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FOXBORO - No doubt, the setting would have been perfect for doom and gloom.

With a low overcast hanging over Gillette Stadium and rain falling intermittently, a poor performance by the New England Patriots would have cast their faithful followers into a state of deep despair, the result of their beloved team being under .500 for the first time since the opening game of the 2003 season.

But part of the Patriot "culture" that's been in place since Bill Belichick took over in 2000 has been to respond to poor performances with significant improvement. That's what happened Sunday at Gillette Stadium - a much better performance from the previous week's loss to the Jets, culminating in a 26-10 victory over the 2-1 Atlanta Falcons.

It had its flaws, make no mistake - foremost among them, the failure of Tom Brady to find his receivers once his team had penetrated the opposition's 20-yard line. But wins are still wins, and the Patriots found several signs of improvement even in their failings Sunday.

"Obviously, the running game was a plus for us," Belichick said, alluding to veteran Fred Taylor's 21-carry, 105-yard performance, part of a 168-yard effort by the backfield corps. "That helped the passing game, and we took care of the ball. We played better defense, played better on third down I'm happy with the way the guys stepped up." Stepping up were Taylor and his fellow backs (except Laurence Maroney, who retired to the bench with a supposed thigh injury after carrying four times for just 17 yards), the Patriots' run defense, and the offensive line, which protected Brady well (while catching a break from a less-than-aggressive Atlanta pass rush).

"We did pressure Tom early in the game," Falcons' coach Mike Smith said. "We pressured him there before halftime with some five- and six-man pressures.

And they did a nice job in their protection."

Perhaps the most positive improvement was the Patriots' ability to hang onto the ball for long periods of time.

They had the ball for 39:49 to Atlanta's 20:11 and had four possessions of 12 plays or more - and even though all four of those ended in field goals because Brady was only 3-for-10 for 10 yards in the red zone, the lengthy possessions kept the ball out of the hands of Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan (17-28, 199 yards).

Even with more time, Ryan may not have been able to muster much more offense, because of the success of the Patriots' run defense. Gary Guyton led the way with seven tackles and the front four was stout, even with Vince Wilfork (ankle) and Mike Wright (arm) going out with injuries.

Safety Brandon McGowan, the Maine grad and ex-Bear, also contributed mightily to the defensive effort, and the Patriots were able to hold dangerous tight end Tony Gonzalez to just one catch for 16 yards at the start of the fourth quarter.

"We doubled him a lot," Belichick said. "We devoted a lot of coverage to him he's tough, but then we held up in other spots as well. Terrence (Wheatley), Shawn (Springs) and Leigh (Bodden) really did a good job out there."

"The plan was for him to not have any catches and he had one, so obviously, the plan failed," McGowan said, cracking a rare smile.

Still, possession was 90 percent of this victory. The Patriots held the ball for 15 plays and 8:39 in the first quarter after Jason Elam ended the Falcons' first possession with a 26-yard field goal, and Stephen Gostkowski's 21-yarder tied the score. The Patriots followed that with a 12-play possession (in 3:36) at the end of the first half with Gostkowski nailing a 33-yarder), another 13 plays and 5:59 to open the third quarter (ending in a 22-yarder) and 16 plays and 6:59 at the quarter's end, followed by Gostkowski's 33-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Perhaps the most important part of that final possession was the restoration of some of the Patriots' swagger. They converted not just one, but two fourth-down plays to keep the drive alive in a fashion reminiscent of the 2007 season.

On the fourth play of the possession, Sammy Morris went up the middle for 2 yards to the Patriots' 26 - a very risky decision with 5:19 left in the quarter and only a six-point lead.

"I felt like we could get a yard," Belichick said. "There would have been plenty of criticism if we didn't, but then we were able to get that and basically hold onto the ball."

"It's something we had to do,' added Morris. "We've lacked consistency, especially in short-yardage concerns. We know what kind of group we have, we just weren't executing like we were capable of doing."

Eight plays later, the Patriots faced fourth-and-3 at the Falcons' 37. Throwing out of shotgun, Brady found Randy Moss for 21 yards to the Atlanta 16.

"We had a few third-and-ones this season, and fourth-and-one against Buffalo that we missed and (Belichick) has been really on us pretty good about getting those short-yardage situations, which I'm happy we got," said Brady (25-42, 277 yards, one TD).

After Michael Turner (15 carries, 56 yards) scored on a 2-yard run to create a 10-10 tie with 8:43 left in the first half, the Patriots found two ways to keep him from being a threat. One was physical defense, and the other was letting Taylor do his job when they had the ball.

He had already scored on an 8-yard run early in the second quarter, the fourth of four straight carries that indicated that a big day might be in the offing, He had 42 yards at intermission and his second-half efforts were reminiscent of clock-killin' Corey Dillon at his best.

"You want to maintain, sustain a couple of drives and keep as high-powered offense like that off the field," Taylor said.

Finally, with the Falcons beaten down and dejected, Brady threw the 200th touchdown pass of his career with 7:47 left to play - a 36-yard bomb down the right sideline to tight end Chris Baker in single coverage (a play practically drawn in the dirt by Belichick on the sidelines), perfectly thrown with no need to risk another red-zone failure.

"It was a more balanced day for us," Brady said. "We ran it great and we had some good play-action (passes). There were a lot of positives to take from it, and I think we're learning a little bit each time we play."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.