Pats Pulpit
Coming off an electric primetime victory over the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots traveled to New Orleans for a meeting with a one-win Saints team. The focus throughout the week was clear: don’t fall into the trap.
The Patriots didn’t, and as a result managed to leave Louisiana with a third straight W in hand. And while the 25-19 showing might not have been as impressive as the one against the Bills, it still saw a team capable of taking care of business in a challenging environment and with the stakes seemingly not quite as high.
The game itself saw plenty of noteworthy performances, and — as a look at our weekly positional grades shows — a solid outing across the board.
Quarterback: Six weeks into his sophomore season, there is little question that the Patriots have found their QB. Against the Saints, Drake Maye again performed at a high level, completing 18 of 26 passes for 261 yards and a trio of touchdowns; he also was the team’s leading rusher with 32 yards resulting in an EPA/play score of 0.56 — good enough for the 96 percentile of quarterback performances since 2010. The 23-year-old again brought the goods: he looked confident running the offense, made good decisions, showcased his immense arm and athletic talent, and performed well under pressure. It was an all-around good game reminiscent of the glory days. | Grade: A
Running back: The first game after losing Antonio Gibson to a torn ACL saw the Patriots rely heavily on Rhamondre Stevenson. However, neither he nor TreVeyon Henderson made much of an impact on the game: the two combined to gain just 54 yards on 23 touches in the running and passing game. Their production is directly tied to their surroundings, of course, but they also did little to elevate them. Credit where credit is due, though. Ball security was fine, although both dropped one pass, while Stevenson looked good in pass protection. | Grade: C
Wide receiver: After the Stefon Diggs show last week, it was time for the Patriots’ third-year wideouts to show what they can do. Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas both had big games: Boutte caught five passes for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his return to Louisiana, while Douglas went 3-71-1 in his most notable performance of the season so far. They were not the only receivers looking good, though; Diggs and Mack Hollins had good moments as well, and that is before accounting for the former losing a 51-yard reception on a bogus pass interference call (something that also happened on what would have been a 61-yard TD to Douglas). | Grade: A
Tight end: New England’s tight ends had a relatively quiet day outside of Hunter Henry catching three passes for 27 yards and Austin Hooper adding a 5-yarder. What has to be said, though, is that their presence at the line of scrimmage did little to...
