3 Takeaways from Patriots' Week 5 Loss vs. Saints

Sunday had the potential to be a special day for the New England Patriots. New England was looking to bounce back from a blowout Week 4 loss, while head coach Bill Belichick was looking to secure his 300th career victory.

The Patriots were at home and against a New Orleans Saints team that has been inconsistent at best offensively. Instead of walking away with a much-needed win, however, New England was handed its second straight lopsided loss.

The Saints outplayed the Patriots in virtually every phase. New England fell behind early and never really threatened to make it close. New England fell to 1-4 and now faces a long uphill climb to get back to relevance this season.

Here are our three biggest takeaways from the Patriots 34-0 loss to the Saints in Week 5.

Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon Injuries Loom Large

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Patriots LB Matthew Judon

The Patriots' plan for winning games in 2023 has been to lean on Rhamondre Stevenson. the ground game and strong defense.

However, New England suffered a huge double blow last week when rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez and pass-rusher Matthew Judon were both injured. Gonzalez has been placed on injured reserve, while Judon recently underwent biceps surgery.

"Based on how the surgery went, there is a good chance he's back before the end of the year. December appears to be a realistic goal," NFL Media's Ian Rapoport posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

New England did trade for cornerback J.C. Jackson, but the defense just isn't the same without Gonzalez and Judon. The Saints came in averaging just 15.5 points per game. They doubled that on Sunday.

While the Saints did kick off their scoring with a Tyrann Mathieu pick-six, they did more than enough offensively over the final three quarters to put the game out of reach for the Patriots.

This left New England playing catch-up for the majority of the game, a situation for which the offense is ill-equipped.

New England Needs to Consider a Receiver Trade

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Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne

The Saints have a quality defense, but New England's failure to get much of anything going offensively in consecutive weeks is alarming.

New England finished Sunday's game with just 156 yards and a 1-of-14 conversion rate on third down.

Fans can criticize Bill O'Brien's game planning or the play of quarterback Mac Jones, but the reality is that New England doesn't have the offensive skill players needed to threaten a defense like New Orleans'.

We examined the Patriots' lack of pass catchers following last week's loss to the Dallas Cowboys. JuJu Smith-Schuster has been a free-agent bust, and receivers like Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker should be complementary targets at best.

If the Patriots hope to get into the playoff race this season, they need to consider trading for a receiver before the October 31 deadline.

The problem, of course, is that New England might not be able to land a true difference-making receiver. However, the Patriots should monitor struggling teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants to see if a player like Hunter Renfrow or Isaiah Hodgins can be had.

If the Patriots can't upgrade their receiving corps, they'll have virtually no chance of pushing for the postseason in 2023.

It May Be Time to Start Eyeing the 2024 Draft

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Patriots head coach Bill Belichick

If Belichick and the Patriots don't believe that they can win this season, they might want to consider the taboo art of tanking.

Given New Orleans' offensive inconsistency, this felt like a very winnable game for New England. There aren't a ton of those on the immediate horizon. The Patriots will travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders before back-to-back divisional games against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.

If the Patriots slip up on the road in Las Vegas, they could easily be 1-7 at the trade deadline. At that point, a top 2024 QB prospect will be a whole lot more enticing than another year of Jones under center.

The Bleacher Report Scouting Department ranks two quarterbacks—USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye—inside its top four 2024 prospects. If the Patriots decide to start over at the game's most important position, they may make a serious play for one of them.

It's an avenue the Patriots must at least consider. While Jones has shown flashes of promise, he isn't the sort of quarterback who can lift a mediocre skill group and carry New England to wins.