New England Patriots

Live updates from the Patriots-Saints game

Tom Brady runs with the ball against the New Orleans Saints. Chris Graythen/Getty Images

By Nicole Yang

7 minutes to read

Follow along below for updates and analysis as the Patriots and the Saints square off at the Superdome in Week 2.

Post-game

With the 36-20 win, the Patriots avoided their first 0-2 start since 2001. Brady had 447 yards on the game, which is the third-highest in his career and most-ever for a 40-year-old quarterback. He also broke the league record for most number of games (52) with three touchdowns and no interceptions, having previously been tied with Peyton Manning.

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A number of Patriots received medical attention throughout the contest. Among them are Gronk (groin), Burkhead (ribs), Hogan (right knee, leg), Rowe (groin), and Dorsett (left knee). During post-game interviews, Gronk declined to speak to the media, saying “I’m good” with a thumbs up. Hogan offered a similar sentiment, insisting that he’s “fine” to reporters.

Fourth quarter

Brees hits tight end Coby Fleener for a touchdown: (Patriots 36, Saints 20). 

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Dorsett is the latest Patriot to pay a visit to the blue medical tent. He is now on the stationary bike and listed as questionable to return with a left knee injury. Burkhead has returned from the locker room.

On the drive, Brady lines up a series of plays with significant yardage, including 24 yards to James White, 15 yards to Cooks, and 38 yards to Dorsett. He eclipses 400 passing yards for just the 10th time in his career. On 3rd-and-goal, however, he can’t find an open receiver and slides to set up a field-goal attempt. Gostkowski knocks one through from 27-yards: (Patriots 36, Saints 13).

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Gronk stays in the medical tent for the start of Patriots’ first drive of the fourth quarter. After a few plays, he is out on the stationary bike and listed as questionable with a groin history. In other injuries, Burkhead leaves the game and heads to the locker room. He is listed as questionable with a ribs injury.

Third quarter

Gostkowski nails a 24-yard field goal to extend his team’s lead, but the team appears to be shaken up: (Patriots 33, Saints 13).

  • A gimpy Hogan is back on the field and makes two receptions, but still does not appear to be 100%.
  • Brady and Gronk connect for another substantial gain—his sixth catch of the game—but Gronk immediately takes himself off to meet with the medical staff following the play. He visits the medical tent soon after.

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Jones breaks up another pass to Ginn Jr., leading to a Saints’ field-goal try. Lutz’s 49-yard attempt hits the right upright. No good. The miss was Lutz’s first in 18 attempts.

On the Patriots’ first drive of the second half, Brady throws two interceptions, but both are called back due to penalties. 

  • Brady is intercepted by Marcus Williams, but the play gets called back because the Saints had 12 men on the field. Immediately following the play, he was already gesturing to officials that he knew New Orleans had an extra man.
  • Rookie tight end Jacob Hollister records his first reception as Patriot. It’s good for five yards.
  • A banged-up Hogan is limping around the field. The team has him stretching his right knee on the sidelines and was briefly sitting on the bench with an ice pack.
  • Another Saints interception is called back due to a defensive holding penalty.
  • Burkhead also appears to be nursing some sort of pain. The running back has missed the last four series and is sitting next to team trainer Jim Whalen.

On the Saints’ opening drive of the half:

  • Cornerback Eric Rowe leaves the field and visit the team medical tent. He has now left for the locker room. The Patriots list him as questionable to return with a groin injury.
  • Deatrich Wise sacks Brees to force a punt on 4th-and-15.

Halftime

Second quarter

As time expires, the Patriots close the half with a well-executed 28-yard field goal by Gostkowski: (Patriots 30, Saints 13). 

For just the 11th time in team history, New England has scored 30 points in the first half.

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Brees airs it out to Michael Thomas for a 33-yard reception on the sideline in Patriots territory: Later on the drive, despite being in field-goal range, the Saints opt to go for it on 4th-and-3 but can’t convert. Patriots take over on downs.

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New England’s second drive of the quarter produces another touchdown by Mike Gillislee: (Patriots 27, Saints 13). 

  • On the drive, Cooks makes his first reception (on the Saints two-yard line) in his return to his former stomping grounds.

  • Hogan is wide open for a 27-yard catch-and-run at midfield. After the play, he leaves the field in some pain and appears to have hurt his hand.

Brees and Coleman connect for another key reception: 42-yards on a 3-and-10. 

Later on the drive, on 3rd-and-8, Jonathan Jones breaks up an on-target pass in the end zone between Brees and Ted Ginn Jr., forcing a field-goal attempt. Jones is called for offsides, however, on the next play. The Saints try to draw another offsides on 4th-and-3, but ultimately settle for a 35-yard field goal. (Patriots 20, Saints 13).

On third down during New England’s first drive of the quarter, Brady goes down on account of a sack by Hau’oli Kikaha: Kikaha beat offensive tackle Nate Solder on the play.

Drew Brees connects with Brandon Coleman for a six-yard touchdown: (Patriots 20, Saints 10). On the play, Malcolm Butler got caught up in traffic from a legal pick.

  • During the drive, Hendrickson exits the sideline area with team trainers. He’s listed as questionable with a leg left injury.
  • Brees also hit Alvin Kamara on the drive for a big gain:

First quarter

New England’s third drive leads to another touchdown, thanks to big receptions by Gronk, Dorsett, and Hogan: (Patriots 20, Saints 3).

  • Patrick Chung returns the punt.
  • Phillip Dorsett gets his first touch as Patriot: a hand-off from Brady. He runs it for seven yards.
  • In his debut, Saints rookie defensive end Trey Hendrickson goes down on a play and limps off the field.
  • Brady connects with Gronk for an important third-down conversion at midfield. On the next play Dorsett catches his first pass as a Patriot: a 23-yard reception.
  • Brady hits a wide-open Chris Hogan with a pass in the end zone. After some discussion, officials rule there is no offensive foul on the play, meaning the Patriots have their third touchdown of the game.
  • Brady finishes the quarter 11-for-15 and a 151.9 passer rating.

New England’s second drive is highlighted by a Rob Gronkowski’s first touchdown reception of the season: (Patriots 13, Saints 3).

  • The 53-yard pass from Brady to Gronk came on third down and was defined by a quarterback scramble and broken tackle by the tight end. It also marked Gronkowski’s 69th career receiving touchdown, his first since Week 8 of 2016.
  • Between the first two drives, Brady has 130 passing yards.

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Will Lutz gets the Saints on the board with 46-yard field goal: (Patriots 6, Saints 3).

New England’s first drive features 58 passing yards from Tom Brady, two key third-down conversions, and a touchdown by Rex Burkhead: (Patriots 6, Saints 0).

  • The Patriots receive the ball to start the game. Running back Dion Lewis returns the kick.
  • For the first snap, they elect to go with a three-tight end formation. Cooks is not on the field. Josh McDaniels continues to experiment with the offense.

  • Tom Brady goes 6-for-7, capping the 10-play drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Rex Burkhead. Stephen Gostkowski, who hit a 56-yard field goal during warmups, misses the extra point.

Pre-game

Rob Ninkovich is watching from the sidelines:

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 Although the recently retired linebacker indicated earlier this month that a comeback is not totally out of the question, Ninkovich was dressed in street clothes for Sunday afternoon’s contest.

Malcolm Butler is absent from the Patriots starting lineup: The cornerback, who at one point could have joined the Saints during the offseason, also was missing from the locker room last week.

The Patriots are warming up their kickoff and punt returners: The position has been the subject of much debate thus far into the season, as the team has struggled to fill the role. When asked how he identifies capable candidates, Bill Belichick’s response was very straightforward: “Put them back there and watch them catch.”

Both teams have announced their inactive players for the game: Former Patriots undrafted wide receiver Austin Carr is out for the Saints, while four of the Patriots were already known beforehand.

Brandin Cooks will be playing his first game in New Orleans as a Patriot: The wide receiver spent his first seasons in the league with the Saints, eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards in his final two years. Cooks does not seem to be fazed by his return, calling the contest just “another game.”

In addition to Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen, the Patriots have activated a third tight end, Jacob Hollister, for today’s game: 

Dont’a Hightower and Danny Amendola will miss Sunday’s game against the Saints: The team said Friday that Hightower will be sidelined with a knee injury, while Amendola is dealing with a concussion and knee issues. Special teams captain Matt Slater (hamstring) and defensive tackle Vincent Valentine (knee) will also sit. (Boston.com, via AP)

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