The New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots have experienced eerily similar struggles in life without Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Drew Brees and Tom Brady have cast long shadows on both organizations since leaving town. How have their teams done without them?
As observed by the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate’s Rod Walker, the Saints have posted a record of 18-20 in their 38 games since Brees’ retirement — a winning percentage of .474, right there with the Patriots’ record of .473 (26-29 in games without Brady).
And their problems are remarkably similar. Both teams have fielded impressive defenses held back by offenses that leave a lot to be desired. This season the Patriots rank third-worst in points scored per game (13.8) and the Saints are tied for fourth (15.5). New England ranks seventeenth in third down conversion percentage (38.7%) and New Orleans is fifteenth (38.3%). The Saints average just 4.4 yards per play (fourth-worst) and the Patriots are right there with them at 4.7 (eighth-lowest).
They’ve made similar investments at quarterback, with the Patriots spending a lucrative first-round draft pick on Mac Jones in 2021, who the Saints reportedly coveted and tried to acquire themselves; New Orleans gave a halfhearted starting nod to Jameis Winston for two seasons before guaranteeing Derek Carr $60 million when he put pen to paper this spring. Neither arrangement has been an adequate replacement for the Hall of Famer who preceded them.
We’ll see who comes out on top Sunday when the Saints kick off with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Life without a surefire franchise quarterback under center has been hard on both teams, but this is a good opportunity for either of them to begin to rewrite the narrative surrounding them.
