New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots scratched and clawed their way to a victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and can now officially say they have a winning streak on their hands…
No, that isn’t anything to be too proud of, but when you do something for the first time in three seasons, you celebrate!
I’ve got takeaways:
The Patriots really seem to enjoy making things harder than they need to be…
New England didn’t dominate this game, but ultimately won it within the margins, holding the edge in third-down efficiency (46% to 33%), total yards (333 to 296) and time of possession (31:06), while also winning the turnover battle (+1).
It’ll be difficult to look past wins — which still feel extremely important, no matter the situation — but there was plenty of ugliness from others in key moments that will pump the brakes on optimism for most fans, and rightfully so.
I don’t quite think it’s time to crown them, folks.
“Drake Maye drops his head once he feels the pressure,” Cris Collinsworth said during the broadcast of last weekend’s victory over the Buffalo Bills. “… I would say if there’s been one weakness to his game, it would be exactly that.”
Maye must have heard him, because he made the adjustment and has carried it across back-to-back tremendous performances.
Maye made four incredible off-schedule plays, all of which resulted in touchdown passes where he was forced off his spot and kept his eyes up the field to find an open receiver — though one was called back on a phantom penalty that we’ll talk more about later.
Harold Landry III suffered what appeared to be a significant knee injury early in the first quarter, which brought attention to how depleted his position group was after entering the game without Keion White and Anfernee Jennings.
Landry ultimately returned, but if there’s one spot to add some depth…
Elijah Ponder and Truman Jones could each receive some opportunities. Jahlani Tavai and Milton Williams combined to fill that role in a pinch, but you would prefer to have someone that can offer a consistent pass-rush presence.
New England might want to keep an eye out before the trade deadline, if not sooner.
DeMario Douglas might just have a role after all…
Douglas, who saw his snap count decrease across the first five weeks of the season, had seemingly lost his job following the emergence of guys like Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte.
The Patriots just needed to reorganize things, however.
Diggs’ ability to find soft spots in zone defenses made more sense for the slot. Douglas’ strengths make him a better fit for an outside role where he’s given more space to execute, though he still has the versatility to move around. Boutte is a legitimate outside threat who has the ball skills to serve as a jump-ball option that the offense hasn’t had in a while.
New England...
