How offense can beat the run-stopping Saints

In past years, the Patriots would study a defense like the Saints’ and throw out half their playbook. Run plays? Straight out the window. Sunday would become an all-pass, all-the-time type of game.

This was the luxury of having the greatest quarterback of all time at the controls of their self-identified game-plan offense. The Pats wanted to morph each week into an opponent’s worst nightmare, and they were never scarier than when they determined that terror meant passing more.

Last season, of course, that wasn’t an option. All the Patriots could do was run, so they lost to the three toughest run defenses they faced by a combined 53 points. This year, there’s hope.

Despite the fact New Orleans is allowing only 2.8 yards per carry, the Pats can score Sunday. Their weapons are healthy. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said this week he trusts rookie Mac Jones “completely,” perhaps the highest compliment a coach would pay his quarterback.

Here’s how Jones and McDaniels can orchestrate a win against the Saints.