The Patriots rallied to win their third straight game and improve their record to 4-2 with a hard-fought 25-19 win over the plucky New Orleans Saints, who hung around (with some horrendous officiating) perhaps longer than they should have.
Drake Maye was fantastic again, and is on an absolute roll. He had a fantastic first half where he threw for three TD passes while finding all of his secondary receivers for big chunk plays and TDs.
Maye finished the game 18-26 (69 percent) for 261 yards with three TDs, 0 INTs for a passer rating of 140.1. Maye also had 114 yards wiped out via absolutely bogus offensive pass interference penalties.
Regardless, Maye is playing at an insanely high level right now, and the Patriots under Vrabel have won three straight and have equaled the number of wins in 2024 just six weeks into the season. Considering the difficulties today, head coach Mike Vrabel has to be very pleased with his football team. And he gave every player a game ball after the win today, signifying a total team win.
“None of it was perfect today. Give the Saints a lot of credit,” Vrabel said. “They competed, they answered. But we extended plays and made some huge plays down the field and glimpses of good football. We’ll have to clean a lot of things, but certainly good to get on the road and be able to get a win.”
Kayshon Boutte Has Quite The Homecoming:
Boutte grew up about two hours from the Superdome and attended LSU. Boutte showed out in his homecoming with five catches for 93 yards and two scores. He said after the game that he had about 40 friends and family in attendance.
With the game still hanging in the balance, Boutte iced the game after another beautiful back shoulder throw from Maye on a third-and-11 went for 21 yards and the Patriots were able to take a knee and head home with a win.
Both of his touchdowns were highlight reel plays. His first a 25-yard score was an excellent play and throw from Maye, who hit him in a perfect place for a TD. The second TD was arguably even better with Boutte running a corner route and beating CB Quincy Riley for the 29-yard score and took a hard hit as he was coming down with the ball.
Maye Continues His Torrid Play in The Big Easy:
Maye’s play has many analysts already saying that the 2nd-year QB has entered into elite status. And he’s entering another feather in his cap in recent weeks, throwing the deep ball.
Through the first few games, the Patriots weren’t attempting many deep passes, but in the last couple of games, including today, Maye has been throwing …and connecting with the deep ball.
Today,Maye was 4-of-5 for 128 yards and all three touchdowns on deep passes. He also had two other deep completions that were wiped out by ridiculous penalties. And the only incompletion WAS on a penalty that should have been called on the defense.
Demario Douglas Has A Long TD Erased:
Maye’s first touchdown was a deep ball (40 air yards) to DeMario Douglas for a 53 yard touchdown. Douglas ran a deep post crosser and got the safety turned around. Maye hit with the pass and Douglas waltzed easily into the end zone.
Douglas, who finished with three catches for 71 yards and a score, had another long 61-yard score erased after a phantom offensive pass interference penalty was called long after the Patriots scored the touchdown. The Special Teams unit was already on the field, before the horrible officiating crew threw the flag.
Otherwise Douglas would have been looking at a 132-yard day with two scores.
The Running Game Woes Continue:
The lack of a competent, complementary running game is hurting the offense, and … against a better opponent may have cost the team the game. We thought the Saints would give the Patriots a rough time running the ball, and they did so.
The running backs carried 22 times for 45 yards (2.8-yard average). That isn’t getting it done. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Josh McDaniels tried several times to lead off drives with a run to control and run the clock. But all it accomplished was to put the offense consistently behind the sticks.
Give credit to the Saints for constantly blowing up plays at or behind the line of scrimmage today.
Defense Tightened Up But Was Only Middling:
The Patriots defense held an opponent once again to 20 points or less. On the road that should win you some football games, and they are 3-0 on the road. But the defense, playing zone for the most part, was allowing for the Saints to throw those short quick passes.
The Saints scored the first four times they had the ball, but the Patriots held them to field goals on three of those drives. They allowed too much of a cushion underneath, and were playing a style reminiscent of those old bend-but-don’t-break defenses.
But in the second half, the Saints only scored one field goal, and the defense forced a key fumble. The run defense was solid again, holding the Saints to just 73 yards overall. Alvin Kamara had just 31 yards on 10 carries. But this wasn’t their finest hour.
This Entire Officiating Crew Should Be Investigated:
This isn’t the typical fan-talk blame s**t on the officials. This was atrocious, historically bad. Michael Hurley from NBC Sports Boston wrote, “It is not hyperbole to suggest that an investigation is warranted for the phantom offensive pass interference penalty called on Stefon Diggs, which negated a 61-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye to DeMario Douglas.
It took so long for that flag to come out that the NFL actually tweeted out a highlight of the play, only to have to take it down due to the imagination of the officiating crew.” And Hurley was being kind in his assessment.
He added, “A terrible OPI call on Diggs to negate his 51-yard catch on a third-and-17. A missed obvious pass interference on Quincy Riley against Mack Hollins a play later. Douglas getting blasted into next week while trying to reach back for a catch.
“A catch-fumble by Chris Olave that was incorrectly ruled an incompletion. A Juwan Johnson fumble that was wrongly ruled on the field, requiring a Vrabel challenge. Incorrectly ruling Drake Maye short on a QB sneak for a two-point conversion.”
And to top it off, incorrectly ruling Kayshon Boutte out of bounds that would have forced the Patriots to get another first down to clinch the game.
As I said, on our postgame podcast, this was one of those nightmare scenarios for the league. When all of these awful calls go against one team, it certainly lends credence to questions about the officials. And with the league in bed with all of these betting sites, if the league does not want to appear as if officiating is directly impacting games, it should not then allow its officials to directly impact games. Which it is doing far too frequently.
Other quick observations include:
-Marcus Jones had another really impressive game, with his first career sack, and an impressive three passes defensed.
-Efton Chism made his NFL debut, playing on STs. He returned five kickoffs, spelling Stevenson and Henderson from that, while making a tackle.
-Christian Ellis gets high marks for punching the ball out for a fumble that the Patriots recovered in the fourth quarter.
-Harold Landry was shaken up, with what looked like a serious injury at first, but he re-entered the game and played well.
-Robert Spillane had another strong game with 11 tackles.
The Patriots finish up their three-game road trip in Tennessee next week. Although he would never admit it, this one has to be personal for Vrabel.
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
