New Orleans Saints 37 New England Patriots 27

By Mike Medina  |   Thursday, August 18, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

NFL Football News
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The New Orleans Saints defeated the New England Patriots 37-27.

Much like this week's Monday night game, in which Donavan McNabb threw a first play interception, Tom Brady threw a pick to newly acquired Saints' safety Dwight Smith. New Orleans followed that favorable turn of events by driving the ball down to the New England 11-yard line but had to settle for a field goal. The Saints went into the red-zone four times in the first half but came away with only one TD. Aaron Brooks looked impressive due to the fact that he had some good blocking all night. He finished the game with 158 yards, completing 14 of 23 passes and throwing one touchdown. In the second half, the Saints dominated the game and scored 15 unanswered 4th quarter points to secure the victory. The New Orleans Saints first team offense played well into the third quarter and recorded about 58 plays from scrimmage. Deuce McAllister saw a decent amount of action rushing for 88-yards on 20 carries. Joe Horn finished the night with two receptions for 28 yards.

Despite much speculation about Tom Brady's arm, he threw for 105 yards on 6 of 11 attempts. It was speculated all week that he has been nursing a sore arm. He dispelled those rumors tonight.

The New England Patriots got on the board with a two yard run from FB Patrick Pass. They followed that up on the ensuing drive with a 23 yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri. Doug Flutie made a cameo right before the end of the first half and threw a strike to Jason Anderson to put New England up 24-16. Flutie is in a battle with Matt Cassel to be Brady's backup. The Patriots' special teams were on point tonight, led by Rookie Ellis Hobbs. Hobbs, from Iowa State, electrified the crowd by returning a 53-yard kickoff to the Saints 41-yard line. With a one score lead at half-time, Bill Belichick stated that he was displeased with their defensive performance. The Patriots allowed New Orleans to convert 50 percent of their third down conversions in the first two quarters. In the second half, the Patriots displayed some of their overall team depth, which has been questioned considerably since the departure of key coaches and players. FB Patrick Pass broke a 49-yard run down the side line and was pulling away from defensive backs. He's the fastest fullback I have seen in a long time. Kevin Faulk showed some swift moves in the first half picking up 19 yards on four carries.

Other key stats:

New England Patriots
Tom Brady 6/11 105-Yards 0-TD 1-INT
Patrick Pass 11 ATT 88-Yards 1-TD

New Orleans Saints
Aaron Brooks 14/23 158-Yards 1-TD 1-INT
Deuce McAllister 20 ATT 88-Yards
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