The New Orleans Saints travel to Foxborough, Mass. to face the New England Patriots. The Saints come into this game with more star power for sure, but there are definitely some players you need to keep an eye on from the Patriots.
The strength of the Patriots is their defense. If this game was happening two weeks ago, Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon would have undoubtedly been the two defensive players to watch. Unfortunately, both of these players suffered potential season ending injuries against the Dallas Cowboys.
These are the two offensive and defensive players to watch this week against the New England Patriots:
DB Kyle Dugger
Dugger is a very versatile piece in the Patriots secondary, who moves all around the field. The retirement of Devin McCourty pushed him into a bigger role as a leader in the unit. He’s forced four or more turnovers in each of the last two seasons. Last year, he showed the ability to turn those turnovers into points with three touchdowns.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson
Stevenson is in the running back tandem with Ezekiel Elliott, but it is Stevenson who sees more touches. He was a thousand yard back, a year ago. Despite the arrival of Elliott, Stevenson’s workload has actually increased. His yards per carry however have dropped. New Orleans’ run defense is better than a year ago, but they have allowed a few big runs early this year.
QB Mac Jones
New Orleans should aim to get real familiar with Jones. If New England has their way, he will be a secondary part of the game plan. The Saints should try to put the Patriots in as many obvious passing situations as possible. Jones has thrown 28 interceptions in his 35 games. He even threw three to the Saints as a rookie in their only matchup.
LB Josh Uche
With Matthew Judon out for this game, the pressure is on Uche to be the leading pass rusher. He only has two sacks on the season, but he’s coming off a double digit sack season. He might not have been getting the attention, but his 11.5 sacks shows his ability to win one on one matchups. The Saints did a better job protecting the quarterback last week. Sustaining that performance is critical to victory.
