The drive fell short, the Falcons bitten again by their season-long struggles in the red zone.
ATLANTA (AP) — That's more like it, Tom Brady.
"You get what you earn in the NFL," coach Mike Smith said. "We've earned a 1-3 record through the first quarter of the season. That's what we are."
New England recovered a second onside kick, only to fumble a snap trying to convert on fourth down, turning it back over to the Falcons.
"He's an impressive young player," Brady said. "It's really rare to see that with a young player, to step in with confidence like that he has."
The Patriots again played without star tight end Rob Gronkowski and receiver Danny Amendola, both left at home with injuries.
The Patriots built a 30-13 lead before the Falcons rallied. Atlanta had a chance to tie it up in the final minute,NFL Jerseys From China, but Aqib Talib knocked away Matt Ryan's fourth-down pass for Roddy White in the end zone with 36 seconds remaining.
After struggling for three weeks to get in sync with his new receivers, Brady threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns in his best outing of the season for the unbeaten New England Patriots, who held off a furious Atlanta comeback to beat the Falcons 30-23 on Sunday night.
NOTES: Ryan completed 34 of 54 for 421 yards. ... The Falcons had won 14 in a row after losses. This is their first two-game losing streak since 2009. ... Atlanta, which faces the New York Jets in Week 5,NFL Jerseys From China, has never lost three in a row under Smith. ... The Patriots rushed for 132 yards. Blount led with 64 yards on nine carries, while Ridley chipped in with 53 yards on 11 carries. ... In addition to breaking up Atlanta's final pass, Talib also had an interception in the fourth quarter — his fourth of the season.
They nearly missed an epic comeback after Stephen Gostkowski's third field goal pushed the Patriots to their 17-point lead.
Julian Edelman chipped in with 118 yards on seven receptions.
Atlanta scored only one touchdown on six trips inside the 20. That included settling for a field goal on their first possession, when they had first-and-goal at the 6, and Smith's decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the 7. That failed when Ryan threw it behind White in the flats.
"We slugged it out,Wholesale MLB Jerseys 2018," Brady said. "We came to Atlanta,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, which is a tough place to play and they've got a very good team. It's nice to win and be 4-0."
But the Brady-led offense finally looked like itself after struggling a bit the first three games. New England seemed in control when LeGarrette Blount scored on a 47-yard run, and Brady threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to rookie Kenbrell Thompkins.
Thompkins, an undrafted free agent, finished with six catches for 127 yards — nearly as much as the first three games of his career.
New England improved to 4-0 for the first time since its near-perfect season in 2007.
New England got good production from its running game, especially on its first touchdown drive. Brady threw only twice on the 12-play, 75-yard possession,NFL Jerseys China, including a 1-yard touchdown pass to third-string tight end Matthew Mulligan.
After Matt Bryant's 45-yard field goal brought the Falcons to 20-13, Brady guided the Patriots on an 80-yard drive that took only five plays and barely 2 minutes.
Ryan completed a 49-yard pass to Julio Jones to put Atlanta in position to force overtime before a mostly empty stadium.
"We're just not executing how we need to in the red zone,Jerseys NFL Cheap," Smith said. "We're moving the ball well between the 20s. But we're not ending with touchdowns. You've got to score touchdowns in this league. It's an offensive league."

New England led just 13-10 before a wild final period. Blount stunned the Georgia Dome crowd with his burst through a gaping hole, cutting outside and dragging defenders into the end zone.
Gonzalez hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass, the Falcons recovered an onside kick, then drove for another field goal by Bryant.
"We've got to do a better job of finishing out the game," New England coach Bill Belichick said, "but we did a good job of putting ourselves in that position with a 17-point lead with 6 minutes to go in the game."
"We're missing quite a few guys," Brady said, "so hopefully when we get them back, we'll be more efficient."
Edelman hauled in a 16-yard pass, followed by 44-yard reception that set up the touchdown throw to Thompkins in