equipment for instant replay did not work. bill belichick was convinced that this was not a catch. make your own case. i'm going to say that it was, any way. i don't know if i'm going to convince bill of that. >> al: no. that's what happens when you have rab it ears -- second and three. julio is on the bench. and the pass is caught by douglas. it's a first down. >> michele: julio jones moments ago was on the bench questionable with a knee injury. then tony gonzalez scored that touchdown. jones was back on his feet. he has his helmet on. lobbying to get in the game, al. >> al: he's ready. thank you, michele. we saw him walking around. ryan -- that pass is out of bounds. we have a flag down. >> cris: we have a lot of picking going on at the bottom of the screen.

they're trying to get freed up. some of these receivers -- >> referee: prior to the pass, holing number 25, defense. five-yard penalty. automatic first down. >> al: that's harrington. we're told the video equipment is now working again. >> cris: so kyle arrington here is doing his best to try and hold up. but you can see it's these sort of quick releases and little picks that are getting these receivers open. but finally these other guys -- in particular, harry douglas starting to have an impact. >> al: jones has come back in and the pass is caught by jones who gets right back in the game and they're saying he was pushed off. >> cris: he absolutely was, absolutely was. >> al: yeah. >> cris: no flag. julio jones is going to extend his arm and push off. great release off the ball. here he is. can't see very well on that side.

but you can see the extension right there and what that does to dennard is he can't jump. little late to see it that time. wonder if that -- >> al: i was thinking the same thing. >> cris: if he did, that's out. >> al: too late to challenge. and the pass is caught inside the ten. >> cris: look at that. >> al: gonzalez again. a dozen catches. gregory with the coverage on the play. 148 receiving yards for him. >> cris: this is as good a clinic by a tight end as i have seen catching the football. this is like gronkowski. this is amazing. >> al: second down and one. ryan escapes. throws it out of the ballpark. so it will be third down an one. 3:05 left.

gone down the field, 1:16 seconds from their own 48 and having to use a time-out. one foot down and the second foot is in. >> cris: even though the toe is in, the heel has to come down in bounds as well. old toe/heel deal. now we have a third down. and you really need to think about picking up this first down. i'll be surprised if they run this football here with snelling. >> al: frank ryan. now you have a time-out taken by new england as we look at that alignment and belichick wanted to take a time-out for his defense. >> cris: you have to go back still to that first half and the decision by mike smith to not kick that field goal on fourth and two down there early in the game. you and i are both talking about it. boy, early, you also want to put those points on the board. i think he was worried about playing against brady and trying to match points. but three points sure would be looking pretty good on that board right now. >> al: as i recall, he was 7-3

at that point. new england. could have made pit 7-6. wide receiver comparison tonight. so they've gone jones' way a dozen times but he's only caught five. white has been thrown two eight times, he's caught three. but tony gonzalez, that's a whole different issue. 12 catches, 149, 2 touchdowns. >> cris: don't be surprised if lolo number 80 is involved down here. he is 6'8". he is at the top in the slot up there. he is a weapon down here in the red zone. >> al: caught a touchdown pass last week against the dolphins. and -- to the back of the end zone to that man. they went to the 6'8".

>> cris: if anything, maybe a little too low. can't tell if he just mishandle ted it broken up. >> cris: at 6'8", you want to throw this higher than this. hit him right in the hands. can't do much better than that. you have to make that play. >> al: have mo to. now in a ten-point game, you need the field goal one way or another. they'll take it now. they'll try to make it a seven-point game going for the 25 yard chip shot. and that puts them within seven with 2:55 seconds remaining. 30-23. >> cris: same decision coming now on the on side kick, but you effectively have four time-outs to work with here. >> al: right. >> cris: but it does mean you have to make a stop and you also have to turn around and look at what you have on the defensive side with some of these guys out of the game.

akeem dent, paul warlo, those are the guys you're used to making plays on the defensive side. do you think that you can stop -- i'm going to guess legarrette blount, 250 pounds will be in the game. can you stop him from picking up a first down or two? >> al: very much the same issue that they have. they on sided it one time. they got way with it because sudfeld couldn't handle it and it was recovered by nicholas. do they do it again? >> cris: the play i always like to think about here is the little pooch over the top. even if you -- then the ball is bouncing and scrambling, back in this kind of area here. there's opportunities for a crazy hop or two back there. but even if you don't, you don't get it, at least they're backed up some. sort of the halfway house. >> al: they go again. little bouncer. and this time it is new england with michael hoomanawanui coming up with it.

wanted to pronounce his name. >> cris: you're worst nightmare that he recovered that ball. hoomanawanui here comes up with a big play. the play that zach sudfeld could not and that is clutch. there's so many guys -- he got a nice convenient hop on that one that helped his cause. >> al: gathered it in. now the ball is at the 46. atlanta is compelled to use its time-outs on defense to -- the running back is ridley. they'll give it to him. and ridley finds a nice little hole to the 38 yard line. now here in atlanta it will be second down and short. where do you take your time-out? >> cris: makes it tough, doesn't it? >> al: absolutely. >> cris: you almost have to assume the first down there now. jonathan babineaux almost broke that play up in the back field. came very close to possibly

causing a fumble there. >> al: it's a big difference between second and eight and then you take the time-out. second and two. you're in no-man's land. blount is the one in back. >> cris: four-down territory here, too. >> al: brady is going to sneak and come close. the clock keeps running and that will take us -- unless they take a time-out here to the two-minute warning, which it does. brady very close to picking up the first down. >> cris: he is a little bit short. >> al: two minutes to go. new england, trying to hold on in atlanta on sunday night football.

>> al: the final season of candlestick park.

the 49ers against the houston texans on sunday night football. 7:00 eastern time. michele at the start, bob, tony and mike with league news. and we'll look ahead to next week's matchup in the bay area. meanwhile, two minutes, it's third down and inches from the 36 yard line. >> cris: i think they go for it twice here. there's no -- there are no way in the world they're going to try that long field goal to give up that field position if they miss it. i don't think they're going to punt it from the 37 yard line. my guess is you're going to get tom brady twice with a quarterback sneak. >> al: he is so proficient at it. so efficient at it. they line up tight except for edelman to the right side. and brady. they'll hand the ball off.

and with that second first it's blount. he was stopped initially behind the line of scrimmage and then blount with that second effort -- see where they put the ball down. and it's right where the yellow line is. now obviously walt coleman has to bring the chain gang in. still talking to the guys upstairs. the assistant coaches. where are we here? blount stopped there. and then that thrust forward he had william moore stopping him behind the line of scrimmage. look at this. look at this. >> cris: you know what's interesting act that is when you watched it in realtime the ball landed essentially either on or across that yellow line. now, there's nothing official about that. but sometimes you can take a look. >> al: well, the thing with belichick now is there's no

challenges in the last few minutes, so it would have to be stopped from upstairs. >> cris: i think that ball landed on that yellow line. >> al: coleman is now saying an atlanta time-out. otherwise they would wind the clock after a running play. they want coleman to look at this. remember, it has to come from upstairs. they have to stay sai this is worth another look. >> cris: you wonder if that time-out is going to give them the opportunity. >> referee: the previous play will be reviewed. >> al: they're reviewing it upstairs. coleman is now going to come over and look at this. this is the only way you can stop it here with no coach's challenges in the last few minutes. >> cris: again, there's nothing official about that yellow line that we saw, but let's see where this ball -- it looks like it is across that next yard marker and that would be a first down right there. now, he does shuffle it forward.

>> al: 36 yard line. he's either right on it or just behind it. >> cris: obviously now he's down when the forearm hits there and he does shove it ahead, but, again, the ball at that point was on the yellow line as we see it. there's nothing official about that yellow line. it's going to come down to can the official find a marking on the field that can help him mark this football. let's see. is there anything around there that can help him other than that yellow line. i think he has the first down. it's going to be a matter if the official can find something to help him spot that ball and move it. >> al: yep. no matter what happens here, atlanta took the time-out. they cannot get it back even though it stopped for this. the time-out is gone, period.

they're down to two. >> cris: and then if it is not a first down, now belichick has to make the decision do you take a chance on the field position. i can't imagine him punting the ball and i can't imagine a field goal here. i think he goes for it. >> al: i can't manage a field goal because that would give atlanta the ball back. >> referee: the ruling on the field stands. fourth down. >> al: he can't see enough -- >> cris: you can't confirm. the word stands did not confirm. so here we go. he is going to go for it or at least go to the line of scrimmage and at least bark out a few signals. >> al: so fourth down and a couple of links. >> cris: be careful now. tom brady sometimes can go quick count on a play like this and before the guys even know what happened, he sort of has the first down.

>> al: or hard count. you talk about his proficiency going for a first down on third or fourth and one. when either he goes right to the middle or finds that hole. bob and jonathan kraft, watching their team try to stay undefeated. fourth and ijs. brady drops the ball. and atlanta is going to get it at the 38 yard line. so brady juggling the snap, coming away from it, wendell and atlanta gets a huge break with 1:50 and two time-outs. >> cris: it happened to them earlier this year. a fumble in a key situation. he was not going to sneak it for the second-straight time and he simply pulls out a little too soon. a lot f times centers when they know they have to get down so low the angle of the snap gets changed and you could see ryan wendell ducking his head quickly

and you just wonder if it didn't change the point at which tom brady typically gets the ball. and here we go. how about this? it looked like the falcons were completely dead and this guy is as good as it gets when it comes to fourth quarter comebacks. >> al: you saw the graphic, that's when he came into the league, '08. 22 fourth quarter comebacks. most of anybody. first and ten. ryan is dropping. ton of time going for jones down the shrine and julio jones at the 14 yard line is able to make the catch covered by mccourty. what a play. >> cris: get out of here. mccourty out and up the field. he sees it all the way. julio jones just too big, too strong. that's a remarkable catch. i mean, this is just one athlete out duelling another athlete and putting it in the scripts. look at this.

>> al: safety help over the top from mccourty who was also a cornerback when he came in the league. couldn't do anything with it. jones is over 100 yards. 60 seconds. from the 13. ryan too high over the outside for douglas. second and 10. >> cris: tony gonzalez has been such a threat in this game. they are now double teaming him off the line of scrimmage. both of these guys are going to bang him before he gets off there. they are not going to give him a free release, but you have to imagine -- here is julio jones' play. this is fantastic. we have seen some catches the last couple of weeks on sunday night football. i can't imagine this sequence without tony gonzalez getting a chance, some way, somehow he's

been too good. >> al: to the right side. ryan gunning it over the middle and incomplete for gonzalez who looks for the flag and sees none. gregory covering. third and ten. >> cris: it's a bad play. it's a bad throw by matt ryan. you have a guy, give him a chance to put it on his body. he's working against logan ryan inside and by putting it that far in front of him, this guy has the ability. he had position on gregory. there's no way he was going to go through him and he overthrew the ball. it's just a bad throw. >> al: ryan over 400 yards tonight. third and ten. two shots at it. obviously go for it on fourth down. third down from the 13 yard line. >> cris: gonzalez again. >> al: three-man rush. underneath. caught at the 11 yard line. rodgers and he is stopped just inside the ten. so it will come down to converting on fourth down.

they take a time-out here. they have one left and it comes down to a fourth and seven. >> cris: every game with the falcons seem like it comes down to this? the playoffs last year. the saints earlier this year. >> al: meanwhile, dennard is down for the patriots and there he is. that's a very key loss especially before the biggest play of the game. >> cris: gonzalez was mauled on that play. there was no way they were going to let him -- it's like a gunner on a punt team right now. look at that. i've only seen that done on calvin johnson on the goal line. that's the only two in the history of the nfl the only two times i've ever seen it. they're going to double team him again. they are not letting tony gonzalez on the ball.

top of the screen. >> al: jones wide left bottom of the screen. fourth and seven and the pass for white is batted away! aqib talib. what a night for him. so talib who starts on jones and does a great job on him and then they switch the defense and there's a smile on the face of belichick as they escape a bullet here. >> cris: single coverage inside. aqib talib, one of the heros here tonight. no question about it. roddy white simply unable to break free. his ankle is not allowing him to play up to speed. and aqib talib is the difference maker. here is the coverage. brilliant defense. let's give matt patricia credit. he had to make that adjustment on the fly. i don't know how they made the call in to do that but they can do anything with this bunch. bril yantd. >> al: they make the call. atlanta can take its final time-out and tom can run the clock out. not only they lose dennard on

the play before that. lose a starting corner. put talib all over the field. double gonzalez. single jones. and you win the ball game. >> cris: aqib talib is a huge part of the reason this game is going to be 4-0. absolutely a huge part. there is no way this team can get away with some of the defenses they've been getting away with without that guy right there being able to take away the other team's best receiver in the clutch, delivers again. >> al: that was the check mate smile from belichick. >> cris: one from talib as well. >> al: game over. patriots in their first real big test of the season come in. >> cris: we just cannot say enough about what bill belichick does to take away your best player. it started off being julio jones as the game progressed. it became tony gonzalez. they made the switch and won the game because of their defensive strategy.

>> al: offense with a whole bunch of guys with a hello my name is tag on the shirt winning it brady and the pats go home undefeated. go to cincinnati next week. again, the final play was right there. coming up next the wendy's post-game report from atlanta.

welcome back to the wendy's post game report.

here now, bob costas. final score, patriots, 30, falcons 23. those who left the georgia dome early, and they were many, those at home who might have decided to channel surf, missed a wild finish. in the end, things broke bad for the falcons. a flurry but a fourth down pass falls incomplete in the end zone and the patriots walk out of here at 4-0. the falcons are dumped to 1-3 and they'll be three games back in the division if the saints beat the dolphins tomorrow night. three players go on the sunday night football bus, tom brady is one of them. he threw a couple of touchdowns tonight. didn't have one picked off. 20 of 31 for 3167. talib had a tremendous night in the defensive secondary for the patriots including breaking up the game's last pass on legarrette blount had a touchdown run all three of them up on the bus. two of them blount and brady with michele. >> michele: tom, things got hairy down the stretch there.

that fourth and one snap, what happened there? >> just poor execution. we'll work on it this week and try not to let it happen again. >> michele: you have talked about what grind this season has been. 4-0 now. how do you describe the way this team has come together with such inexperienced players? >> we're grinding it out. 4-0 is good. we certainly play better. we have a lot to learn from. it's a long year. so i think we have to keep grinding them out. hopefully go to cincinnati next week and win another one. >> michele: one of the kees tonight was aqib talib. the way he covered julio jones and roddy white there at the end. what can you say about the way this -- the difference maker she? >> i get to practice against him everyday. i know the kind of player he is. what unbelievable talent. he's brought so much leadership to our team. it's really been a great -- it's just been a great treat having him. i hope he plays like this all year. she a great player. >> michele: tom, thanks very

much for the time. >> hi mom. >> michele: tom brady told us coming into this game that the running game was crucial because the young wide receivers couldn't handle everything on their own. how did you get as much out of the running game? we came here with the mindset to run the football. i we came in here knowing we had to be a physical, aggressive team. these guys were a good team. their record doesn't indicate how good they are. we played physical and took some of the pressure off our young receivers. eventually they made plays. we just continued to pound the ball in and make plays. >> michele: they did make plays the young receivers. we talk about kenbrell thompkins. these guys showed up. what sit about these young players that has enabled them to blossom so quickly? >> i mean, they're preparing with one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game. that helps them. that's helping them all just preparing with tom.

and coming out here and knowing the offensive coordinator josh, knowing the things that he does and he's going to make every player blossom in this offense. so he's going to continue -- they're going to continue to work with tom and continue to get better. they've improved every week since the season started. >> michele: it leaves you at 4-0 congratulations on the win, legarrette. >> thank you. i appreciate it. >> michele: bob? >> thank you, michele. tony goen en, 12 receptions and a pair of touchdowns. we bring in tony dungy from new york. your thoughts on tonight's game, toe sni? >> really, really big win for the new england patriots. they did what they had to do on the road. rodney harrison always talks about bill belichick and his red zone defense. doesn't matter how many yards a quarterback throws for, can you get that ball in the end zone and their red zone defense was great tonight. the other side of the coin, i think, atlanta has to be looking at themselves and some mistakes they made, some questionable

decisions going for it on fourth and two early in the game in the first half instead of taking your field goal. on side kicking there at the end instead of trying to stop them. seems like in the big game when they play these contending teams, just getting out of their comfort zone little bit, trying to do too much. they have to settle down. they can get back in this band a playoff team. they have to win some of the games against the contenders. >> luckily for them their schedule in the next few weeks is relatively soft. we'll turn now to mike florio of pro football talk. mike, what do you have your eye on tomorrow? >> we have already seen one quarterback change this past weekend in tampa. more changes could be coming due to injuries or ineffectiveness. in tennessee, jake locker will miss at least a few weeks with a hip injury suffered on this play against the new york jets. ryan fitzpatrick the former bills start ler step in until locker is back to 100%. for the vikings, matt kas sill

got an opportunity to play and played well. led the vikings to their first win of the season with christian ponder out due to a rib injury. after the game, players raving about cassill. for the jets, geno smith had a rough day in tennessee. four turnovers and prompted rex ryan to suggest after the game that maybe at some point down the line a change would be made at the quarterback position, possibly a guy like matt sims would get an opportunity. one guy we expected to be safe is now under siege in houston. matt should be, three straight game with the interceptions returned for a touchdown. here is one to sherman that forced an overtime loss. thaerp booing him. burning his jersey out in the parking lot after the game. now he has to go to san francisco next week sunday night when the texans take on the 49ers. >> mike, good info as always. for all about it more, don't miss mike florio on pro football