New England Patriots
The Saints’ offensive talent is subpar, but their defensive front could present the Patriots with some problems.
After a thrilling upset win over the Bills in Week 5, the Patriots’ motivation might be tested in Week 6.
The Patriots travel down to New Orleans to take on a Saints team that’s been one of the worst in the league through the first five weeks of the season. The Saints were able to pick up their first win of the season last week, though, taking down the Giants.
As the Patriots look to move to 4-2, here are five things to know about the Saints entering Sunday’s game.
Spencer Rattler nearly made NFL history in a bad way, but he’s been better than his record suggests.
Rattler, who the Saints took in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, was only three losses away from having the second-most amount of losses before their first win as a starting quarterback in NFL history. He wound up finishing five shy of DeShone Kizer’s record (15), losing his first 10 starts before leading the Saints to a victory over the Giants in Week 5.
As Rattler has gone 1-10 in his career as a starter, his numbers might be than what you’d expect. This season, Rattler’s completed 67 percent of his passes for 990 yards, six touchdowns, and an interception to go with a 90.4 passer rating and 123 rushing yards. He’s really only had one bad game, which was against the Cardinals in Week 1.
But Rattler hasn’t really been one to air it out so far this season. His average intended air yards (7.1) and average completed air yards (4.7) are both the eighth-worst among quarterbacks who’ve thrown at least 45 passes this season.
Here’s a fun fact: Sunday won’t mark the first time that Drake Maye and Rattler have gone head-to-head. The two quarterbacks faced off in their final college season, with Maye leading UNC to a 31-17 victory over Rattler’s South Carolina squad. Rattler actually had the better numbers that day with 353 passing yards to Maye’s 269 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
There’s another running back emerging in New Orleans.
For the last eight seasons, Alvin Kamara was one of the best running backs in the NFL as he did it all for New Orleans out of the backfield. But as the 30-year-old has gotten off to an unspectacular start (283 rushing yards, 3.9 yards per carry), there might be a new Saints running back for fans to get to know.
Third-year back Kendre Miller has had a bit of a breakout over the last couple of weeks, rushing for 106 yards on over five yards per carry. He’s also been one of the best running backs in the league at breaking out of tackles, rushing for 3.89 yards after contact per carry (seventh-best among running backs with at least 20 carries this season).
Miller, a 2023 third-round pick, had been a third-string running back for New Orleans over the last couple of seasons. However, with Kamara questionable due to an ankle injury for Sunday’s game, Miller seems in line to get more touches in Week 6 and beyond.
Looking outside of the backfield, the rest of the Saints’ offense is nothing to write home about. Chris Olave, a 2022 first-round pick, has been OK this season after concussions ended his 2024 campaign early, recording 33 receptions for 244 yards and a touchdown through the first five games. Rashid Shaheed has big-play potential, but he can be pretty boom or bust. Before his 114-yard day against the Giants in Week 5, Shaheed didn’t record a 60-yard performance in his previous six games.
Juwan Johnson might be one of the better tight ends in the league, but he’s not really shredding defenses apart. He has 24 receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown this season.
Finally, the Saints’ offensive line has been one of the worst in the league to this point. In Ben Baldwin’s offensive line composite rankings, the Saints rank 27th in pass protection and are the second-worst team at run blocking.
The Saints have also given up 74 pressures through the first five games (14.8 per game). For comparison, the Patriots’ offensive line has given up 9.6 pressures per game.
New Orleans’ front seven has some promise.
While the Saints are bad in the trenches offensively, they’re a bit better on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive end Carl Granderson is tied for seventh in sacks (4.5), while defensive tackle Bryan Bresee ranks 19th among interior defensive linemen in pass rush win rate. He also has a sack and a forced fumble this year.
But possibly the Saints’ best defensive lineman hasn’t played yet this season. Chase Young, who’ll make his season debut on Sunday, has recorded 13 sacks over the last two seasons. His 66 pressures were the seventh-most in the league last year, per Pro Football Focus. He recorded the same number of pressures in 2023, when he split time with the Commanders and 49ers.
On top of that, the Saints arguably have one of the game’s best linebackers in Demario Davis. The 14-year veteran and five-time All-Pro has recorded at least 10 combined tackles in each of the last eight years and already has 48 combined tackles this season, ranking sixth in the league.
The Saints are led by a first-year head coach, whom Mike Vrabel hasn’t done well against in his career.
When Kellen Moore left his post as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator to become the Saints’ head coach in February, he likely knew that there was a long rebuild ahead. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s 1-4 to start his head coaching career.
What might be a bit surprising, though, is Vrabel’s record against first-year coaches. The Patriots’ head coach went 7-11 against rookie head coaches (including games against first-time interim coaches) during his six-year tenure as the Titans head coach. Four of those losses came to the likes of Andrew Luck and C.J. Stroud, though, as he had a quarterback disadvantage in several of those matchups.
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