Will we win or lose to the Saints?

[JMC00]

Brees. When has TFB and BB beaten Brees and Peyton?

They've only played them once and it was in '09 which was arguably the worst Belichick/Brady Patriots team and the same year the Saints won the SB.

 

[Nunchucks]

Defensive teams generally beat offensive teams. So, I think the Patriots have an excellent shot at wining.

 

[iapatsfan]

Geez, with "fans" like you, who needs enemies? :bricks: I don't care how realistic you think your perspective is, some of it's simply wrong and all of it sucks.

What part is wrong? The only part that could be is my prediction for how things are going to go on Sunday. We won't know the answer to that until Sunday evening.

I am a die hard fan, and I hope I am wrong, but I'm sorry if I don't see Brady's horrendous play being solely due to his young WRs.

 

[dales804]

Saints are on a mission this year. Their defense is playing much better and the offense is back on track with a multitude of weapons. Even with Gronk back I can't see the Pats keeping pace with Brees. When has TFB and BB beaten Brees and Peyton?

Pats improved D keeps it close for 3 quarters but I see the Saints prevailing. I'll take the points and Saint to win the game outright.

This is not your 2007/2011 Pats unfortunately. Not at this point in the season.

You can get +110 on that Saints ML in some spots. Vegas thinks the Pats win while the public is on the Saints. We'll see at about 7:30 Sunday night how it goes.

 

[neuronet]

When I talked about their running game, I was talking about Sproles. Globe article:

Sproles is productive as ever in his ninth NFL season, third with the Saints. A speedy matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties and the Saints’ kickoff and punt returner, Sproles is third in the NFL with 635 all-purpose yards, including 26 catches for 308 yards and a touchdown.

Patriots? next foe, Saints, are marching right along - Sports - The Boston Globe

If he enters beast mode, all I can say is...crud. Perhaps I prematurely retracted my concerns about their running game.

 

[Rob0729]

It isn't great odds, but the Saints are on the second of back to back road games which could make them in for a letdown. Also, Gronk and Amendola could make a huge impact on the offense.

I wouldn't bet on the Pats winning, but it isn't a definite loss.

 

[dannydyn]

Defensive teams generally beat offensive teams. So, I think the Patriots have an excellent shot at wining.

While our defense has certainly made strides in the right direction, we are still a far cry from being labeled a 'defensive' team.

Defensive teams that come to mind: Texans, Niners, Seahawks, you know... the teams that can punch you in the mouth every single down.

 

[RobAllan]

Having Gronk back will aid the team, however I don't think Gronk even at 100% is enough of a difference to get this offense into the 30pt range. (And I don't think he'll be anywhere near 100% after only 6 weeks conditioning.) Even if our defense holds the saints to 21 or so, which I think would be a good effort on their part, I don't see the Pats as a 3TD team in this game.

I don't think they win.

I also hope I'm wrong!

 

[Tunescribe]

What part is wrong? The only part that could be is my prediction for how things are going to go on Sunday. We won't know the answer to that until Sunday evening.

I am a die hard fan, and I hope I am wrong, but I'm sorry if I don't see Brady's horrendous play being solely due to his young WRs.

First of all, you're wrong about what you call Brady's "horrendous play." Casting a blind eye to who he's working with and how that changes the offense is being willfully ignorant. He can't perform in a vacuum. If you want to see a quarterback playing horrendously, check out Eli Manning or Matt Schaub. Second, you're wrong about the Pats' linebackers in coverage; they've been improved over last year. You certainly don't seem like a diehard fan.

 

[dales804]

When I talked about their running game, I was talking about Sproles. Globe article:

Patriots? next foe, Saints, are marching right along - Sports - The Boston Globe

If he enters beast mode, all I can say is...crud. Perhaps I prematurely retracted my concerns about their running game.

Sproles has 100 yards rushing this year on 25 carries with a long of 18. He's a lot more dangerous in the passing game where he has 308 yards. And then he has 224 yards in the return game. So his running should be the least of your worries with his skill set, I think.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

I don't think our offense will magically start clicking on all cylinders in 1 week.


I thought our Offense would be further along by now. Brady and co. will have to put up 30+ points, and I don't know if they can do that.

 

[Ozymandias]

While their defense has been playing better football than the Bengals this season - the difference is that Cincy's D-Line can get better pressure up the interior than the Saints can. New Orleans gets a lot of their pressure from their OLBs. If the Tackles can protect Brady and give him enough time he can make good things happen.

This game is a toss-up. Each team has decisive advantages in certain areas where one is weak. I'll make judgment based on who's playing all around better football right now, and by pretty much any metric it's New Orleans.

Hopefully, the Patriots have caught them in a bad spot (like they were in last week) of playing consecutive road games.

 

[dales804]

I don't think our offense will magically start clicking on all cylinders in 1 week.


I thought our Offense would be further along by now. Brady and co. will have to put up 30+ points, and I don't know if they can do that.

Am I the only one that doesn't think the Patriots will have to score 30+ to win? I envision a game around 27-23 maybe a little lower.

The Patriots very rarely get blown out. Was the Browns game the last one?

 

[neuronet]

the difference is that Cincy's D-Line can get better pressure up the interior than the Saints can. New Orleans gets a lot of their pressure from their OLBs. If the Tackles can protect Brady and give him enough time he can make good things happen.

That seems key....always!

 

[VrabelJr]

If our defense can hold the Saints to 17 or less I think we can win by single digits. Otherwise I think we lose by 14+.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I expect the Saints to win. The Pats haven't covered tight ends well, and Jimmy Graham is coming to down; you do the math. I expect that the offense will score its points, but it won't get the job done if they drop 30+ on us like I expect.

On the bright side, if there was ever a week to have no depth whatsoever at defensive tackle, this might be it.

Also, any given Sunday...

 

[VrabelJr]

I have bigger nightmares about Pierre Thomas than I do Sproles. You have to honor the run when Thomas is back there. And that screen pass Thomas took for a TD last week, I feel like I've seen him do that 5 or 6 times from 30+ yards out. Incredible.

 

[SeymourTrophies]

Can anyone name a good 'cover' linebacker? Part of the reason sub packages are used as often as base defense is because there really aren't any cover linebackers. Linebackers who do well in coverage play on defenses with a good pass rush.

Darren Sproles getting into the open field is a terrifying thought though. I really think we're overrating the Saints here though. They have a good DC now, but they're still average in terms of talent on the defense. They're certainly not equipped to pitch another six pointer like some are making it sound.

I do worry about their offense running wild early and being too much for us to make up, but a second road game in a row, us coming off of a loss, Brady being due for a big game and so on. I don't think we're a better team right now (by any means), but my gut tells me Pats win.

 

[Nunchucks]

While our defense has certainly made strides in the right direction, we are still a far cry from being labeled a 'defensive' team.

Defensive teams that come to mind: Texans, Niners, Seahawks, you know... the teams that can punch you in the mouth every single down.

Patriots are what they are, a team that relies on their defense to keep the score low.

 

[JackBauer]

If the offense decides to finally wear pants to the game, I see us winning.

If not...well, then the opposite.