Patriots vs. Saints score, takeaways: New Orleans fends off late comeback attempt, upsets New England on road

New Orleans moves to 2-1 on the season

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New Orleans Saints moved to 2-1 on the season after defeating the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium 28-13. Jameis Winston and Co. were able to jump out to a two-touchdown lead in the first half and that's essentially all they would need to pull out the win. New England's offense got off to an extremely slow start, beginning the game with three-straight three-and-outs and mustered just 13 nets yards of total offense in the first quarter. Despite those early struggles, New England brought the Saints' lead down to as little as eight in the fourth quarter, but a 13-play drive that resulted in a Taysom Hill rushing touchdown proved to be the dagger. 

Winston finished with 128 yards through the air and two touchdowns while Alvin Kamara led the team with 89 yards rushing. The New Orleans back also caught three of his four targets for 29 yards and a touchdown. Patriots rookie Mac Jones dropped back to pass 51 times in the loss, completing 30 throws for 270 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Meanwhile, Patriots captain James White was carted off the field in the second quarter and the back was later ruled out with a hip injury. 

Below, you can find our main takeaways from Sunday's Week 3 contest. 

Why the Saints won

New Orleans responded well following a lackluster outing in Week 2 against the Panthers. On their second offensive possession of the day, the Saints moved the ball 69 yards down the field for a touchdown. As was the case for the bulk of the afternoon, New Orleans took advantage of the Patriots' mistakes on that drive, particularly on Kamara's touchdown reception where there appeared to be a breakdown in coverage. The Saints continued to capitalize, responding with a touchdown three plays after the defense was able to pick off Jones to go up 14-0 in the second quarter. Even as New England worked its way back into this game and brought the Saints lead down to just eight, New Orleans was able to step on its throats with a 75-yard touchdown drive in the closing minutes of the game to spoil any ideas of a comeback for the Patriots. 

Why the Patriots lost

New England's offense simply looks lost at the moment. It started the game out flat and allowed the Saints to put up 14 points before it could even get into a rhythm. Its first first-down conversion didn't come until the 11:34 mark in the second quarter and those issues offensively continued throughout the contest. Specifically, New Orleans was able to nullify the Patriots running game, totaling just 49 yards as a team on 2.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the tight ends and offensive line did fail Jones in his third career start. On the day, Jones was hit 11 times and sacked twice, which certainly contributed to his three turnovers on the day. As for the tight ends, they simply haven't lived up to their free agent price tag as Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry combined for six receptions for 40 yards. Smith also had a ball hit him in the hands and bounce into the arms of Saints defensive back Malcolm Jenkins, who was able to run it back for a touchdown. Defensively, there were some breakdowns in coverage that directly resulted in points and special teams had a number of miscues as well. In all three phases, it was a poor showing from New England, who falls to 1-2 on the year. 

Turning point

You could make a case that Jenkins' pick six was what really put New Orleans out in front in this game. That said, the third-and-7 conversion on New Orleans' final drive of the game truly deflated any sort of comeback chances for the Patriots. Down eight, the Saints were put in a third-and-long situation at their own 28-yard line with 8:31 left on the clock. It was at that point, Winston was able to complete a 12-yard pass to Deonte Harris to keep the chains moving and -- more importantly -- the clock ticking. New Orleans was able to burn 6:45 off the clock on that drive and was able to have Taysom Hill rush for a score to put the game out of reach. 

Play of the game

One highlight on the day for the Patriots came on a Jones touchdown throw to Kendrick Bourne in the fourth quarter. Jones was feeling pressure almost instantly and immediately lofted the ball toward the right sideline in the direction of Bourne. The Patriots receiver was able to shed his defender, leap up to make the catch and push the ball in the end zone for the team's first touchdown of the day. Bourne finished with six receptions for a team-high 96 yards and that touchdown. 

What's next

From here, the Saints will finally make their way back to New Orleans for the first time this season and play host to the 0-3 New York Giants. As for the Patriots, they have their most anticipated game of the season next week in Foxborough: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

[Sep 26, 2021 at 3:51 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

And that's pretty much the dagger for the Patriots comeback hopes. Couldn't allow points on that drive and gave up seven. New England trails by 15 with 2:37 left.