A week after seemingly nothing went right for the New Orleans Saints in a loss to the Carolina Panthers, plenty went the Saints way in a 28-13 win on the road against the New England Patriots.
Jameis Winston bounced back from a dreadful performance and looked more like his Week 1 self, completing 61.7% of his passes for 128 yards with 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions for a 110.8 passer rating.
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A ground game that never got going against the Panthers found some room against the Patriots. While New Orleans averaged just 3.7 yards per carry, the team rushed for 142 yards with Alvin Kamara going for 89 and Taysom Hill making a few plays along the way to 32 yards and a touchdown.
But it wasn't the offense that Mike Detillier, WWL NFL analyst and co-host of Sports Talk, wanted to talk about.
“Yesterday was all about the Saints defense,” Detillier said. “When you play that well in a pro game defensively, you have really done your job. And, for the most part, they had a lot of confusion and a lot of pressure on [Patriots quarterback] Mac Jones.
“The Saints were after him, put a lot of pressure [on him],” Detillier went on. “They stopped the run. You got turnovers.”
The Patriots offense never found its footing. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones had to attempt 51 passes, completing only 58.8% of them for 270 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions – one of which was returned for a touchdown – for a lowly 55.2 passer rating. It was a combination of poorly thrown balls, dropped passes, and good coverage by the Saints secondary.
The New Orleans also shut down New England's attempts to establish the run, holding lead back Damien Harris to 14 yards on 6 carries. Jones, the quarterback, actually led the Patriots with 28 yards.
It was solid all around effort, but Detillier singled out a couple defenders who really stood out for the Saints.
“Marshon Lattimore really played well,” Detillier said. “He was a guy coming off a surgery with a broken bone in his hand. I thought he did a really nice job in the coverage part of the game. He came up well in run support.”
Lattimore played with one arm in a cast after missing the Panthers game last week, but it didn't seem to affect him. The three-time Pro Bowler led New Orleans with 10 tackles and had 1 pass deflection and 1 interception. Not a bad showing for a guy still coming off an injury.
Detillier then turned his attention to a linebacker.
“I can't say enough about Demario Davis. He's like a heat-seeking missile,” Detillier said. “He's been just a terrific football player. And a great leader, a great guy on and off the field that's kind of the role model.”
Davis had 8 tackles (second on the team) with 2 tackles for loss (tied for first) and 2 pass deflections (tied for first) and was just generally all over field making plays.
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Overall, it may not have been close to a perfect game like the Week 1 victory over the Packers was; but a double digit win on the road is always something to feel good about. And New Orleans is now 2-1 in the post-Drew Brees era.
“Your punting, your return game, to be able to get a blocked kick, that plays a part,” Detillier said. “That's a big feather in your cap. You're finding a new way to win because you know you're not the same football team without Drew Brees.
“You're doing it with special teams,” Detillier continued. “You're doing it with defense. You're taking advantage of turnovers. [You're] able to run the football. And the passing attack is still a work in progress.”