he New England Patriots are coming off a signature win, taking down the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 5. After beating the only undefeated team remaining, it might be easy to overlook their next opponent.
The Patriots travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints in Week 6. The Saints are coming off their first win of the season — a 26-14 victory over the New York Giants. While the Patriots are seen as favorites by oddsmakers, beating any NFL team is difficult, even more so on the road.
The Saints are led by quarterback Spencer Rattler. He’s in his second season as a pro, having started six games in 2024 and all five games this season. The win over the Giants was his first career victory. Despite that, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has been impressed with the quarterback.
“Ball comes out really quick and he’s decisive with the football,” Vrabel said Wednesday.
Rattler’s second-year statistics are much better than his rookie season. His completion percentage is up 10%, and he’s only thrown one interception. As Vrabel said, he gets the ball out incredibly quickly as well. His 2.63-second average time to throw is the fourth-fastest among qualified passers. He’s also performed well under pressure. His 89.8 passer rating under pressure is the eighth-best in football.
That’s about where the positives end, however. Rattler’s passer rating is 22nd in football. He hasn’t been able to push the ball down the field, either. On passes of 20 yards or more, he’s just 4/14. Rattler also hasn’t thrown the ball out wide effectively either. The bulk of his yards have come to receivers lined up tight or in the slot. Christian Gonzalez’s presence on the outside should help New England give more resources in defending the middle of the field, as well.
A win on Sunday would give the Patriots their first three-game winning streak since 2022.
