5 takeaways from the Patriots’ close victory against New Orleans
All of a sudden, the Patriots are on a three-game win streak.
The Patriots secured a third consecutive victory on Sunday, beating the Saints 25-19 at the Caesars Superdome as Drake Maye led the offense with precision.
Maye connected with DeMario Douglas on a 53-yard play-action touchdown pass and never looked back. He had another long touchdown to Douglas called back before Louisiana native Kayshon Boutte hauled in a pair of first-half touchdowns.
Maye did not have an incompletion until late in the second quarter. He picked up first downs with his legs when he needed to, and he scored on a QB sneak for a two-point conversion right before halftime.
The Patriots’ downfield passing attack continues to be a major storyline. Maye has become more comfortable opening things up and it showed again this week.
Neither team punted in the first half. Both offenses were cooking, but the Patriots were able to put the right ingredients together for a win.
Here are five takeaways from the action:
Stefon Diggs was whistled for two questionable OPI penalties.
Not long after he scored on the 53-yarder, Douglas had a 61-yard touchdown called back. Stefon Diggs was whistled for offensive pass interference. Diggs was nowhere near Douglas, who caught the ball at the 30-yard line, spun past a defender and won the footrace to the end zone. Diggs was blocking a cornerback not too far from the line of scrimmage.
The Patriots wound up scoring on the drive anyway, as Boutte hauled in a contested 25-yard catch, but that call could certainly be considered questionable.
Diggs later had a 52-yard catch of his own wiped out by another pass interference penalty. Maye launched a high-arcing pass down the sideline and Diggs made a diving catch. He pushed New Orleans defensive back Quincy Riley with a relatively light one-handed touch on the shoulder pad and it was enough for the refs to blow the whistle.
In total, those two calls cost the Patriots 113 yards, a touchdown, and a red zone opportunity.
Marcus Jones kept making plays
Marcus Jones stayed down on the ground for a bit after a massive third down stop on Chris Olave, but ultimately retuned to the game. He led the Patriots with three pass-breakups. He flew in for a sack on third down in a key moment in the second half.
The 5-foot-8 spark plug just keeps making plays. He had an interception last week against Josh Allen. He had a punt return touchdown against Carolina.
Jones has played a huge role sparking the Patriots’ three-game win streak.
Efton Chism debuted as a returner
With Antonio Gibson out for the season, the Patriots opted to give rookie receiver Efton Chism III his first NFL action as a kick returner.
Chism waited on the bench for five weeks before the appearance in New Orleans. New England stuck with their usually five receivers: Diggs, Hollins, Douglas, Boutte, and Kyle Williams. A couple of weeks ago, receivers coach Todd Downing said that Chism was learning multiple positions within the offense and mastering his pro routine.
The more things that Chism can do, the better chance he has at getting on the field. He added kick returns to his duties this week, and it earned him an opportunity.
Boutte had a career day in his home state
Boutte, who grew up about two hours West of New Orleans in New Iberia, Louisiana, recorded the first multi-touchdown game of his young career (finishing with five receptions for 93 yards and two scores).
Boutte wrestled Kool-Aid McKinstry for his first touchdown, a 25-yarder in the first quarter. Both players leapt for the ball. Boutte came down with it in the end zone, extending the Patriots’ lead.
He had more space on his second TD, a 28-yarder from Maye that he caught just outside the end zone. He fell over the line after a defender hit him.
Boutte also had a key catch in the fourth quarter off of a back-shoulder throw from Maye that allowed the Patriots to run some extra time off the clock.
Patriots’ run game continued to struggle
Rhamondre Stevenson did not fumble in this game, but he only netted 18 yards on 13 carries.
TreVeyon Henderson did not fare much better with nine carries for 30 yards. Neither player had a carry longer than seven yards.
Terrell Jennings, who was promoted from the practice squad in the aftermath of the Gibson injury, did not get any touches.
Maye led the Patriots in rushing, and the bulk of his yards came on a 20-yard scramble. The Patriots were able to beat the Saints without much of a run game, but that kind of performance could be concerning in future weeks.
Here’s how the win unfolded:
4:03: Patriots kneel the ball and run the clock out, hanging on to a six-point victory over New Orleans. New England will enter Mike Vrabel’s return to Nashville, where he coached the Titans for six seasons, on a three game win streak.
3:47: Rattler overthrows Shaeed on 3rd-and-7. Saints punt.
3:44: Saint take over on their own 10. Brandin Cooks scoops up a low pass from Rattler for a 21-yard gain.
3:33: Maye hits Diggs for a 52-yard completion on thrird-and-17, but Diggs is whistled for another offensive pass interference and the gain is wiped out. Patriots punt.
3:23: Marcus Jones stops the Saints’ momentum with a third-down sack on a blitz off the edge. New Orleans makes the 54-yard field-goal attempt, bringing them within a touchdown. New England 25, New Orleans 19.
3:12: Patriots go three and out.
3:06: Marcus Jones stayed down after breaking up a pass intended for Chris Olave. It looked like Charles Woods punched the ball out after Olave caught it, but Vrabel did not challenge the ruling. Saints punt.
2:53: Andy Borregales hits a 24-yard field-goal, extending New England’s lead to nine. Patriots’ red zone offense fizzled out, but New England was still able to walk away with some points. New England 25, New Orleans 16.
2:49: Patriots go for it on 4th and 3. Snap is good this time, and Maye finds Diggs over the middle for a first down. Maye gets the Patriots deep into the red zone on a scramble, the very next play.
2:26: Louisiana native Kayshon Boutte has his second touchdown of the day. Patriots, up 4, go for two and get the conversion on a QB sneak from Maye. New England 22, New Orleans 16.
2:23: Patriots call time out with 38 sconds to go after Maye rifles a pass in to Stefon Diggs for a first down.
2:22: Maye finds Hunter Henry for a big gain, pushing the Patriots past midfield and close to field-goal range. Neither team has punted yet.
2:16: Olave had what should have been a touchdown pass drop right through his fingertips on third down. Saints kick a field goal. New Orleans 16, New England 14.
2:04: Patriots go for it on 4th down, and a bad snap rolls behind Drake Maye. Saints get the ball with just over six minutes to go in the half and good field position while trailing by just one point.
2:01: Drake Maye finds Mack Hollins for a first down on a play-action pass. He made his first incompletion of the game after being chased out of the pocket.
1:55: Taysom Hill scores on a direct-snap carry off the edge, capping an 11-play drive. New England 14, New Orleans 13.
1:52: Landry is back on the field.
1:40: The Patriots score anyway. Kayshon Boutte hangs onto a contested catch in the endzone. 25-yard catch on a strike from Maye. New England 14, New Orleans 6.
1:36: New Orleans is called for offensive pass interference, giving New England a first down and a chunk of yardage. 21-yard penalty.
1:33: Douglas burned the Saints’ secondary again, but offensive interference winds up wiping out the touchdown. Stefon Diggs was whistled for the penalty.
1:26: A holding penalty negates a big completion from Rattler that would have had New Orleans in the redzone. Instead, a wheel-route to Alvin Kamara falls short on third down and the Saints settle for another field-goal. New England 7, New Orleans 6.
1:20: EDGE rusher Harold Landry is down with a lower body injury, appearing to grab his right ankle. Landry is leading the Patriots in sacks this season, with 3.5 through five games. He was able to walk off the field and onto the sideline.
1:19: Spencer Rattler picks up a first down on a scramble, sliding just short of midfield.
1:12: Drake Maye hits a wide-open DeMario Douglas in stride for a 53-yard touchdown on a play-action pass. Douglas had just one defender to beat, and he sidestepped past him for the score. New England 7, New Orleans 3.
1:06: A blitzing Craig Woodson pressures Rattler into an incompletion on 3rd-and-4, forcing the Saints to settle for a short field goal. New Orleans 3, New England 0.
1:04: Patriots win the toss and elect to kickoff first. Spencer Rattler immediately finds Chris Olave sprinting past Kyle Dugger for a massive gain on the first play of the game. With Jaylinn Hawkins out, Dugger makes a rare appearance in the starting lineup.
12:45: Terrell Jennings will fill-in for the injured Antonio Gibson, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury last week in Buffalo.
The 24-year-old Jacksonville, Florida native spoke with Boston.com about his journey from experiencing homelessness in Jacksonville to starring at Florida A&M and reuniting with fellow Jacksonville native DeMario Douglas with the Patriots.
12:30: Efton Chism time.
Rookie receiver Efton Chism III has been activated to the 53-man roster and is expected to make his NFL debut against the Saints.
Chism, whose breakout training camp performance helped him earn a spot on the 53-man roster, has been working behind the scenes preparing for his first game-action of the season.
It looks like today will be the day he gets his shot to show what he can do.
12:15: Inactives.
New England: S Jaylinn Hawkins, OLB Anfernee Jennings, DT Eric Gregory, OG Caedan Wallace, DE Keion White, 3rd QB Tommy DeVito
New Orleans: OG Torricelli Simpkins, OG Xavier Truss, DT Khristian Boyd, DB Rejzohn Wright, DB Ugo Amadi, CB Isaac Yiadom
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