Patriots outlast Saints in 25-19 win

Doug Kyed, Boston Herald on Oct 12, 2025

Published in Football

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NEW ORLEANS – The New England Patriots proved Sunday that they can beat a bad team with a one-dimensional offense. It might not be so easy in the future.

The Patriots outlasted the New Orleans Saints 25-19 in the Superdome on Sunday afternoon off of a tremendous first-half performance from quarterback Drake Maye to improve to 4-2 on the season.

But the Patriots’ run game continues to not only be non-existent, it’s actively hurting the Patriots’ offense. The Patriots averaged 0.56 EPA per play on passes and -0.38 EPA per play on the ground.

The Patriots were able to drain the clock late with a five-play, 30-yard drive. They had a key challenge before the two-minute warning that determined that wide receiver Kayshon Boutte stayed in bounds on a 21-yard catch to keep the clock moving. That allowed Maye to kneel on the ball and end the game.

On the first play of the game, the Saints identified a weakness in the Patriots’ secondary. The Patriots blitzed cornerback Carlton Davis III, leaving safety Kyle Dugger on an island against Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, who beat him for a 53-yard catch. The Patriots then shut down the Saints’ offense and forced a field goal.

The Patriots responded quickly, picking up a first down on a completion to Boutte before Maye hit wide receiver DeMario Douglas on a 53-yard bomb for a touchdown. Douglas put a move on Saints safety Jonas Sanker to get into the end zone.

The Saints responded with another field goal after a 10-play, 43-yard drive to cut the Patriots’ lead to 7-6.

The Patriots scored again on an incredible contested catch from Boutte for a 25-yard touchdown. That was in spite of an atrocious penalty called by the officials on wide receiver Stefon Diggs for pass interference. Maye completed a 61-yard touchdown to Douglas; a flag was thrown when the Patriots were already celebrating in the corner of the end zone, negating the score.

The Saints cut the Patriots’ lead again to 14-13 on a 1-yard touchdown run from Taysom Hill. The Saints drove 60 yards on 11 plays after rookie kicker Andy Borregales was penalized for failing to kick the ball into the landing zone.

The Patriots turned the ball over on downs when they went for it on fourth-and-7 from the Saints’ 39-yard line. A botched snap from center Garrett Bradbury, recovered by Maye, gave the Saints the ball on the Patriots’ 47-yard line. They were held to a field goal but took a 16-14 lead.

Maye finished the half with a perfect passer rating and hit Boutte for another touchdown 29 yards down the field. Maye scored on a two-point conversion to give the Patriots a 22-16 lead heading into the half.

The Patriots increased their lead to 25-16 when Borregales hit a 24-yard field goal. Issues in the red zone and in the running game caused the Patriots to settle for the field goal.

The teams then exchanged punts for the first time all game.

Cornerback Marcus Jones, who had a key pass breakup on the previous drive, forced a 54-yard field goal try with a third-down sack. The kick from Blake Grupe was good, cutting the Patriots’ lead to 25-19.

The Patriots were forced to punt after some very questionable officiating, then got the ball back on a forced fumble by Christian Elliss and a recovery by rookie safety Craig Woodson. They weren’t able to do anything with it and punted on a three-and-out.

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