At one point in the late second quarter of their game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, it looked like the New England Patriots were cruising toward a sixth win in a row. Up 21-7 and with a chance to add to their total ahead of intermission, they appeared to be in full control. And then, momentum took a swift turn.

In the end, the Patriots sill managed to hold onto a 24-23 advantage to improve to 7-2 on the year, but the 60-minute performance was far from their best. There were some standouts, but on the whole there also was plenty of room for improvement as a look at our position grades shows.

Patriots position grades from NFL Week 9

Quarterback: For the first time in a while, Drake Maye looked like the young quarterback that he is. He did finish with 259 passing yards — the most

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