The Patriots Keep on Trucking With Their Third Win in a Row in NOLA

In between some horrendous running offense, some timely bad pass defense, and some of the worst collective refball I've ever seen, the Patriots now find themselves on a three-game winning streak, on the back of yet another standout performance by Drake Maye. Three touchdowns, 261 Yards, a passer rating of 140.1, and a league high 17 EPA and .55 EPA per dropback. A great outing, and especially so under pressure, leading the league outright in most stats under those parameters.

Even with some beyond atrocious officiating, however, this was nowhere near a "great" team performance, in that the offense stalled for a chunk of the second half, the aforementioned run offense had maybe its worst game of the season, and the Patriots' defense, while not bad on the whole, did give up some bad plays in this one. Gonna be a little more positive here given the win, but here's what I have coming off of a 25-19 victory.

Failure to Launch (Run Game Edition)

A five-yard RPO loss on Rhamondre Stevenson's second carry of the afternoon was more or less an omen for the rest of the game. He had five runs go for negative yardage or no gain, and then TreVeyon Henderson had a couple of those himself. Just as an example of things not being entirely on the backs, I want to direct your attention to a 2nd and 1 from the New Orleans goaline, on what was the final scoring drive the Patriots had.

You can't tell from this angle, but something Andrew Callahan pointed out on twitter on Monday was absolutely correct: Jared Wilson is/was tipping when he's going to be pulling on run plays. Look here at where he's lined up on this play in comparison to left tackle Will Campbell, and more so than that, the way his feet and hips are planeted.

Now here's an earlier, much better run play where you can see Wilson lined up not flush with Campbell on a pull, and is able to get to Demario Davis for what was actually a fantastic play on his part.

Now, it doesn't really matter who for New Orleans picked up that and would've made it a point to remember that, but they did, and it came up in a big way in the second half, so credit to them. That goalline push could've realistically iced that game, and once again, the Patriots simply couldn't run the ball with any authority. It's one thing to admit it's a problem; it's another to have consistent breakdowns, both with the blocking and with ball protection, six weeks into the season, and this was just one example of how bad things were on Sunday, mind you.

Marcus Jones' Great Season Continues

No game-changing interception like last week, but Marcus Jones continues to be an absolute delight for this Patriots team at cornerback in 2025. Take no further look than this third-down PBU in the second quarter, going up against Chris Olave.

Not an easy play here by any stretch, having to work by the traffic on the right side, but being super-human level fast isn't just something that helps out in the return game. Jones has just enough in the tank to get a hand in at the last second and bailed out the Patriots' defense big-time by keeping four extra points off the board. The 3rd and 17 breakup on Olave was just as good in all honesty, but this kid continues to be big time, especially with both Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis playing banged up.

Kayshon Boutte's Homecoming

One of several Patriots players making their return to Lousiana as home state natives or former LSU tigers (or both), Kayshon Boutte had the game of his life in the Superdome on just five targets. And his biggest play wasn't either of his TDs.

On a "gotta have it" 3rd and 11 against Kool Aid McKinstry, where he would've been absolutely crunched by safety Justin Reid if he takes a better late angle, and Boutte stays with the play through tight coverage and sets himself up perfectly for a back shoulder grab. I can't say if it was luck/happenstance/etc that he got a shin down in bounds to keep the clock going, but that was icing on the cake, so to speak, and quite literally iced the game. Not that the Saints secondary was good in this game by any stretch, but I thought all four of their top receivers showed up in their own way (Diggs, Douglas, Boutte, and Hollins), but Boutte was the best of the bunch, and in no real surprise, this one meant a lot to him.

Never Forget what They Took from You

The Diggs phantom OPI play isn't in the film, so you'll have to live with this tweet from Mike Renner instead, but watch that and the Hollins play, which was absolutely DPI, and tell me with a straight face that there are 10 (ten) better quarterbacks in the National Football League than Drake Maye. Five? Absolutely (Mahomes, Burrow, Jackson, Allen, Stafford, for sure), 10? Not a chance.

Final Score: New England Patriots 25, New Orleans Saints 19

Gaffney's Three Stars from Patriots-Saints:

1st Star: Drake Maye (18/26 for 261 Yards, 3 TDs, 9 Rushes for 28 Yards)

2nd Star: Marcus Jones (3 Receptions Allowed on 7 Targets for 22 Yards, 3 PBUs)

3rd Star: Kayshon Boutte (5 Receptions on 5 Targets for 93 Yards)

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