The New England Patriots travel to the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. Here are three takeaways from the game.
The New England Patriots took on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday as both teams looked to avoid starting the season 0-2. The Patriots great as they beat the Saints 36-20 on the road. The Patriots scored 30 points in the first half alone but were only able to come away with a pair of field goals in the second half as they cruised to an easy win.
After everyone was ready to write them off following Week 1, we learned a lot about the Patriots in this game. Let’s take a look at the three major takeaways.
3. The defensive problems were exaggerated
After giving up 42 points to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, the New England defense became a concern for a team heavily favored to repeat as Super Bowl champions this season. The Patriots defense looked lost on opening night, as they allowed 537 total yards to Kanas City. However, head coach Bill Belichick seems to have straightened his defense in preparation for their Week 2 matchup.
The Patriots held the Saints offense to only 20 points on Sunday and only gave up 81 yards on the ground, a significant improvement from the 185 rushing yards they allowed in Week 1. The defense did allow Saints quarterback Drew Brees to have 356 passing yards and two touchdowns.
However, the score was already 21-3 by the time Brees threw his first touchdown and his second came with only five minutes left in the game. The defense likely relaxed a little as it was clear this game was out of reach early for the Saints.
The Patriots don’t need to have the best defense in the league to find success. Their offense is the true power on the time. Rather, the Patriots just need to limit teams so that the offense can score enough points to win, which the defense did successfully on Sunday.