Back from ‘dead’
After opening dud, Brady & Co. shine
NEW ORLEANS — Arrangements for the Patriots’ funeral were decidedly premature.
The reigning Super Bowl champions coasted past the Saints yesterday, 36-20, at the MercedesBenz Superdome to claim their first victory of the season. And Tom Brady led the way 10 days after calling out his team’s attitude following their embarrassing loss to the Chiefs in the opener.
“To be 0-1 in a 10-day break felt like a year,” Brady said. “It was good to go out and get a win.”
Brady completed 30of-39 passes for 447 yards (third most of his career) and three touchdowns, and Rob Gronkowski broke out with six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game in the third quarter with a groin injury, though he said he was “good” after the win.
The impressive performance was a reminder that Brady didn’t get old overnight and Gronk isn’t broken beyond repair, and the Patriots still have enough depth despite a troubling amount of injuries. Chris Hogan added five catches for 78 yards and a score after a quiet performance of his own in Week 1, and Brandin Cooks had two catches for 37 yards in his return to New Orleans.
Brady did a better job of involving his running backs, too. James White (eight catches, 85 yards), Rex Burkhead (three catches, 41 yards, touchdown), Dion Lewis (one catch, 11 yards) and even James Develin (one catch, 6 yards) were all pivotal in the passing game while Mike Gillislee (18 carries, 69 yards, TD) paced the ground attack again.
“It just depends how defenses try to match up with us,” White said.
The defense, which gave up 21 consecutive points in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs, held the Saints scoreless for a pivotal fourpossession stretch while the Patriots stretched out and preserved the lead. Drew Brees was 27-of45 for 356 yards and two touchdowns but never consistently remained in a rhythm as the Patriots sacked him once and hit him eight times.
“We did what we wanted to do (yesterday),” Duron Harmon said.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who also didn’t have a great season opener, dialed up a perfect play call to generate the Patriots’ first touchdown. Develin lined up wide right and drew a linebacker, which signified the Saints’ man coverage, and Gronkowski was tight right with Burkhead in the slot. The single-high safety predictably stayed with Gronk, and Burkhead beat Alex Anzalone on a fade pattern for a 19-yard touchdown catch and 6-0 lead.
The Pats extended their advantage to 13-3 when Gronkowski emerged from the phone booth on the ensuing series. Gronk beat Anzalone down the field to catch a lob from Brady, and the tight end stepped over Marcus Williams’ half-hearted tackle attempt to breeze into the end zone for a 53yard touchdown. It was the 69th receiving touchdown of Gronkowski’s career.
Brady kept it rolling on their third possession, which he capped with a perfect throw and a little political work as well. The 40-year-old hit Chris Hogan for a 13yard touchdown and then argued with an official who threw a flag for offensive pass interference. Brady clearly made his case because the referee overruled the penalty and the Patriots took a 20-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Saints tried to rally in the second quarter. Brandon Coleman beat Malcolm Butler on a rub route to catch a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brees to make it 20-10, and the Patriots followed with their only scoreless possession of the opening half, which ended when Hau’oli Kikaha beat Nate Solder to sack Brady.
Jonathan Jones, the fourth cornerback on the depth chart, halted the Saints’ momentum, though. Brees and Ted Ginn Jr. nearly connected for a 16-yard touchdown on third-and-8, but Jones broke up the pass, which yielded Will Lutz’ 35-yard field goal that trimmed the score to 20-13.
Brady completed three passes for 66 yards on the next series, including a 22-yarder to Cooks at the 2-yard line. Gillislee closed the drive with his fourth touchdown of the season to make it 2713. Stephen Gostkowski capped the 30-point, first-half explosion with a 28-yard field goal at the buzzer.
Gostkowski added field goals of 24 and 27 yards in the second half, and Brees’ 4-yard touchdown pass to Coby Fleener in the closing minutes dressed up the final score.
It was a one-sided affair throughout, as the Patriots avoided their first 0-2 start of Brady’s career and may have solved the woes that plagued their opener.
“Our coaches were all over us this week,” Brady said. “They want us to get it right, and they want us to get it right now.”