The New England Patriots drop their second game in a row in 34-0 loss against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Gilette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

New Orleans scored three unanswered touchdowns in the 1^st half to take a 21-0 lead into halftime and never looked back. The Saints added a 3^rd quarter field goal and two 4^th quarter scores to snap their 2-game losing streak.

Saints’ Defense Return to Form

The New Orleans Saints were led by their strong defense, who pitched a shut out on the road. The Saints defense only allowed 156 total yards and kept the Patriots’ offense from entering New Orleans territory.

The Saints defense forced the Patriots to punt eight times and recorded 3 takeaways. Tyrann Mathieu and Pete Werner caught interceptions, while Cam Jordan recovered a fumble. The defense combined for 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 9 pass deflections, and 4 QB hits.

Saints’ Offense Steps Up

The New Orleans offense bounced back from their 197 total yards and 9 points performance last week versus Tampa Bay by entering the endzone 3 times. The Saints managed to compile 304 yards of total offense against a tough Patriots defense.

Derek Carr led the offense by totaling 183 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18/26 passing. Alvin Kamara also was an important contributor on offense, rushing for 80 yards and a touchdown.

The Downward Spiral Continues

The New England Patriots failed to put up a score for the first time since 2016, when they lost to the Buffalo Bills 16-0. This is the Patriots fourth time going scoreless since 2000.

The offensive struggles have not only continued for the Patriots, but they have also escalated. New England only recorded 156 yards and turned the ball over 3 times.

“Wasn’t good enough. Turnovers. I mean, kind of same old story,” said David Andrews.

Mac Jones, who was benched in the 4^th quarter in favor of Bailey Zappe yet again, has yet to gain momentum with the Patriots’ offense. Jones threw for 2 interceptions for the 2^nd game in a row and could only throw for 110 yards.

“We’ve got to do better, all three phases, definitely the offense not putting up any points”, said Mac Jones. “Got to improve in all areas”.

Though Jones has played a role in the Patriots’ offensive struggles, the blame cannot be put all on him. New England’s offensive line was unable to form a wall that allowed Jones to make a decision in the pocket and could not stop the Saints defensive line from entering the back field.

 “I think [the problem] is more of execution,” said David Andrews. “Turning the ball over, things like that kind of snowballs from there. We’ll look at it, correct it, and like I said, come back to work and work as hard as we can this week”.

Up Next

Next week the New England Patriots travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Saints travel to Houston to battle the Texans on Sunday.