The good news is that the Patriots are 7-2 at the halfway point of the season before heading back out on the road to face the 6-2 Tampa Bay Bucs next week at Raymond James Stadium.
The Patriots were well on their way to putting the Atlanta Falcons in the rear-view mirror at the end of the first half, when they started shooting themselves in the foot and the game took on the flavor of the Pittsburgh game, where they began playing fast and loose with the football.
This time they were fortunate to escape with a 24-23 victory after Parker Romo pushed a game-tying extra point wide right.