So you want to contend for a championship.

Congrats. Welcome to the NFL’s microscope.

Every team in the league is now combing through your film in search of weakness down to the last detail. It’s not enough to know your plays and your players anymore. Opponents are studying the rules underpinning your offense and defense and turning them against you every chance they can.

This is what the Patriots can expect now at 7-2, tied for the best record in football. Drake Maye has rendered playing simple, straightforward defense an impossibility. He’s too good. Mike Vrabel’s defense has a couple of tentpole players opponents must avoid before they can start attacking others: Christian Gonzalez and Milton Williams.

The Falcons know.

On Sunday, Atlanta understood the Patriots’ man-to-man coverag

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