Atlanta Falcons
Last game: 24-23 loss on the road to the New England Patriots
Offensive standout: WR Drake London
It was a hat trick of a day for London at Gillette Stadium this Sunday, as he went up and over Patriots defenders for three touchdowns. He finished the day with 118 receiving yards on nine catches, and kept the Falcons in it with some acrobatic grabs.
Defensive standout: EDGE Jalon Walker
Speaking of keeping a team in it, Walker's strip sack that was returned to the New England 6-yard line by James Pearce Jr. flipped the game on its head. Walker would go on to put together his most impactful performance as a Falcon after missing the last two games with a groin injury. He finished the day with two sacks and the aforementioned forced fumble. He also had a clutch pass defended late in the game that was notable, too.
Needs improvement: Third down and running the rock
In each of the team's last three losses, the Falcons' inability to run the ball consistently while simultaneously not being able to convert on third down has kept the offense from reaching its full potential. The Falcons are 8-of-23 on third down conversions in their last three games (25%). They have not rushed for more than 100 yards as a team since Week 6, which coincides with their last win.
Telling quote: "Had an opportunity to win. Obviously, we've got to play better on third down on both sides of the ball. That was the story, when you talk about stats. If you click off a couple of those third downs and you're able to make them manageable and get those things done, that'll allow you to get a couple more running attempt versus a very hard running team. That'll get you closer to the area where you want to be, 25 runs. Hopefully somewhere in the 101-yard rushing, and if you pop a big one, great. If you don't, you just make it manageable for your guys to be able to maintain being able to run the ball so you can keep some of the balance there. It was heading in that direction, we've just got to be able to get some of those things better on third down." — Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris on the team's loss to the Patriots
Vibe check: The vibes are low
Up next: The Falcons travel across the pond to Berlin, Germany (Olympiastadion) to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network. It is the first regular-season game to be played in Berlin.