But the Patriots weren’t interested in a field goal. Maye launched another deep pass and completed another big play, this one a 28-yarder to Kayshon Boutte for his second touchdown of the game, to give the Patriots back the lead just before halftime, 22-16, with a successful two-point conversion that Maye snuck in himself.
It was a great response by the Patriots after seeing the Saints put up back-to-back scores as Maye’s aerial assault continued to target the New Orleans secondary.
5. Maye, Pats Keep Moving the Ball and Scoring Points
The Patriots picked up where they left off at the start of the third quarter, receiving the kickoff and quickly travelling down the field for a fifth-straight drive. Maye picked up one third-down conversion with his legs and another with a pass to Hunter Henry, and found Diggs for a critical fourth-down conversion at New Orleans’ 36-yard line as the offense stayed aggressive.
The drive stumbled near the goal line, with a delay of game penalty costing them some already-earned yardage. The Pats settled for a 24-yard field goal to extend their lead to 25-19 after a 12-play drive that ate up more than half of the third quarter.
There were no punts by either team until finally, late in the third quarter, Marcus Jones and Charles Woods combined to force an incompletion on 3rd-and-17 that forced the Saints punt team to take the field. It was nearly a forced fumble on the third-down play, as it initially looked complete to Chris Olave before the ball was punched out by Woods. It was a bang-bang play and the incomplete call stood.
It was a quality stop by the Patriots defense to finally give the ball back to the offense without allowing any points, but the Saints would counter by quickly forcing a three-and-out and a punt of their own to get the ball back just before the fourth quarter.
Once again, the Patriots defense would tighten up inside their own territory, holding the Saints to their fourth field goal of the game. That cut the score to 25-19 early in the fourth quarter.
7. Penalties Kills Pats Drive
After going three-and-out on their second possession of the second half, Maye and the offense were staring down another punt as they quickly faced a 3rd-and-11. But Maye came through again, navigating a muddy pocket, stepping up and delivering a strike to Mack Hollins for a new set of downs.
But the tough sledding would continue with an immediate 3rd-and-7 on the heels of the conversion that ballooned to a 3rd-and-12 after an illegal motion penalty, and then a false start penalty that made it 3rd-and-17. A third-straight play with a penalty would make it 3rd-and-27, erasing a 52-yard would-be completion to Stefon Diggs. Diggs was called for offensive pass interference, as the Patriots saw two would-be first-down conversions wiped out by penalties. Instead of driving to put the game away, New England was forced to punt it back to the Saints for their second drive in a row.
The momentum swing for the Saints was short-lived, as two plays into their next drive linebacker Christian Elliss punched the ball out of tight end Juwan Johnson’s arms. Craig Woodson recovered as the defense forced the game’s first turnover at a critical point, but Maye and the offense couldn’t do anything off the turnover, punting the ball back to New Orleans for a third-straight drive. The offense stagnated at a tough time, putting the pressure on the defense to continue to keep the Saints out of the end zone and preserve the six-point lead.
8. D Delivers. Maye and Boutte Seal It
But the Patriots defense was up to the task, allowing just one first down before forcing New Orleans to punt for the second time in the game. With 3:43 remaining, Maye and the offense needed just two first downs to run the clock out on the win.
Facing a critical 3rd-and-11, Maye hit Boutte with a back shoulder throw along the sideline to close out the win. It was a perfect cap for Boutte in the best game of his career.
With the win, the Patriots move to 4-2 on the season with their third-straight victory. Most notable is the continued high level of execution by Maye and the passing offense, which unleashed a downfield attack on the Saints that led to three explosive play scores. Instead of the Stefon Diggs show, Kayshon Boutte (two TDs) and DeMario Douglas chipped in the biggest contributions while Maye continued his streak of clean play. The running game remains a work in progress, and while the defense struggled to get off the field, they made enough stops to secure their fourth win, matching their win total from both 2023 and 2024 after just six weeks.
Next up, the Patriots stay on the road for their third-straight week, visiting Tennessee next Sunday to face the Titans at 1 pm.
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