The New England Patriots Fall To 1-4 After Being Shut Out By The Saints

Photo Credit: Michael Dwyer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (PSF)—The New England Patriots were shut out 34-0 at home Sunday against the New Orleans Saints and are sitting in last place in the AFC East with a record of 1-4.

The Patriots suffer their worst home shutout in franchise history and have been outscored by 69 points in the past two games.

Offense:

Third-year quarterback Mac Jones has not had a great start to the season, and today’s game was not better. Jones threw for 110 yards with a 54.5% completion percentage. He also threw two interceptions, one being a pick-six, and fumbled the ball at the beginning of the third quarter when he attempted to pitch the ball to running back Rhamondre Stevenson.

Jones was benched with about 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and backup QB Bailey Zappe took over. Unfortunately, Zappe did not do much better as he only completed three of his nine pass attempts and only threw for 22 yards.

The Saints also shut down the Patriots run game. The longest run generated was only eight yards, and the team finished with only 45 yards on the ground. People who had Stevenson in fantasy did not have a good day.

The problem with New England’s offense stems from the quarterback position. Jones overthrows almost every time a long pass is called and is usually intercepted during these passes. He only averaged five passing yards against the Saints, supporting that Jones is not very accurate at throwing downfield.

The Patriots need a better quarterback who can make those big plays. Is that Zappe? Zappe may change the offensive energy, but he would only be a band-aid over a bullet wound.

Photo Credit: Brian Fluharty

Defense:

The Patriots defense has the reputation of being decent, but injuries have hit them in key areas and have left them struggling.

Outside linebacker standout Matthew Judon tore his bicep against the Cowboys and underwent surgery this week. Judon has a huge presence on the Patriots defense. He had 15.5 sacks last season and already had four this season. He has not been placed on IR, giving Patriots fans hope that he will be able to come back by the end of the year.

Unfortunately, rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez has been placed on IR after he tore his labrum and dislocated his shoulder in Dallas last week. The Defensive Rookie of the Year hopeful is out for the season, leaving the Patriots secondary sparse.

With this gap in the secondary, the Patriots traded a 2025 late-round draft pick to acquire cornerback J.C. Jackson from the Chargers. Jackson was with the Patriots for four seasons before going to the Chargers last season.

Photo Credit: Michael C. Hebert

Looking Forward:

Head coach Bill Belichick said that Jones will remain the starter going into Week 6. Belichick intends to "start all over and get back on a better track than we're on right now."

The Patriots will travel to Las Vegas to play the 1-3 Raiders Sunday afternoon.