The New England Patriots took a hard loss at home last week to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots are now looking to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2001 when they hit New Orleans. The New Orleans Saints are also looking to bounce back from a week one loss after a poor showing against the Minnesota Vikings on the road. This game will be a defining moment for both teams this season. Here are three New England Patriots keys to victory to return to form as the defending Super Bowl champions.
Week 2 New England Patriots Keys to Victory
Solve the Dysfunction on Defense
There are plenty of big names on this defensive roster. Stephon Gilmore is going to average $13 million a year over the course of his five year contract. Malcolm Butler is a Super Bowl clinching defensive back. Dont’a Hightower was the spark for an inhuman Super Bowl comeback win. But names were not enough in Week one. Alex Smith, who averaged 233 yards per game in 2016 and 218 per game in 2015, carved up the Patriots defense for 368 yards. Kareem Hunt ran for 148 yards in his NFL debut and had another 98 yards receiving. And Tyreek Hill torched the defense for 133 yards.
And now the Patriots defense is looking slim all over the field. Derek Rivers is out for the season with a torn ACL, Kony Ealy was dismissed before the season even started and Hightower missed practice on Wednesday due to a knee injury.
Between the Saints and the Chiefs, there is no question as to where the better offense has been. Drew Brees has had five 5,000 yard seasons and still has numerous pass-catching options. However, the Saints ground game looked anemic in Week one. None of their running backs totaled more than 20 yards on the ground. If Matt Patricia can blanket the receivers, New Orleans will be forced to run. With a weak rushing attack, the Saints will face third down more than they will enjoy. On Monday the Saints converted on only four of 11 third downs. The defense will need to capitalize on this and force the Saints to punt or settle for field goals.
Establish an Offensive Rhythm
As is the case with many games against the Saints, this could easily become a shoot out. But, unfortunately Julian Edelman is out for the season, Malcolm Mitchell is on injured reserve and Danny Amendola vanished in the fourth quarter in Week one with a head injury. Plus, Matthew Slater was listed as a limited participant in practice for this week with a hamstring injury, Brandin Cooks only caught three of the seven passes in his direction in the contest against Kansas City, and Rob Gronkowski only caught two of six targets. The passing game was not clicking in Week one, and a lack of weapons in Week two won’t help. Josh McDaniels is going to have to dial up the offensive fire if the Patriots plan to out-shoot Brees’ talented arm.
The Superdome is Brees’ house, and the crowd in a home opener in New Orleans is going to be a factor. Tom Brady was clearly shaken after his loss to Kansas City. Some short yardage plays to establish Brady’s confidence will do wonders in the second half. Thankfully, Brady plays well when he’s angry, as illustrated by his 2016 season.The Saints also do not pressure the quarterback with the same ferocity as the Chiefs. This will make it easier for the Patriots to establish a comfortable lead going into the fourth quarter.
Force Special Teams to Kick
It will be difficult to stop Drew Brees from finding the red zone on Sunday. But the Saints only found the end zone once last week. Most of their points came off the leg of Wil Lutz. This only works if the Patriots are able to fix the defense and inspire confidence in Brady early. Stopping the Saints on third down will be critical, and reducing the amount of points they score off drives is what the Patriots must do in order to win. Keeping the Saints offense out of the endzone will be critical.
By placing the onus on Lutz, the pressure comes off the Patriots offense to score on every drive. Josh McDaniels will be able to experiment with new weapons acquired in the off-season in a game scenario. The Patriots have a host of options at running back, and this ought to provide a unique opportunity to test out exactly what these options have to offer. Once the Patriots have established a lead through offensive rhythm and consistent offensive play, chewing up the clock with the running game should cement the win.
In any case, expect Sunday’s game to be a showcase in offensive prowess and game management.
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