The Patriots are back, ladies and gentlemen.
A week removed from beating their rivals and Super Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills on the road, the Patriots extended their winning streak to three with a 25-19 win over the Saints in New Orleans. The now 1-5 squad from Louisiana is admittedly very well coached; their run defense ranked in the top ten coming into the game and two prior weeks saw them put together two strong performances: a win over the Giants and a close loss against the Bills. Spencer Rattler had a solid game, but it wasn’t enough to stop Drake Maye and company.
While the Patriots scoring 25 points on the Saints may seem like a mild feat, it doesn’t tell the full story. New England scored 22 first half points, despite Adrian Hill and the referee crew doing everything possible to call the game in the Saints’ favor. Stefon Diggs was called for a phantom penalty that negated what would have been Pop Douglas’s second deep touchdown of the game. The following play, rookie Kyle Williams drew a flag on Saints rookie cornerback Quincy Riley that can only be described as a makeup call. Confusion ensued after Kayshon Boutte caught his second touchdown of the game as Alontae Taylor hit him in the head, leading the Patriots to go for two instead of an extra point. Chris Olave had a nice catch on third down that was clearly stripped and recovered by New England, only to be called incomplete. Diggs was called for another penalty, an offensive pass interference, that negated a ridiculous throw from Maye on third and long. Across the board, the officials had a tough day.
Sunday was more of the same for the Patriots’ offense — an almost outlandish reliance on the pass to move the football. They were unable to reach their 91.5 yards per game average, with Maye the most effective rusher (28 yards from nine carries). Rookie TreVeyon Henderson got more opportunities with Antonio Gibson’s season ending ACL injury but was unable to make much of it — his nine carries led to just 27 yards. Rhamondre Stevenson’s rushing average took a further tumble; 13 carries for 18 yards led to 1.4 a carry on the day and dropped him to 3.1 on the season. He had 20 carries for 32 yards over the last two games. Practice squad elevation Terrell Jennings did not get a touch.
Boutte was the star in the passing game this week, with his five catches for 93 yards topping the box score. Douglas’s three catches for 71 yards, should have been even more productive than previously mentioned, and Diggs played a role on third-down despite just three catches. As a passer, Maye’s production cannot be understated: 18/26, 261 yards, three touchdowns and nothing resembling a turnover. On the year, he has a 73.2% completion rate with 12 total touchdowns to just two interceptions. He has six touchdowns and no interceptions in his last three, with a 74% completion rate.
Defensively, the unit had a blip on the first play, with Kyle Dugger trailing Olave in coverage. After that, they didn’t allow many huge plays, but Rattler played very well. He had just six incompletions all day and did not turn the ball over. He had 227 passing yards to go along with 20 more on the ground. He showed some real elusiveness in the pocket. The unit has gone six for six this season in keeping any player from rushing for 50+ yards. Alvin Kamara topped the backfield with 31 yards from ten carries. The Saints averaged 3.1 per carry as a team.
The Pats struggled on second down specifically, as New Orleans stayed ahead of the sticks for most of the game. Olave averaged 16.3 per catch, Kamara has 9.0 and Brandin Cooks’ lone catch went for 21. The only turnover they forced was Christian Elliss’ stripping of Juwan Johnson, though they still won the turnover battle. They forced the Saints into four field goals and Taysom Hill’s goal line rush was their only time finding paydirt. It was bend, don’t break defense, and while it wasn’t elite, holding an NFL offense to less than 20 points isn’t something to scoff at.
Next week, New England will continue their streak of especially easy games against the Tennessee Titans, followed by the Cleveland Browns. From this past Sunday until Oct. 26, Patriots opponents have recorded a record of 3-15. Vrabel’s former squad has been horrific this year despite the addition of No. 1 overall selection Cam Ward, and head coach Brian Callahan was just fired at the time of writing this article. Through six weeks, the Titans have scored more than 20 points only once, during their sole win of the year against the Arizona Cardinals, a disastrous collapse from Arizona.
Tony Pollard is their only running back who plays significant snaps, and he averaged 3.9 per carry. First round pick in 2024, J.C. Latham has had an abhorrent 2025, allowing four sacks in 106 snaps with a 37.0 pass blocking grade. Only two players have caught touchdowns for the Titans this year: rookie Elic Ayomanor has two and tight end David Martin-Robinson has one. The touchdown is Martin-Robinson’s only catch. Ward has also been sacked more than any quarterback in the league, with 4.2 sacks taken per game. The offense also features Calvin Ridley and Van Jefferson as veteran wide outs, with Chig Okonkwo the main tight end.
Defensively, the unit leaves much to be desired. They allow 26.8 points per game, 26th most in the league. L’Jarius Sneed hasn’t been everything he was thought to be since he was acquired from Kansas City, and Jalyn Armous-Davis is a weak CB2. Jeffery Simmons is an excellent defensive tackle, while starter Cody Barton ranks 105th in PFF’s linebacker rankings.
The Saints were a better team on Sunday than they have shown through this year, but the Titans are unlikely to play the Patriots close. Vrabel will want to destroy his former team, and all things considered, I’d say it’s likely. I’d expect a drubbing from Maye and company, with 40+ points and no more than a touchdown allowed defensively. I’ll predict another three-touchdown day for Maye in a 45-10 Patriots win.