Patriots-Falcons: TNF Recap with Marcas Grant and Bridget Condon

as well. But unless you were a Patriots fan, a strange game. Tonight, the Patriots um continue their show of dominance of late with a twenty five to nothing blanking of a wandering and lost Falcons team in search of its own identity. We'll get into all of that. Mark Cecil here with you tonight on the Thursday Night Recap. I'm joined by two wonderful individuals in house teammates here

at NFL Network. Marcus Grant is number one. He is a fantasy guru, man with a fire in the belly, a workplace individual who has been the heart and soul of NFL dot COM's fantasy universe. For quite some time. We're happy to have him with us. And a newcomer to NFL Network, Bridget Condon, having just landed here in the last couple of months. Um. She is actually a Patriots fan who grew up reportedly twenty minutes she's got that. She's got the guard right there, twenty minutes from Gillette Stadium,

So that tells you something right there. She enjoyed this evening. Um. But her, we'll get into her path a little bit. To come to NFL Network. She covered the Panthers for the last couple of years as well, so she's going to be doing a lot of stuff all around the league and we're happy to have her with us tonight. Let's get into this game. Bridget. I will start with you, because you know, I think the Patriots over the last month have changed perceptions about who they are at this point.

You know, we had we did our midseason just died Super Bowl picks and I as a not as a joke, but just thought this might just get some attention and might get some tweets. I picked the Patriots as my a f C team, and now I'm starting to look like getting busters because it looks very smart um, you know, yeah, I think that the employer will enjoy what I've done there. What is your take on what is happening and what happened tonight with this Patriots team? Yeah, I think it.

I just saw a stat come up on my Twitter feed that the Patriots have outscored their opponents by a hundred and twenty five points in that five game win streak that they're on. I think they've changed a lot of opinions, and I think this is credit to Mac Jones having time with Bill Belichick, learning the system and

just becoming more comfortable. And Bill is just a mastermind, right, Like we have one bad season once Tom leaves and then now it's like hottest team in the a f C. Like you can't you can't say that, my Uh, Like I was trying to be an unbiased reporter now that I'm working for the NFL, I'm covering thirty thirty two teams, like trying to keep my opinions out of it. And so had a conversation with my dad a couple of weeks ago, like die hard Pats fan, and he's like,

Bridget the Pats are going to the Super Bowl. They're going to the Super Bowl and I'm like, Dad, no, they're not. And he's texted me every day this week with a different article. They're a good team. They're a good team. They're a good team. And like I'm like, I guess he's right. I guess you're right. Like I, I don't know what's happening, but I'm riding the wave

in tonight was just another example of Bill's magic. I know also that um Our producer Erica tam Posey has been all over you with Patriots texts and other paraphernalia, which I you know, we know that experience. Um I, I can only imagine where she is this evening. We've got the Grave Digger stepping in for her tonight. Her whereabouts are totally unknown. Marcus, your take, um your fast. There we go. He's played his own sound bite. That's that's the next level move by Grave Digger. Marcus. What

is your what? What was your what was your experience watching this game? Uh? Well, one, the Patriots didn't offensively do a whole lot, but they didn't need to. And I think that's been maybe the big thing about this this wind street that we've seen them on, right, I mean, some of it is some of it is the opponents they played, right, I mean, they have gotten through a soft part of their schedule, but give them credit because they've gone out and they've dominated in that soft part

of the schedule. You can only play the teams that are in front of you, and they've gone out and they've done an excellent job with the teams that they've gone against. But you look at what mac Jones has done, and Bridget sort of talked about it, right, Bill Belichick has put him in a situation where he can be comfortable, where he can prosper. They're not asking for the moon from him, but what they have really allowed him to

do is play to his strengths. He's a guy who's very accurate, he makes the right reads and it's not necessarily a lot of deep throws, not a lot of high percentage throws, but he's getting he's throwing guys open, he's letting them make plays. And defensively, they have really

turned it up a notch. I mean, obviously they dominated the Falcons tonight from start to finish, but you go over this last five games, uh, and they have really just sort of demoralized teams with what they're doing defensively, and it's all coming together at the right time. And now, whether or not they're the best team in the a f C or even the best team in the a f C East, I think that the jury is still

out on that, um. But this is a team that really it's playing its best football at a great time of the year, and they're certainly in the conversation for making a run into the postseason. So uh, it's it's for for most of America, this is their worst nightmare, right It seemed as though we were rid of the Patriots in our football life, and Bill Belichick has figured out a way to sort of resurrect this team and

get them right back in the conversation. But the people that can't stand the Patriots, because I wouldn't have put myself in that group. I if anything, uh, you know, the whole Brady in Belichick experience, um is something that will never see again as human beings with with a team and a coach and a quarterback. But isn't this a new Is it new? Or is it like? Am I actually watching this defense that held the page held the Falcons? And again it's the Falcons who are really

a mess right now. But the sixty four yards of offense in the first half their lowest output in eight years. I mean it comes less than a week after Matt Ryan against the Cowboys was thumped to his lowest QB rating in fourteen years. So there's some systemic connection between an offense that really is struggling at the moment, but this Patriots defense. Um, I hear this a lot. I

say it. I hear it from Greg Rosenthal that this reminds us of Patriots teams of old that we're not built, you know, around young Tom Brady, around dominant offense, but the defense jelling the way they are. Um Bridget, does this look to you like a team that, you know, where's the ceiling here? With this defense? I'm starting to get scary like a f C title game vibes from this crowd. Yeah. I think Matt Judean has been incredible for them, and uh he tonight was incredible. J C.

Jackson has been incredible. I think they did a really good job in Bill Bell jack again, just he's smart. He knows how to get these pieces that other teams just let go into free agency and figure out a way to find guys who other people aren't seeing their strengths and fit him into his system. And again, like they're just such a disciplined team that, like you mentioned, even though mac Jones isn't Tom Brady and he's not executing these crazy plays, they have their defense on the

other side of it. They can protect them and they don't need any of that. And you hold, yeah, a Falcons team to zero points tonight. I mean there were times there we like you were saying earlier, like you thought they were just gonna come come back and like

get a touchdown or that a couple of field goal misses. Um. I think this defense is their strong suit right now, and it is keeping up for some of those mistakes early on that Max Jones is making and you know, his interception and things like that, that that's still going to happen as a rookie. You have the defense kind of as like the saving blanket to fall back on. Yeah, they seem versatile like that, Like last week against Cleveland,

like we got to turn up the rushing attack. They had their highest output there, like a d eighty five yards. It just seemed to me extremely Dane. Just I guess, you know, we don't need to spend a lot of time on the Falcons. But Marcus, like, I guess, how do you view the Arthur Smith experience at this point? I thought a couple of weeks ago, arrows seem to be pointing up on a somewhat juicy offense that was

showing some things. You lose Cordarrel Patterson. I know, from a fantasy angle for you, there's a lot of disappointed people on that front. Um is their hope? Here? Do you see growth? Or? I mean, I know the last two weeks have been a train wreck, but before that there was something to cling onto. Um. This tonight obviously is a low mark. It absolutely is, and they're just there are no answers right now in this offense. I

tweeted during the game. You know, if you had said back in August that the Falcons needed Cordaryl Patterson to look like a functional offense, you would have been laughed off the internet. But here we are a week from Thanksgiving and that is absolutely the case. Um. Going into this, the one thing that we knew is that Bill Belichick, what he loves to do is take away whatever your strength is on offense, and with no Corderyl Patterson, with

no Calvin Ridley. That put the spotlight squarely on Kyle Pitts and he was completely a non factor in this game. Throwing the fact that you have an offensive line that

struggled to protect Matt Ryan. Uh, you know, as Bridget mentioned, Matt Judan is playing well, Christian Barmore is having an outstanding rookie season for this team, They're just there's nothing about this offense that that gives you reason to believe there's hope if Kyle Pitts can't go out and be a superstar, and that's asking a lot out of anybody, but especially a rookie tight end. Um, this offense is

not going to move the football. And I again, until you know, if Calvin Ridley comes back, maybe that helps. When Cordeolle Patterson comes back, that certainly is going to help. But even then, uh, this is at best, at best a mediocre offense right now. And you know, like you said, this is kind of a wayward, lost team that doesn't

have any real immediate answers. Yeah, the Falcons seemed like they have gone out of their way to not um create an offensive line that can you know, dominate the opposition. The same goes for the defensive line. I thought a turning point for them. It's some of these games I like to do this. I'm not always right, but early on I'll just say game over, and it's like, you know, sometimes you are right. And it felt like for me when they had that scenario third and one there at

the Patriots fourteen, Matt Ryan took a sack. Unfortunate it was fourth and fourteen. Suddenly they made the field goal to get you know, it would have been ten to three to get back into it. There's a penalty. It's fourth and nineteen at that point, young Wick who misses the field goal. It's just like, guys, we cannot dream up a more disastrous, uh you know outcome for that

drive and it never got any better. And I mean to end the game with four straight interceptions, I mean, I can't think of the last game that I've watched um at the pro level where there were four straight That's probably happened, but it's just, uh, it stood out tonight. It's a somewhat um epic disaster. And you know, the Patriots. I think good teams sometimes just take care of business like this against bad opposition, and the Patriots have been dominant.

I would look at the Cleveland game last week as a huge turning point where they basically announced themselves as totally legit Grave Diggers. Wondering if Nathan Peterman through four straight picks, that feels very possible to me back in the day you did have the five interception half, wasn't it? Uh was once upon a time. Yeah, I think his family is trying to forget that. I don't know why we needed to bring that up again tonight, but um,

that's how this works on this show apparently. So So I'll say this Mark though, I mean, for all the talk about the Patriots, right, I think we're gonna learn a lot about them the next two weeks. So after this they get essentially kind of a mini by but then they have the Titans at home and they go to Buffalo. So the next two weeks, I think you're gonna tell us a whole lot about where this Patriots

team is. Right now, do you think we're back in a place that we're Bills fans who you know for the last year, we're really feeling like it's our time after twenty plus years um in the desert, now it's now, it's Buffalo's time to rule thisst division now that I would be looking knowver my shoulder if I'm Buffalo, if I'm a Buffalo faithful thinking this was short lived, this time on the top of the mountaintop. Potentially, I think. So, I mean they're they're kind of a fatalistic bunch. I

think Bills fans um a lot of things. But yeah, but you know, after after twenty years of watching the Patriots be on top and thinking like, now this is our moment, this is our time, only to see, you know, the monster sort of rise from the grave and come after you again, I would definitely think there's a feeling of here we go again, um, you know, and we'll see how it manifests itself in in two weeks when these two teams play in Buffalo and like, Bridget, is

your phone just exploding when like the Patriots do things

like this tonight. Yeah, to your point, like I think Buffalo missed their opportunity last year, and like I have a ton of friends who are Bills fans and we're like giving me crap last season, right, and now it's like you knew this was coming, right, Like maybe as a Patriots I'm just like die Hard, Like I think of the positive, like I know that like I was, I don't think I've been worn during like the bad time of the Patriots, Like I've just experienced like the greatness.

And so I'm like, oh, it's it's gonna get better, like it's gonna get fixed like whatever, like and here it is, like here's the answer, right. It's like the Patriots are the big brother to the Bills, and they were out on vacation and like the little brother got got the driver's seat for you know, the past year, and now big brothers coming back from college getting in the seat of the car and like little brothers getting

shoved in in the house again. Um. One of the other points that I wanted to touch on that you were saying is like the Falcons, if we go back to them real quick, Matt Ryan, like when he got sacked early on in the game and you were talking about then then they missed the field goal after that penalty. You could kind of see it on his face when he was sitting on the sideline he got injured. He was like gushing blood on his arm, like he was grabbing his toe like to me looking at him, like

when the cameras were zoomed in. I was like, he's already lost, like in his mind he was defeated, and then he finishes the game with four sacks. Like, if I'm the Falcons, I'm punching myself that we didn't get a quarterback last year in the draft and we decided to stick with Matt Ryan. I think I think that it is time for them to let him go and and start the next phase of their journey. Yeah, they definitely like there's another part of their team building and

there could have been addressed last offseason. I mean, they could have had Mac Jones and you covered the Panthers. I think of other teams that could have had Mac Jones, especially when you know you know Matt Rule. Well, he came out a week ago, a week or two ago saying like we knew Mac Jones is gonna be great. Well, then why I don't you know the other part of that is why did we not pursue that? Um? I'll

never starting to learn. So that's what I'm saying. Bill Belishack is smart, but he also like gets these opportunities like thrown out his lap that other coaches and other organizations pass up. On and I'm like, I mean, I'm not an owner, but come on, what are you doing? Yeah? And he's probably got you know, his Nick Saban was probably in his year all along the same draft for short players because it's working out well for them. All Right,

we've got a couple more minutes. Um, Grave Digger has now chimed in to say, say that Nathan Peterman not do that? So um, that was an incredible subplot to this episode of the Around the NFL podcast. Before we go, I just want to hit you with a couple of quick questions each. Um. I'll start with you, Marcus, and these are not You don't have to dig into your like football treasure chest for these. You could just sort

of think about who you are as a person. So, Marcus, you have to spend between now and Thanksgiving covered from head to toe in either cottage cheese or tuna fish shoes. I am not a fan of tuna fish in any way, shape or form, so I guess that makes a cottage cheese. Yeah. I feel like I didn't give you a great option outside of tuna fish there, But good job there, all right, So Bridget, you spent years minutes away from Foxboro any

Tom Brady sightings. Have you ever seen Gizelle, maybe Belichick at Starbucks, Josh McDaniels on like a male clothing shopping spree, anything of that nature. No, Like, I wish I had a great story to tell you, and I like wanted to get into broadcasting and and cover Tom and Ill and then like finally make it to the NFL and they're not together anymore. So like, I guess it's my loss. Well, I think it's possible that none of them are human and never leave that complex also, so they're not out

there doing things that humans do. Tom doesn't get to go to star Starbucks like he does not he I saw him complaining about something to do with coffee, like not you know, having to answer questions at a press conference after you lose a game is like, you know, drinking coffee before, like answering emails before someone drinks drinks their coffee, Like this guy doesn't drink coffee. So I'm gonna hit you with this one. Hot or not? Adam

Rank Oh, absolutely absolutely hot man. I mean look, Rank has slimmed down, he's like smelt in shape, He's got the beard trimmed. Uh yeah, man, dude, on top of the world right now, I was really just setting you up there because I think we all know the answer to that one. Alright, Um, Bridget you can spend the next year hanging out exclusively with Taylor Swift. She is a Swift from reports I've received, and operate as our best pal and biographer. Okay, Or you can save the

life of four hundred straight kittens. Okay. Like I'm people are gonna come for me. I literally hate cats, So I'm sorry. Friends. Um, I but like you were supposed to watch all too well, like, could you give me a little line or now? Well, I was you know, I was operating as a professional tonight, and I'm going to get to that after the game. You're right, that was my assignment from you and Erica and I. I have failed, um, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy

it later. I like to marinate and that stuff. When I you know, I'm outside of the workplace. They're all over my butt tonight. Marcus, Well, we will, we'll have to. Well, we'll have a whole separate show about that. Marcus Children, Colin, overrated, underrated, properly rated. Oh um, I guess it depends on the time, you know, uh, as I was trying to make dinner and my child was completely turning off all the lights

in the house. That that felt like an overrated But for the most part, where we will say properly rated, I think they shift between all three zones. Bridget. Do you think a unicorn has ever actually walked the earth? Or is this a bunch of um, you know, nonsense, nonsense, straight and done with it. But people are really going to come for me after this? Well, no, that's fine. I think you're not into cats, you're not into mythical beings, and we were forming that knowledge. Marcus. Just one last

one for each of you. Marcus. My wife was nice enough to make me a huge bowl of instant ramen noodles during this game. I was out in our garage trying to watch this because I had children too. Um, what did you eat during this game? Well, you said you cooked dinner, so I'm assuming it was some sort of food I did. That was a very excellent beef and sweet potato stew, you know, with some some carrots and celery in there. So I went down pretty well.

Sounds wintry. I like that, all right, Bridget, last one for you. Luke Skywalker or Han Solo or neither. Oh god, Luke Skywalker, because you can. I don't really care for either. But Luke Skywalker, I know I suck. You will get to know, like there's a lot of things about me that suck. No, I think I think that's actually um an atypical flash answer. So I enjoyed where you went

with that. UM. I love to do more of this, but we if I go over twenty minutes, I will hear about it from the rest of the people that I work with, and we were at not We're just hit twenty minutes. This was very enjoyable. I hope we can all gather again, maybe two or three seasons from now when the Patriots played the Falcons again, four seasons. With the way the NFL works, we'll do it again sooner than that. Thank you very much, guys, Thanks for

having us. All right, everyone, check you later. If you still listen to this, that's on you, fair well.