In a game in which the Patriots went as flat as they did in the second half and barely held on for a 24-23 win over the Falcons, a small handful of critical plays were the difference between a stunning loss and motoring forward on this six-game winning streak. And one of them came on a big mistake by Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. just before the game’s two-minute warning.
For background, the Falcons got the ball at their own 19-yard line, trailing 24-23, after a Patriots punt with 3:30 to go. The Falcons drove the ball to the 32-yard line where Penix completed a 25-yard pass to Drake London. That play drove the Patriots’ chances of winning (which had been 82.3% to start the fourth quarter) down to 52.9%, per ESPN’s calculations.
But two plays later, Penix was lined up in shotgun when center Ryan Neuzil snapped the ball before Penix appeared to be ready. Surprised and under immediate pressure from Patriots lineman Milton Williams, Penix fired the ball into the ground–and was whistled for an intentional grounding. After the 10-yard penalty, the Patriots’ chances to win spiked back up to 80.6%.
The Falcons punted, and sure enough, the Patriots won.
Patriots Clapping Confused Falcons Snap
But after the game, Penix cried foul on the botched snap, saying that Neuzil’s timing was thrown off because someone on the Patriots’ defensive front clapped and induced Neuzil to snap the ball. That’s considered uncouth, at best, in NFL circles.
“Supposedly they were clapping,” Penix said. “For us, whenever I’m clapping, that means I want the ball. I knew he said he heard them clapping, and he thought it was my clap, and he snapped the ball.
“I threw the ball in (Kyle Pitts‘) direction. He had just released on a route. I thought I was going to be OK with the grounding part. Obviously that wasn’t the case.”
Patriots Deny Accusation
Coach Raheem Morris also suggested that the Patriots were clapping as a way to force an unwanted snap.
“They did a nice job,” Morris said. “They simulated a snap. The ball came early, was snapped early. Within that snap, that was when we got the intentional grounding. Nice job by those guys. Great situational football. Great play. Got to snap the ball. That’s why the ball was snapped early on Mike. He wasn’t ready for the snap.”
Worth noting, though, is the fact that Williams was firm in denying that any Patriots defenders were clapping on the crucial play.
“Who was clapping? Did it look like I was clapping?” Williams said. “I’m going to go watch and see who was clapping–I didn’t hear no clapping. I’m looking at the ball, the ball moves, I’m gone.”
Rough End for Waived Falcons Kicker
The Patriots are, incredibly enough, 7-2 this season even after a pretty miserable second half to a game that it looked like New England would win in a walk. The Patriots led, 21-7, in the first half and still held a comfortable 24-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
It was a missed extra point by the Falcons kicker John Parker Romo with 4:40 to play that preserved the Patriots’ win. There’s some irony there–the Patriots were criticized for cutting Romo in training camp in favor of draftee Andy Borregales, even though most felt Romo had outperformed his colleague.
Said Romo: “It’s a tough one. Nobody wanted this win more than I did in this locker room. Obviously, that was the team I played for in the preseason, so I got to keep my head up. A lot of teammates still have faith in me and came up to me. I have got to move on to this next week. Can’t let this one kick affect me. Anytime I go out on the field, I need to make the kick, and that’s all it is.”
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