New England Patriots: Behind enemy lines with the New Orleans Saints

The New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints will clash on Sunday afternoon, and I had the chance to speak with the expert over at Who Dat Dish about the matchup.

Two surefire Hall of Famers will face off on Sunday when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots head into New Orleans where Drew Brees and the Saints are waiting. Both are coming off embarrassing losses and are hoping to rebound. Only one team will.

This week, I was lucky enough to conduct a back and forth Q&A with Roy Anderson, the site expert over at Who Dat Dish. He was able to provide a more in-depth look at the Saints situation ahead of this matchup.

Without further ado, here are the questions I sent to Roy, and the honest answers he provided.

Did New Orleans expect that strong of a display from the Vikings, or was a win all but a certainty for the fans?

That’s a solid no. Expectations for the Saints defense improving this year were pretty off the charts. There’s plenty of hand-wringing and navel-gazing going on in the Big Easy this week over what Sam Bradford did.

How can De’Vante Harris improve from last week, when he struggled to contain Stefon Diggs?

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 11: Stefon Diggs /

Some of the issue with De’Vante Harris is greenness. He was an undrafted rookie free agent last season. But reportedly several of the issues he saw against the Vikings were the result of mix-ups in the zone coverage where he should have had safety help over the top and didn’t. Linebacker A.J. Klein has taken some responsibility for this and other communications issues but Marcus Williams, the free safety, is a rookie. Let’s chalk it up as a newness to the scheme issue until we see Brady go after him unmercifully.

Can the Saints defense collectively slow down both Brandin Cooks, Rob Gronkowski, and the Patriots pass-catching running backs?

I have more faith on this part of our defense. Marshon Lattimore should be pairing up against Brandin Cooks enough if he can avoid the pass interference calls.

Linebackers A.J. Klein and Alex Anzalone did a fair job of corralling Vikings RB Dalvin Cook and TE Kyle Rudolph so we’ll see if that part of their game holds up against Gronk and whoever the Pats running back is this week.

Do you think the Saints will compete for the NFC South crown?

It doesn’t look like it on paper but the NFC South has more parity than most divisions in the NFL. It’s usually up for grabs. Not sure if Atlanta is good enough to hold the crown. The winner of the NFC South could very well be a 9-7 team this season. But it’s really too early to tell.

What is your prediction for the game?

Have to be optimistic here, right? I’m saying the Saints get their defensive issues worked out and put up just enough offense to pull it out. 23-19 Saints.

More from Chowder and Champions

So, Roy is fairly confident that the Saints will bounce back, just as we are confident in our Patriots. Tom Brady is likely to attack De’Vante Harris early and often, and I strongly disagree that the New Orleans defense can slow both Brandin Cooks and Rob Gronkowski. That will become even more difficult with 12 personnel on the field, or two tight end formations. The Patriots are only bringing 3 wide receivers into the game (Hogan, Dorsett, Cooks), so expect to see a heavy dose of Dwayne Allen.

Tom Brady is likely to attack De’Vante Harris early and often, and I strongly disagree that the New Orleans defense can slow both Brandin Cooks and Rob Gronkowski. That will become even more difficult with 12 personnel on the field, or two tight end formations. The Patriots are only bringing 3 wide receivers into the game (Hogan, Dorsett, Cooks), so expect to see a heavy dose of Dwayne Allen.

Next: Brady compliments Cooks' unique abilities

We also all know that Tom Brady plays even better after a loss when he’s angry and ready to take on the entire NFL. For what it’s worth, my prediction for this game is Patriots 43, Saints 24. Look for Cooks to be firing on all cylinders against his former squad.

Home/New England Patriots