COMMENTARY
Five takeaways from the Patriots’ best win of the season, a 23-7 triumph over the Falcons in a Super Bowl LI rematch:
A TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
When Bill Belichick stepped to the podium afterward, he praised everybody on his team – from the guys in uniform, to the guys who weren’t, to the practice squad players who aren’t even on the active roster. The coach was happy with a start-to-finish performance that featured contributions from all three phases, from Cassius Marsh’s blocked field goal, to Tom Brady’s impressively efficient offense, to a defense that didn’t crack until nearly 56 minutes had been played.