By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
New Orleans Saints vs New England Patriots
Sunday – September 26 – 12:00 p.m.
TV: FOX
Gillette Stadium – Foxboro, MA
Records Before the Game
New Orleans Saints (1-1, 1-0 Away)
New England Patriots (1-1, 0-1 Home)
Both teams are 1-1 without their quarterbacks from last year. The Saints are without Drew Brees and Patriots without Cam Newton. Flash forward to Sunday, both teams need a win to keep their respective boat a float and getting a win would help these quarterbacks keep their positions. Let’s take a look at both teams and key players from both squads.
Snack Rating
It’s an early game so having a few friends over to watch the game is cool, but you should know that Saints fans will do it big for this one. I’m giving this game a 6 out of 10. You will need sandwiches and chips for this one.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback Jameis Winston is the leader of the pack. He has already passed for 259 yards and 5 touchdowns in the first 2 games. They beat Green Bay on the road, but lost to Carolina the next week. Saints fans are looking for Winston to bounce back and get the Saints a win on the road. Running back Alvin Kamara has yet to score a touchdown this season and this would be his break out game. He has lead the team in total yards from scrimmage and he is the key for a Saints victory Sunday. Look for Kamara to expose that Patriots defense. The Saints offense is averaging 22 points a game while the defense is giving up 14.
New England Patriots
Head Coach Bill Belichick is the mastermind behind the Patriots offense. He chose to move forward with the rookie Mac Jones and gave him the reigns to the offense while sending Cam Newton on his way. Mac Jones is a very capable quarterback, but the college game is different from the pro game. In order to get the Patriots back to AFC dominance, they need to establish a running game. They can’t expect Mac Jones to be Tom Brady or Tom Cruise in an offense with no identity. This team has a lot of meshing to do in order to be halfway decent this season.
Prediction
ESPN has the Patriots with a 58% chance of winning at home. New England isn’t the same team anymore. The Patriots name and brand doesn’t strike fear in teams anymore as of late. I’m taking the Saints by 17!
Final Score
Saints – 27
Patriots – 10
