This week, the Patriots travel to New Orleans, the site of their first Super Bowl win nearly 24 years ago, looking for a third-straight win. They're riding high after a seismic 23-20 win over the Bills, where Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs put on an offensive clinic. The Saints, meanwhile, are 1-4 but coming off their first win of the season, a turnover-fueled 26-14 victory over the Giants.
Despite their record, the Saints have been scrappy at home, losing by just seven and five points to the Cardinals and 49ers, respectively, while forcing both teams to make game-sealing defensive stops on the final drive. Still, New Orleans ranks 31st in overall DVOA, including 22nd on offense, 29th on defense, and dead last on special teams.
Here are the three things to watch most closely.
1. Handling the WR Speed
The Saints' receiving corps is built to stretch the field. Chris Olave (33 catches) leads the team and is a consistent chain-mover (team leading 15 first downs), while Brandin Cooks and Rashid Shaheed are vertical threats who can flip a game in one play. Shaheed's 87-yard touchdown last week was their only offensive score but a reminder of how dangerous this group can be.
However, Shaheed is the only one of the trio to average over 10 yards per reception as first-year starter Spencer Rattler has focused the passing attack short and underneath. He averages 5.6 yards per attempt.
The Patriots secondary is rounding into form with Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones all healthy. The safety duo of Craig Woodson and Jaylinn Hawkins will be key in defending Juwan Johnson, who ranks second on the Saints with 24 receptions. Tight end has been a problem area for New England's defense, which allowed Dalton Kincaid 108 yards last week.
Big plays can quickly transform the complexion of a game. The Patriots defense must keep the Saints attack in front of them and continue to gang tackle with purpose.
2. Finding Secondary Threats
With Stefon Diggs coming off back-to-back 100-yard games, defenses will continue to key in on him and Hunter Henry (17 receptions, 250 yards, three TDs) as Maye's most favored targets. The Patriots will need a third option to emerge in the coming weeks as they continue to evolve. Rookie Kyle Williams has flashed speed and is getting more reps, while Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas have shown reliability underneath and given all-around contributions even if they've only combined for 20 catches.
Saints DC Brandon Staley runs a Vic Fangio-style pattern-matching zone defense, heavy on zone coverage with plenty of disguise. Maye will be challenged to read coverage post-snap and that could lead him to favor Diggs and Henry even more. But if he can find complementary completions beyond that dynamic duo, the Patriots offense, currently 11th in scoring (25.0 PPG) and 15th in total yards, could take another step forward.
The more obvious but more difficult issue exists in the offensive backfield.
3. Get Running
The Patriots run game is the one glaring weakness in an otherwise top-10 offense. They rank 32nd in rush EPA and appear to have just lost one of their top three backs in Antonio Gibson, who reportedly suffered an ACL tear against the Bills. Rhamondre Stevenson has fumbled three times in three games and TreVeyon Henderson is still adjusting to the pro game, leaving some tough questions to answer.
Will Terrell Jennings get the call-up from the practice squad and can he contribute in a meaningful way? Can Stevenson handle a resurgent workload and still eliminate the giveaways? Will Henderson start to make the kind of dynamic plays he made throughout the summer? These are significant questions facing the 3-2 Patriots as they hope to chart a trajectory to the postseason, questions that must be answered sooner than later.
It won't be that easy to get the run game in gear against the Saints. Though they've allowed 130-plus rushing yards in each of their last two games, they're 20th in rushing yards allowed and 14th in yards per carry (4.2). Veterans like Cam Jordan, DeMario Davis, and former Patriot Davon Godchaux bring toughness, but this is a matchup the Patriots must try to attack to avoid becoming a one-dimensional offense.
A clean, productive game on the ground that helps lead to a win could be the best possible development to come out of New Orleans.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
