FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots went into last weekend motivated as underdogs against the reigning MVP, Josh Allen, and the Buffalo Bills.
Mike Vrabel and his players believed that they could stand toe-to-toe with the AFC East kings, and on Sunday night, the Patriots won their biggest game in recent memory. In a matchup like that, it’s easy to get and stay motivated.
Can the Patriots keep it up this weekend?
Vrabel’s team heads to New Orleans this weekend to take on the 1-4 Saints. Unlike last weekend, the Patriots are the favorites on Sunday afternoon. The team can’t rest on its laurels after a big win. Instead, they need to build upon what they did well in Buffalo and improve upon the things they didn’t.
Last weekend, the Patriots won their second game in a row for the first time since the 2022 season. They have a chance to extend their streak and continue to build upon this new Patriots chapter.
Here are five things to watch:
Red Zone offense
The Patriots need to take advantage of their opportunities on offense. Last weekend in Buffalo, the Patriots stalled twice deep in the red zone. hey failed to score from both the 11-yard line and the 1-yard line against the Bills. Historically, to win on the road, teams need to be better and score touchdowns in the red zone.
The Saints have one of the worst red zone defenses in the NFL, allowing touchdowns 70.6% of the time. That ranks them 27th in the league. When opposing offenses have first-and-goal, they’re scoring 100% of the time on the Saints. We’ll see if the Patriots can do the same.
Offensive line
The Patriots need to make sure they’re protecting their most important asset – Drake Maye. The quarterback heads into this matchup ranked third in the NFL in sacks with 17. Some of those sacks are due to Maye extending the time in the pocket. The Patriots are averaging a sack on 11% of their drop-backs. That ranks them 29th in the NFL.
The Saints are sacking opposing quarterbacks on 7.95% of their drop-backs. That sack percentage ranks them 14th in the NFL. New Orleans has a veteran-laden pass rush, featuring Carl Granderson (4.5 sacks) and Cameron Jordan 2.5 sacks).
Can the Patriots stop the run?
Led by quarterback Spencer Rattler, the pass game isn’t the Saints strong suit. New Orleans ranks 25th in the NFL in passing offense, averaging 190.4 yards per game. The Saints rushing attack, however, ranks 14th in the NFL, averaging 116.8 yards per contest.
New Orleans has three players with over 100 rushing yards this season: Alvin Kamara (283), Kendre Miller (165), and Rattler (123). The Patriots need to slow this group down. Their unit has been one of the best in the NFL in this area, ranking fourth in the NFL in run defense, allowing an average of 85.6 rushing yards per game.
Can the Patriots run the ball?
Shots have been fired. On Wednesday, Mike Vrabel said the Patriots run game has to be better. Maye followed that up by saying the thing holding the offense back from being an explosive group is big runs.
Last week, the Patriots lost backup running back Antonio Gibson for the season due to a knee injury. The team will move forward with Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, and Terrell Jennings. This group needs to be better. They can’t fumble the ball, and it would help to break some big runs. The Saints have the ninth-ranked passing defense compared to the 20th-ranked run defense.
Christian Gonzalez
What’s going on with Christian Gonzalez? The cornerback was off the Patriots injury report last week, leading into the Buffalo matchup. He wasn’t on the injury report on Wednesday, either. However, that changed on Thursday when Gonzalez was once again limited with a hamstring injury.
The Patriots maintain that this is a ‘maintenance’ thing, but it’s unusual to see a player cleared and then re-added to the injury report. Hamstrings can be a tricky injury, and that was seen with Gonzalez after he missed most of training camp and the first three games. This is something to monitor with one of the best players on this roster.
Prediction: Patriots 27, Saints 20
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