Five things I’ll be looking at in the seventh week of the 2017 NFL season:
1. Can the Patriots shake off their stupor?
It’s not surprising that the New England Patriots-Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl rematch will be in prime time. It is one of the best attractions of the season. Adding an interesting sidelight is the fact the Falcons, who blew a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl, blew a 17-0 halftime lead to Miami last week.
But the surprising thing is that the Patriots come into this game with more issues than the Falcons, and an Atlanta win would be no surprise.
Matt Ryan put up 28 points against the Patriots defense in the Super Bowl and the Patriots defense was better last year. Every quarterback the Patriots have faced this year has thrown for over 300 yards, and Bill Belichick’s offseason moves are being questioned.