New England quarterback Tom Brady is still doing his thing at age 40.
There hasn’t been a noticeable drop off in his play as the Patriots (4-2) are set to host the Falcons at 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. in a rematch of Super Bowl LI.
Brady, who tormented the Falcons and led the unprecedented Super Bowl comeback from a 28-3 deficit, has carried his team early.
He has completed 153 of 223 passes (65.72 percent) for 1,959 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has a passer rating of 106.9, which ranks second in the league among starting quarterbacks behind Kansas City’s Alex Smith (119.2).
“We talk a lot about our best football being in front of us and we need to start playing that way,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh Daniels said on a conference call Tuesday.
Brady operates with Daniels calling plays from the field.
“I have no experience calling plays from the booth,” Daniels said. “I’ve been down there since I started.
“It’s been something where I’ve always coached a position at the same time. I’ve been the (quarterback) coach at same time as I’ve been the coordinator. To have that communication and just the ability to interact with the quarterback on the sideline has been important for me.”
In addition to Brady, the Patriots have a potent rushing attack led by Mike Gillislee, Dion Lews and James White. Gillislee has rushed for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Lewis, a shifty runner, has rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns. White, who starred against the Falcons in the Super Bowl catching the ball out of the backfield, has rushed for 99 yards.
But things have not be easy for the Patriots, who have dropped two games at home this season.
The Patriots, like the Falcons, are not exactly playing at a high level.
After trailing 14-0, they squeaked by the Jets 24-17 on Sunday with the aid of a questionable call.
New England also beat Tampa Bay by five points (19-13) and beat Houston with a touchdown pass from Brady with 23 seconds remaining.
The Patriots have needed Brady to be great because they rank last in the league in yards allowed (401.4) and passing yards (309.8) allowed.
“I think our guys are really trying to attack each week,” Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said.
The Patriots losses were to Kansas City and Carolina. The Falcons feature perhaps the most potent offense they have faced since playing the Chiefs.
“Atlanta is going to be a huge challenge for us,” Patricia said.
Both sides are not putting much stock in the rematch angle.
"It's the 2017 version of us and them," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. "We don't get to replay that one (from last season). How it ended, it was a bummer. We talked about it maybe once or twice during our time."
Since the Super Bowl, the Patriots have added Gillislee and wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who has 24 catches for 472 yards and two touchdowns. He’s averaging 19.7 yards per catch.
White leads the Patriots in receiving with 33 catches for 252 yards.
The Patriots will also have tight end Rob Gronkowski for this game. He didn’t play in the Super Bowl because of injury.
He’s a big red-zone threat and has 26 catches for 401 yards and four touchdowns.
“They can split him out wide and use him as a receiver to have that kind of a matchup, or he can be on the line to try play-action and be (used) that way,” Quinn said. “He’s a pretty versatile guy. He can line up outside the formation and play like a receiver, and then play on the line like a tight end.”
The Patriots hope to get cornerback Stephon Gilmore (concussion) back for this game. Running back Rex Burkhead has missed the past four games with a rib injury and may return.
Also, rookie defensive end Harvey Langi, who played in one game, was in automobile accident at a stop light where he was rear-ended over the weekend. He suffered serious injuries, but is expected to recover.
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