Sunday rumble between the Patriots and the Falcons pits two teams on different trajectories. This inter-conference showdown kicks off at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
QB Drake Maye and the Patriots' red-hot offense is averaging 30.6 PPG during their five-game winning streak. Maye and company will look to keep things rolling against a Falcons team that has been struggling, with back-to-back losses against the 49ers and Dolphins.
Below, we’ll take a look at the Falcons vs. Patriots prediction and PrizePicks picks in this Week 9 throwdown.
Falcons vs. Patriots Prediction, Week 9 Picks
Let's see how Atlanta and New England stand has we head into their Week 9 showdown.
The Patriots sit atop the AFC East at 6-2 following their 32-13 blowout win over the Cleveland Browns. Along with being first in the division, they also own a 2-0 divisional record with a dub over the Buffalo Bills, who have won the division five years in a row.
As for the Falcons, they are coming off their most disappointing loss of the season, a 34-10 mess to the Miami Dolphins in Week 8. However, the Falcons were down two of their top playmakers — QB Michael Penix Jr. and WR Drake London— but Penix be back for this Week 9 matchup. Week 9 is a must-win for the Falcons as they look to stop their two-game losing skid against the surging New England Patriots.
Atlanta Falcons
- After scoring 58 combined points in Weeks 4 and 6, the Falcons haven’t scored more than 10 points in back-to-back games.
- Atlanta came into Week 8 as one of the top rushing teams in the league, but was held to just 45 yards rushing against the 28th-ranked Miami Dolphins run defense.
- The Falcons have a long list of players who were limited in practice this week — among them Penix, London, and TE Kyle Pitts.
New England Patriots
- The Patriots are first in the AFC East standings for the first time through eight weeks of the season since 2019.
- New England's offense ranks eighth in the league in scoring, their first top-10 scoring offense since 2019.
- Maye et al could be without RB Rhamondre Stevenson, who has not practiced at all this week.
Falcons vs. Patriots Picks for PrizePicks NFL Week 9
Here are the top Falcons vs. Patriots Week 9 picks on PrizePicks real-money NFL game, including Patriots QB Drake Maye.
Patriots QB Drake Maye vs. Falcons Projection: 228.5 Pass Yards
- Maye has 2,026 passing yards through eight games (fifth-best), averaging 253.3 yards per game.
- The second-year QB is one of the league’s most accurate passers with an 80.2% true completion percentage (second-best) and 69.0% pressured completion percentage (first in the NFL).
- The former North Carolina Tar Heel has been lethal with the deep ball this season, completing 13-of-17 attempts (76.5%) for 5 TDs with a 157.5 passer rating, the best deep ball efficiency in the NFL.
- With injuries on the defensive front seven for Atlanta, the Patriots' offensive line could give Maye additional time to throw the ball downfield; the Patriots average 2.69 seconds to throw the ball.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson vs. Patriots Projection: 4.5 Receptions
- Robinson currently is second among NFL RBs with 413 receiving yards through seven games, averaging 59.0 receiving yards and 6.0 targets per game.
- The former Pro Bowler has eclipsed 4.5 receptions in four of seven games this season (57.1%), including three of his last five contests.
- New England ranks 19th in the league in pass defense, allowing 224.4 passing yards per game while surrendering 39.6 receiving yards per game to opposing RBs (sixth-most). Also, the Patriots' defense permits 5.9 receptions per game (second-most) to opposing RBs.
- Atlanta's game script against New England could favor pass-catching opportunities for Robinson, especially with the Patriots possessing the second-ranked rush defense in the NFL (76.0 rushing yards per game).
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. vs. Patriots Projection: 32.5 Pass Attempts
- Penix currently averages 32.5 pass attempts per game through six starts this season (195 attempts).
- The Falcons rank 18th in the NFL in team pass attempts per game with 34.7 attempts.
- New England allows 31.4 opponent pass attempts per game (14th in the NFL) while allowing opposing QBs to complete 70.52% of their passes (fourth-worst).
- Given how the Patriots have been excelling this season on offense, the Falcons may be playing from behind in Week 9 — Penix Jr. has attempted more passes when playing from behind (80) through his six starts this season.
Make Falcons vs. Patriots NFL Week 9 Picks on PrizePicks
The Falcons vs. Patriots Week 9 matchup gives you plenty of opportunities to flex your fantasy football muscles.
Maye aims to continue his dominance on the field against Atlanta’s struggling pass defense. Meanwhile, the Falcons with Penix Jr. and Robinson are hoping a bounce-back game is in store for them when they head to Foxborough for a pivotal Week 9 matchup.
There will be plenty of picks to choose from in this Falcons vs. Patriots matchup for your NFL PrizePicks projections to build the perfect Lineup to win real money.
All you have to do is make your picks, More or Less on player stats to win real money all season long on PrizePicks.
