Saints outmuscle sloppy Pats
Drop to 0-2 at Gillette this season
FOXBORO — The last time the Patriots played at home, they vowed to fix the mistakes that cost them a 1-point decision in their season opener against Miami.
The penalties. The turnovers. The fundamental slipups in all three phases. All of the football that felt un-Patriot.
Two weeks and one road win later, not much has changed.
The Pats were thoroughly outclassed in a 28-13 loss to New Orleans on Sunday, trailing for the last three and a half quarters while quarterback Mac Jones finally played like a rookie. Jones finished 30-of-51 for 270 yards a touchdown and three interceptions, while Saints quarterback Jameis Winston, a notorious turnover machine, played an efficient, safe game with zero picks. Around Winston’s two touchdown passes, New Orleans added 142 rushing yards, the last four on a game-sealing touchdown by all-purpose weapon Taysom Hill with 2:37 left.
Hill, who took eight direct snaps, scored by running right for the sixth time out of that alignment, a microcosm of Sunday’s game. The Patriots (1-2) knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it.
“They (run) to both sides, but I guess today they wanted to run behind those guys over there,” said Pats linebacker Matt Judon. “We’ve just gotta do a better job of stopping it, and that starts up front.”
Stinging from a terrible loss at Carolina the week before, the Saints (2-1) rebounded with a physical performance the Patriots can only hope to replicate next weekend with Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champion Bucs in town. New Orleans didn’t turn the ball over, took half as many penalties and partially blocked a punt.
Against Tampa Bay, the Pats likely will be without veteran running back James White, who was lost to a hip injury in the second quarter and had to be carted off. His absence created a troublesome void for the Patriots in pass protection, which the coaching staff opted to fill with Brandon Bolden in the second half.
Starting running back Damien Harris allowed a sack in the first quarter and finished with six carries for 14 yards, half as many as Jones managed on the same number of scrambles. The hits kept coming for the Patriots all afternoon, but no one more than Jones. He took 11 hits and two sacks.
“We have to keep him upright,” Pats tight end Hunter Henry said. “When he’s upright he’s making some good throws. We have to be better.”
After an opening trade of three-and-outs, Winston orchestrated a patient, 11play touchdown drive midway through the first quarter. He converted twice on third-and-7, unbothered by the Pats’ diminished pass rush that missed Josh Uche. Winston’s last conversion was a 7-yard strike over the middle to Alvin Kamara, who darted inside a covering Kyle Van Noy for an easy score.
The Patriots continued to stumble offensively, failing to pick up a single first down until 11:30 remained in the first half. Amid their struggles, the defense avoided more trouble with help from Bill Belichick after a stop on the outskirts of field goal range. With the clock set to expire on the first quarter, Belichick called timeout, forcing Saints kicker Aldrick Rosas to attempt a 52-yarder toward the open end of Gillette Stadium.
Rosas swung the ball wide left, and later missed a 36yarder before halftime. Following Rosas’ second whiff and trailing 7-0, the Pats squandered a chance to close the half with a touchdown. Instead, they gifted a scoring chance to Saints safety P.J. Williams, who intercepted Jones over the middle after the rookie was hit in the pocket on thirdand-long. Williams returned the pick to the Patriots’ 9-yard line, where the Saints ran for five yards then took a second-down sack. On thirdand-goal, with Pats safety Kyle Dugger wrapped around his waist and spinning him to the ground, Winston looked primed for another takedown until he blindly fired toward the back of the end zone. There, Saints wideout Marquez Callaway out-muscled Jonathan Jones for a jump ball, tapped both feet inside the back line and celebrated a two-touchdown lead.
Like Jones, the Pats offense was powerless against its own bad football.
After driving for a 45-yard Nick Folk field goal to close the first half — an attempt after Henry’s false start negated a fourth-down conversion try — Jones threw a pick-six on the Pats’ opening snap of the second half. Jonnu Smith bobbled the pass straight to Saints captain Malcolm Jenkins, who strolled 34 yards into the end zone.
“Give the Saints credit today, they were certainly the better team,” Belichick said. “They just did a better job than we did in every area and deserved to win. We’ve just got to play more consistently.”
Trailing 21-3, the best the Patriots could do was exchange punts and piece together a 16-play drive that resulted in another Folk field goal. Now within striking distance, the Pats forced consecutive three-and-outs, and produced their first touchdown drive of the day, which started at the Saints’ 44-yard line. Jones needed only three plays to capitalize, the last a 22-yard toss to Kendrick Bourne, who won a right sideline battle around the 10 and snuck the ball inside the pylon.
But then the dam broke. New Orleans chipped away at the Patriots’ defense over a 13-play march, first with Winston moving the chains on another thirdand-7 halfway through the quarter. Winston didn’t face another third down until he converted a third-and-short at the Pats’ 16 on a quarterback sneak. Three plays later, Hill took over and dropped the league’s oncepremier franchise to 0-2 at home for the first time in 21 years.
Here were the best and worst Patriot performances from Sunday:
Best
LB Matt Judon Two and a half sacks. That’ll do.
WR Kendrick Bourne He produced the Pats’ only touchdown and finished with six catches for 96 yards.
Worst
TE Jonnu Smith He caught one of six targets, served up a pick-six and got called for holding in the third quarter. Just an abysmal performance.
Pass protection The Pats surrendered 11 hits on Mac Jones and two sacks.
RB Damien Harris Harris allowed a sack on the offense’s fourth play and was essentially benched for the second half.
P Jake Bailey A reigning All-Pro, Bailey booted two punts for touchbacks and sent one kickoff out of bounds. He also had a kick blocked.