Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Danny Amendola… the list of guys injured for New England going forward is not great, but nonetheless, they got the job done in the land of Mardi Gras, taking out Drew Brees and company by a score of 36-20.
The first big comparison between these teams were the guys running the show on the field. The Tom Brady v. Drew Brees battle was a hard fought match, combining for a miraculous 803 yards in the air, but the ultimate edge going to Mr. Brady. Out of 39 throws, Brady completed 30 of them, 8 went to running back James White, the most on the Patriots receiving end today. Tight end Rob Gronkowski emerged from the start of the game as a must have for getting down the field, as the depleted Patriots wide receiver corps signaled a big advantage for New Orleans going into this matchup. Snagging 6 balls for 116 yards (top performer), one in particular a 53 yard touchdown strike from Brady, Gronkowski looked to be back to himself until a rattling injury just past halfway through the game forced him to head for the sidelines for further evaluation. Reports claimed that Gronk had suffered an apparent groin injury.
Along with Gronkowski, fellow wide receivers Chris Hogan and speedster Phillip Dorsett were quite productive, combining for 146 yards and a touchdown, they were part of the remaining bunch of receivers who suited up, three to be exact (Cooks was number three). The running backs were a big part of the receiving game, shown by James White, who caught 8 passes for 85 yards. Rex Burkhead was making noise early on in the game and caught the first touchdown for either side. Burkhead finished with 3 catches for 41 yards and the touchdown.
Defensively for New England, the guy who gained the most attention and disrupted the Saints O-Line was rookie defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. Picking up a sack to go with 2 tackles for losses and 5 QB hits, the 23 year old is making himself a big presence on the edge. Not to mention, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the 6’5 Wise has size 18 shoes!! Unbelievable!
Although it wasn’t a pretty game, the job got done for New England, but lots of positives for the Saints as well. Guys who really are mismatch nightmares like Coby Fleener and 6’6 Brandon Coleman really gave New England defenders troubles at times, but for the majority of the game, it was on shutdown mode.
Next week: vs Houston 1pm
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