Patriots v.s. Saints Preview

Short memory guys.  As Pats fans, we need to just forget what happened last week, and be on to New Orleans.  We all know Tom and Bill and the rest of the squad are great when it comes to that.  Come February and Minnesota, nobody is even going to remember this happened.

If these teams play like they did last week, this game is going to be all offense.  The Pats defense was horrendous, and the Saints defense is always horrible.  If the Patriots defense couldn’t contain Alex Smith, what are they supposed to do when Drew Brees walks on that field? The best defensive move they’ve made so far was trading for Brandin Cooks.  If he was still in New Orleans they wouldn’t stand a chance.  But with less weapons, and especially with Willie Snead suspended, they might be able to keep these receivers in check.  The running backs are somewhat worrisome also.  Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara can make plays catching the ball out of the backfield, and that has historically hurt this Patriots.  These two seem to be more of a threat than Adrian Peterson.  Look for Cassius Marsh to be more comfortable in this defense, and make an impact on the pass rush for the Pats this week.  Especially with the threat of Dont’a Hightower being out this week, they cannot sit back and hope for the linebackers to make stops.

Offensively, its back to basics.  So there’s no Edelman, and most likely no Amendola.  So what.  Stop trying to take the top off the defense.  This offense, and Tom Brady work better when they hit the underneath routes.  That means more James White and Rex Burkhead in the slot, catching about 6 passes each.  Once that is established, that’s when you take the top off with Cooks, and Chris Hogan.  Hogan is also very good at working the sideline, and should be used more in that aspect.  Gillislee is also talented in catching the ball out of the backfield, and Dion Lewis could go back to his old ways on screens out of the backfield too.  Smart, simple, and well executed offense is what will win this game, and set the tone for the rest of the season.

It won’t be the beatdown that we’re accustomed to after a big loss, but it will be a building block in the right direction. 38-31 Pats.

Written By: Jake Kobierski (@TheRealKobe83)