New England Patriots Week 3 roadmap to the New Orleans Saints

The New England Patriots are riding high after a 25-6 victory over the New York Jets in Week 2, but Sean Payton, Jameis Winston, Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints are marching into town with a different kind of music on the football field.

Following a loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Saints will be looking to regain that dominance they showcased in Week 1 against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, but they will be facing a Patriots team due to finally put it all together on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

With Mac Jones having yet to really demonstrate what he can do in passing the ball down the field, the Saints will come at him early.  Will the rookie be ready?

Better yet, will the Patriots’ defense be ready to limit the Saints’ offense led by Kamara and dynamic wide receiver Deonta Harris?  With WynnBet listing the Patriots as -3 point favorites, this could be a game that comes down to the final possession, especially with two coaches like Bill Belichick and Payton going up against one another.

How to watch New England Patriots vs New Orleans Saints

Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Kickoff: Sunday, September 26, 2021 1:00 p.m. ET

TV: FOX/WFXT (Check local listings)

Radio: 98.5 FM The Sports Hub

Streaming:  fuboTV

Coaches’ Corner: Bill Belichick knows the Saints are a big challenge

The Saints will be a big challenge for the Patriots this upcoming week, especially on the offensive side of the ball with defensive studs like pass rush specialist Cameron Jordan, linebacker Demario Davis and a solid secondary led by cornerback Marshon Lattimore whose status for Sunday’s game is still questionable.

Defensively, the Patriots will have to force Winston into some mistakes and do a better job on run defense, because if they don’t, it could be a long afternoon with Kamara running wild all over Gillette Stadium.  In all, expect Saints head coach Sean Payton to attack Belichick’s team on both sides of the ball.

Here is what the New England Patriots head coach had to say about his Week 3 opponents, via Patriots.com:

"“Nobody attacks defenses better than Sean and Pete [Carmichael] offensively. They do a great job with their schemes, and they have tremendous production on offense since Sean’s been there, and defensively I know Dennis Allen does a tremendous job, too. This has been a top run defense now for the last few years, and they’re really, really hard to block and run the ball effectively against. They got a real good third down scheme. Very experienced defense, and especially in the secondary are the guys that have played a lot of football, and they really know what they’re doing, and then the kicking game, you know, Coach [Darren] Rizzi has done a great job there, and one of the top units in the league with some great players, you know, led by [Deonte] Harris, but they cover well on both punts and kickoffs. Return well. Block kicks. Very good situational team.”"

Situational football is exactly how the Patriots will control this game.  They have to be good on third down defense and they have to attack more on offense with emphasis on protecting Jones.

Players to watch: New England Patriots offense vs New Orleans Saints defense

With all eyes on the struggles of the offensive line, whoever the Patriots have at right tackle will have their hands full with Jordan who is a beast off the edge.  Hopefully, Trent Brown will be ready for this game, but if he is not, the Patriots best option will be switching Michael Onwenu back to that tackle spot.

As far as putting some points on the board, it is time Jones pushed the ball down the field a bit.  The Saints have a talented secondary, but this is a game where the two tight ends breakout in a Patriots uniform.

There will be a lot of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith in this game as well as more involvement in the offense from players like Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor.

Prediction: New England Patriots 30, New Orleans Saints 14

The New England Patriots will avoid losing their first two games at Foxborough with their most impressive game of the season.

Jones will get some passing touchdowns under his belt as the Patriots tight ends play big in this one.  Defensively, the Patriots won’t completely contain Kamara, but they will put some heavy pressure on Winston that will force him into a couple mistakes early.  The Saints will make it interesting in the third quarter, but the Patriots will pull away with big plays from the tight end duo of Henry and Smith.