New England Patriots
Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas both had strong showings in New Orleans.
For the first time since 2022, the Patriots have won three games in a row.
Fresh off of an upset victory over the Bills in Week 5, Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and the Patriots didn’t succumb to the dreaded “trap game” — beating the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome, 25-19.
It was another standout performance from Maye on the road. But it wasn’t a perfect showing for New England, especially in the run game.
Here’s a look at who stood out and who faltered Sunday afternoon in “The Big Easy.”
STOCK UP
Drake Maye
At which point does Maye become exempt from this exercise?
Because the 23-year-old quarterback is doing far more than taking that sought-after “second-year leap” in the NFL ranks. Rather, he’s playing like one of the top-five best QBs in the game so far this season.
If last week was Maye’s coming-out party as he out-dueled Josh Allen and the Bills, this performance cemented that Maye’s ascension isn’t a fluke as he continues to elevate a Patriots team on the rise.
Maye was once again efficient and impactful as the conductor of New England’s offense — completing 18 of 26 passes for 261 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions while also rushing for 28 yards.
A reasonable expectation for this season was for Maye to limit the turnovers and showcase signs that he could thrive in Josh McDaniels’ offense in due time.
He’s checked off both those boxes so far this season — with the young QB decisive, mistake-free, and willing to uncork the ball down the field (10 yards per attempt on Sunday).
According to NFL+, Maye has joined Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino as the only QBs aged 23 or younger who have recorded over 200 pass yards and a 100+ passer rating in five consecutive games.
It sure looks like the Patriots have “The Guy.”
Kayshon Boutte
Boutte had quite the homecoming in his return to New Orleans — with the Louisiana native reeling in five catches on five targets for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
Once tabbed as a potential offseason trade chip, Boutte deserves plenty of credit for developing into a poised NFL wideout and a dependable target for Maye.
The 5-foot-11 wideout has become adept at fighting through contact and reeling in contested catches — while also putting the final nail in the coffin for New Orleans with a clutch 21-yard snag on a 3rd-and-11 to ice the game in the fourth quarter.
Of Boutte’s 18 catches this season, 16 have resulted in a first down.
DeMario Douglas
After an impressive training camp, it appeared as though Douglas was on the outside looking in at regular reps this fall after seeing his snap count dwindle.
Entering Sunday’s matchup, Douglas had only recorded seven catches for 30 yards and one touchdown this season.
But the shifty wideout broke through against the Saints, finishing the afternoon with three catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Douglas’ first-quarter touchdown — a 53-yard score off a howitzer of a throw from Maye — was capped off with a sick route from Douglas that had Saints safety Jonas Sanker spinning his head around as the wideout waltzed into the end zone.
Douglas also should have had two touchdowns and over 100 receiving yards on the afternoon — but we’ll get to that shortly.
Christian Elliss
It hasn’t been the strongest season for New England’s thin linebacker corps.
But Elliss — who had seen his snap count take a hit in favor of players like Jack Gibbens and Jahlani Tavai — delivered in crunch time.
With the Saints down by six points and approaching midfield in the fourth quarter, Spencer Rattler hit Juwan Johnson over the middle for what would have been a crucial first down that pushed the ball into New England territory.
Instead, Elliss punched the ball out of Johnson’s grasp as he hit the turf, allowing Craig Woodson to recover the fumble for the turnover.
Not only did Elliss’ forced fumble snuff out what was looking like another promising Saints drive, but it allowed Maye and Co. to eventually bleed the clock en route to the win.
Marcus Jones
Maye has been New England’s top star this season, but Jones is making it a habit of generating winning plays each and every week.
The veteran cornerback was at again on Sunday against New Orleans, recording three pass breakups to go along with a sack.
For all the talk of Jones’ size being a determinant, the slot corner continues to shift momentum for the Patriots — be it on special teams or in the secondary.
STOCK DOWN
Kyle Dugger
Starting on Sunday in place of the injured Jaylinn Hawkins, Dugger had a prime opportunity to either ingratiate himself with New England’s coaches or raise his trade value ahead of next month’s deadline.
But Dugger was burned in coverage right off the bat Sunday, as Saints wideout Chris Olave torched him for a 53-yard pickup on New Orleans’ first drive of the day.
You could make the case that interim defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr made a poor playcall, opting for a corner blitz that left Dugger in coverage against the speedy Olave. Still, Sunday was the latest setback in what is looking like a lost season for Dugger.
New England’s running backs
As good as Maye has been, New England is going to be playing with fire if its offense continues to be so one-dimensional moving forward.
New England’s run game — which was expected to be a strength of this squad entering this season — was brutal once again on Sunday.
Entering Sunday’s game ranked 28th in yards per attempt (3.75), the Patriots once again failed to both drain the clock and put themselves in favorable 3rd-and-short situations, given their struggles in the trenches.
Maye was New England’s leading rusher with 28 yards, with Rhamondre Stevenson (just 18 yards on just 13 carries) and TreVeyon Henderson (27 yards on nine carries) routinely stuck in the mud.
Maye has developed a knack for converting on critical third-down plays, but that offensive approach isn’t exactly sustainable.
Garrett Bradbury
New England’s offensive line has largely been encouraging this season, especially when compared to the dysfunction drawn from the last few seasons.
But the Patriots’ veteran center in Bradbury had a brutal miscue on Sunday — as a botched snap between him and Maye led to New England turning the ball over on fourth down in the second quarter.
At one point, it looked as though that error was going to shift momentum in favor of the home team — as New Orleans took a 16-14 lead on its subsequent drive after a field goal from Blake Grupe.
The Refs
Are referee Adrian Hill and his officiating crew part of the Patriots? Of course not.
Do they warrant a spot on a Patriots stock watch? Probably not.
But Hill and his crew were so unfathomably brutal on Sunday that I’d be remiss to not call them out for one of the more poorly-officiated games in recent memory.
There was the phantom offensive pass interference call on Stefon Diggs that wiped out a 61-yard touchdown from Douglas — with the flag only hitting the turf after New England’s special-teams squad were out for the extra point.
There’s the obvious make-up call on that same drive that converted a failed third-down play for New England into a 21-yard pickup via a DPI ruling.
And there’s Diggs getting another offensive pass interference flag that took away a 52-yard catch on a 3rd-and-17 play in the fourth quarter.
Ugly stuff all around from the guys in stripes on Sunday.
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