). Corey Dillon helped balance the 483-yard offensive output with 106 rushing yards before leaving with an injury.
The Pats could not quite put away the Falcons as substitute QB Matt Schaub engineered a comeback aided by more New England miscues. A last-second defensive time-out near the end of the first half allowed Atlanta a second shot at a 58-yard field goal, which they promptly nailed. In the second half, a tipped Brady pass resulted in a Falcon interception that later lead to a TD.
All in all, however, this was an impressive road win in a loud, pressure-packed environment. The three-time Super Bowl Champions avoided what would have been back-to-back losses for the first time since 2002 (a 24-7 loss to Tennessee and a 30-17 defeat at the hands of the New York Jets).
By the way, on a side note, I just watched a FOX NFL promo that referred to the "invincible" Donovan McNabb. This, in my opinion, is the maddening continuation of the under-hype of Tom Brady and the over-hype of other, more "exciting" QBs like Manning and McNabb. Last time I checked Donovan was extremely "vincible" in the last Super Bowl at hands of the boring Mr. Brady, ditto Mr. Manning in the post-season. In fact, while Donovan has a huge lead in national soup commercials, Brady has the nod on rings. OK, that's my rant!
The Pats, now 3-2, travel to Denver to face the Broncos next week.
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