Corral Alvin Kamara

Kamara has touched the ball on 48.6% of New Orleans’ offensive snaps; the Saints clearly rely on him to jumpstart the offense, especially with All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas on the sidelines.

So the first bullseye is square on Kamara. The Patriots need to contain him as best as they can. He’s going to make plays both running and catching the football, so it’s up to the Patriots to limit the chunk plays.

“(They) get him the ball a lot of different ways ... and he produces with it,” said Belichick. “He’s a guy you got to keep your eye on at all times. He plays on all three downs, so he’s always in there.”

Perhaps they’ll have Adrian Phillips tail him if he’s coming out of the backfield. Maybe they’ll take a page out of their strategy in Super Bowl XXVI with the Rams’ back Marshall Faulk, play physical with him, and drill him with a shot every time he heads out of the backfield.

During the first two games, the Patriots haven’t exactly distinguished themselves as run-stoppers, but if they want a chance to slow down the Saints offense, they need to keep Kamara bottled up. The Panthers held him to five rushing yards on eight carries, and won big.