In a game with two strong offenses and fast defensive units, it’s only fitting that the result of the New England Patriots’ one-point win over the Atlanta Falcons came down to the kicking game.
In the first episode of Patriots On SI’s newest podcast “All Patriots Talk” ahead of the game, reporters Mike D’Abate and Ethan Hurwitz discussed what might have been an under-discussed storyline in the matchup, and what may be an x-factor.
The answer? The kickers. Atlanta’s John Parker Romo — who spent part of the 2024 season and 2025 training camp with the Patriots — missed what would have been a game-tying extra point. Instead of being a 24-24 game, the Patriots held a slim, one point lead that would remain as the final score.
“It’s a tough one,” Romo told reporters postgame. “Nobody wanted this win more than I did in this locker room. Obviously, that was the team I played for in the preseason, so I got to keep my head up. A lot of teammates still have faith in me and came up to me. I have got to move on to this next week. Can’t let this one kick affect me. Anytime I go out on the field, I need to make the kick, and that’s all it is.”
How did Romo feel on the miss?
“Yeah, I felt good,” he said. “Anytime I push it a little bit to the right, maybe your steps are a little bit just too fast and makes you swing a little bit inside out. So, just got to keep focusing on my fundamentals and get better and put the ball down the middle, so there’s no question if it’s good or no good.
“I’m not sure, but if I put it down the middle, it will leave no question. You know, don’t put it in the hands of the refs to make that decision. If I put it down the middle, there’s no question.”
It shows that, while it might have been a tough choice to make during the summer, the Patriots made the correct choice at the kicker position when it came down to roster cuts. The battle was between Romo and rookie Andy Borregales, and some discussion was had about how Romo outplayed the Miami newcomer during the preseason.
Instead, the Patriots rolled with the rookie — who they spent a fifth-round draft pick on in April — to be their starting placekicker. In the win over Atlanta, Borregales was tasked with just four kicks, making all three extra points to go with a 32-yard field goal in the third quarter.
While Borregales had a shaky start to his NFL career (he missed multiple kicks in his first two games), a game-winner at Buffalo in Week 5 earned him national praise and he hasn’t missed since. He’s 13-for-14 on field goals, and 24-of-26 on extra points. With his 13 field goals, Borregales currently ranks 14th in franchise history in made field goals and he’s part of what his head coach is calling a special team.
“Understand that that’s how it goes in this league sometimes,” Mike Vrabel said. “It’s tough. But embrace — don’t let anybody take the joy of what we do. Joy is authentic. Joy comes from these guys caring about each other, being happy for the guy next to them that made a play. Joy is about what we do in here, and I think that they need to embrace that and be thankful for what they get to do and what I get to do. We talked about when you get — sometimes you get this taken away from you, whether you’re a player and you get cut or you’re a coach and you get fired and you get another opportunity, you want to try to make the most of it and enjoy it.”
