Patriots vs. Saints: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for New Orleans

The New Orleans Saints hosted the New England Patriots in a Week 2 preseason matchup Saturday night, and the home team came up on the short end of a 26-24 score.

New Orleans, which dropped its preseason opener to the Baltimore Ravens a week ago, clearly was the more aggressive of the two squads to open the contest.

The Saints got off to a scorching start, as the starting offense and defense dominated the defending Super Bowl champions for the better part of the first half. Behind near-flawless play from quarterback Drew Brees, New Orleans scored on each of its first three possessions and jumped out to a 15-0 lead.

The Saints added another touchdown with Luke McCown leading the No. 1 offense, and they built a 21-0 lead with just over a minute remaining in the first half.

Meanwhile, an inspired New Orleans defense that was without its entire starting secondary stymied New England’s offense. The Patriots failed to gain a single first down with Tom Brady under center, as the Saints' starting unit forced three consecutive three-and-outs to open the game.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s second team didn’t fare as well as the starters, however, as backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo kick-started the New England offense into high gear in the second half.

After the second-year signal-caller led the Patriots to paydirt with a scoring drive just before halftime, New England again found the end zone on its opening drive of the third quarter to trim New Orleans' lead to seven points.

With his team clinging to a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, Saints safety Pierre Warren intercepted a Garoppolo pass and returned it deep into Patriots territory. The big play set up a short New Orleans field goal that would prove to be its only points of the second half.

With the Saints up 24-23 late in the contest, the Patriots drove 28 yards to set up the game-winning field goal with 14 ticks left on the clock.

Despite the loss, New Orleans demonstrated marked improvement from its starters on both sides of the ball.

Continue reading for a look back at Saturday night’s contest, which was the Saints’ first appearance in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome since December 2014.

Position Grades for New Orleans

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Position	Grade
QB	A
RB	B+
WR/TE	B
OL	B+
DL	B+
LB	B+
DB	B-
Special Teams	C
Coaching	B

Offense

The Saints' passing attack was highly efficient in the first half, as second-year wide receiver Brandin Cooks electrified the home crowd with 117 yards on just four catches.

Drew Brees was nearly perfect on the night, leading the offense to points on all three of its first-quarter possessions.

Seeing his first action of the preseason, the Saints’ star signal-caller went 8-of-10 for 159 yards and two scores, including a 45-yard second-quarter scoring strike to Cooks that hit the explosive wideout in stride in the middle of the end zone.

Luke McCown didn’t do anything to hurt himself in his competition with Ryan Griffin for the No. 2 quarterback job, leading the Saints on a 71-yard scoring march while running the two-minute drill just before the half.

As for Griffin, the former undrafted free agent was an efficient 6-of-8 through the air, although the Saints offense didn’t put any points on the board with the third-year man under center.

Garrett Grayson wasn’t as impressive as he was a week ago against the Ravens, but the rookie did make some nice throws in the fourth quarter.

Up front, New Orleans received decent pass protection for most of the game, although rookie right tackle Andrus Peat drew an earful from head coach Sean Payton after the first-round draft pick was badly beaten in early in the third quarter.

While Cooks was seemingly unstoppable, there were some catchable, albeit difficult, balls the Saints receivers failed to come down with. Most notably, No. 3 wideout Brandon Coleman couldn't haul in a would-be touchdown pass from Brees in the first quarter. Although there was solid pass defense on the play, Coleman had an opportunity to make the catch and came up empty-handed. 

New Orleans wasn’t overly impressive running the ball, but Khiry Robinson and Mark Ingram were effective in the first half.

It was through the air that Ingram made his mark on the game, however, as he hauled in two passes for 45 yards, including a 29-yard grab on a sideline route on the Saints’ first offensive possession.

Tight end was a strength for New Orleans in this one, as both Benjamin Watson and Josh Hill snagged first-half touchdown receptions.

Even though the Saints offense managed only three points in the second half, the unit’s efficient performance in the first two quarters warrants considerable praise.

Defense

Ryan’s defense looked like a much-improved unit in this one, at least when the starters were on the field.

The New Orleans front seven consistently dominated the line of scrimmage throughout the first half, and although they didn’t record a sack, the Saints were notably tough against the run.

Rookie outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha made lots of noise in just his second NFL outing. Playing primarily from a two-point stance on the edge, the former Washington standout displayed the relentless effort that helped make him a second-round pick. He finished with five tackles and two tackles for losses on the night.

Defensive end Cam Jordan also stood out, as did veteran defensive tackle Kevin Williams. Both players were active up front for New Orleans, and Jordan finished the game with five tackles.

At linebacker, veteran David Hawthorne turned in a fine performance, and although rookie middle ‘backer Stephone Anthony wasn’t as active as he was last game, he still had his moments defending the run.

The Saints’ entire starting defensive backfield was out of action Saturday night, and yet a number of players in the secondary delivered solid performances in the first half. Most notable were safety Kenny Phillips and nickel corner Kyle Wilson, both of whom made excellent plays to help get New Orleans off the field on third down.

Special Teams

The Saints’ special teams units were satisfactory, although they weren’t exactly flawless.

Rookie running back Marcus Murphy brought back kicks and punts, and he totaled 59 yards and four returns on the night. Murphy has proved to be decisive in the return game in his first two NFL outings, and he starts things off with a lightning-quick first step.

Dustin Hopkins handled the bulk of the kicking duties, hitting on two of three field goals but missing a 55-yarder.

The special teams coverage units weren’t without leaks Saturday night, as Patriots return man Chris Harper racked up 87 yards on five returns. His 28-yard punt return with two minutes remaining set the stage for New England’s game-winning scoring march.

Coaching

As for coaching, New Orleans came out as an intense, aggressive football team, and much of the credit for that has to go to Payton and his staff.

The Saints opened their playbook up a little in this one, and that could be said for both sides of the ball.

The passing offense utilized screens, double moves and multiple throws to running backs, while the defense revealed a bit more of Ryan’s exotic blitz package than it did a week ago.

Saints Avoid Major Injuries

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It could be argued that the most important aspect of a preseason game is not the final score but the postgame injury report.

After losing a small army of players in last week’s contest, the Saints avoided any apparent injuries in this one.

With a host of defensive starters already sidelined, New Orleans couldn’t afford to continue losing key players to the injury bug, especially with the regular-season opener just three weeks away.

The fact that the Saints dodged serious injuries Saturday night against the Patriots has to be viewed as a huge positive for Payton’s club.

New Orleans Shuts Down New England's Ground Game

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The Saints fielded a bottom-feeding defense in 2014, and the group’s inability to stop the run was a major reason for its struggles.

Through two preseason contests, the 2015 defense has demonstrated undeniable improvement in this important area.

Against New England, the Saints yielded just 82 rushing yards on 35 carries (2.3 yards per carry). This impressive performance from Ryan’s defense came just a week after the unit limited Baltimore to an average of just 2.7 yards per carry.

New starter Kevin Williams was particularly effective from his defensive tackle spot, as the 34-year-old helped set the tone up front for the Saints by penetrating the Patriots backfield on multiple occasions.

Granted, the New Orleans defense still has work to do, as is evidenced by Jimmy Garoppolo’s big night through the air, but the group’s improvements are definitely a step in the right direction.

Drew Brees on His Physical Condition Compared to Last Season

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Drew Brees put on a passing clinic during his short time on the field, and after the game, he discussed his present physical condition, as compared with that of last season. He said, according to the team's official website: "I feel as good throwing the ball as I did in a long time. Everybody deals with issues throughout the season. I had that injury in the preseason with the oblique, and I had something during the season that I was battling. At times, maybe I got away from my fundamentals and mechanics."

Brees threw for just less than 5,000 yards last season, but he also piled up 17 interceptions, including some costly picks that occurred during crucial moments of games.

The future Hall of Famer was in top form Saturday night, however, as he displayed the pinpoint accuracy that he’s become known for during his nine years in New Orleans.

Sean Payton on Brandin Cooks' Progression as a Player

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As mentioned earlier, Brandin Cooks torched the Patriots' starting defense for 117 receiving yards and a touchdown in two quarters of football. 

His performance didn't go unnoticed by Sean Payton, who said after the game, according to NewOrleansSaints.com: "There are certain players that all of the sudden can gain a lot of confidence just in a game or in a practice or in a half, and I think we are seeing his growth right now. I think he played real well tonight."

The emergence of Cooks as the Saints' top weapon in the passing game appears to be well underway. The second-year wideout possesses a potent combination of speed, strength and agility, and his route running is improving by the week. 

After the offseason trade of Jimmy Graham, speculation immediately began on who would be the Saints' No. 1 receiving option in 2015. Based on his head-turning performances thus far in the preseason, there's a strong likelihood that Cooks will be New Orleans' go-to receiver throughout the season.