Headline in Tuesday's Atlanta Journal and Constitution: Falcons work on run defense during bye.

Seems like a good idea, considering that the Patriots shredded them for 168 rushing yards on 39 attempts, led by Fred Taylor's 105 on 21 carries, including a perfectly-blocked, 8-yard burst for the Pats' first touchdown early in the second quarter of Sunday's 26-10 New England win that knocked the Falcons from the ranks of the undefeated.

"We were not 'gap sound,' " coach Mike Smith said Monday. "Any time that you are giving up 6, 7, and 8-yard runs, someone probably is out of a gap. That was definitely the issue."

There were, indeed, some gaping holes up front for Taylor to run through. It didn't help the Falcons that they lost first-round draft choice Peria Jerry to a season-ending knee injury in Week Two, forcing them to use backups Thomas Johnson and Trey Lewis (playing his first game in two years) at defensive tackle against New England.

The Falcons also were surprised by how often the Patriots, who'd been predominantly a passing team in their first two games against the Bills and Jets, ran the ball Sunday.

"Coming into this game, they had run the ball 43 times and thrown it 100," Smith said after the game. "Their game plan, obviously, was to come in and run it a little bit more. But it doesn't surprise me that coach Belichick will show one thing one week and then do something different the next week."

Another thing the Patriots did differently Sunday was use multiple tight ends to control the Falcons' pass rush, after having had protection problems against the Jets' blitzing defense.

"They wanted to make sure they were going to protect their quarterback differently than they did the week before," Smith said.

Some people questioned why the Falcons didn't blitz more against New England. The combination of the Patriots' running game, which consistently picked up yardage on first and second down, and the extra protection provided by the tight ends, made it difficult for Atlanta to put pressure on Tom Brady..

That said, it seems obvious that the only way to stop Brady is to send multiple rushers after him. Sitting back in coverage, even with six or seven DBs, will not keep him from finding open receivers if he has time to throw.