Wrapping up a positive week against the New Orleans Saints

Drake Maye is the guy. A huge presence in the locker room and leader of our football team. Maye went 18/26 261 yards,  3 TDs 0 INTs - would have had more yardage only for bad referee calls meaning big plays were called back. The biggest takeaway for me is his decision making is ever improving, his mistakes are getting fewer and fewer, and he's not turning the ball over as much. That's the key to winning games. He completed a crucial 3rd-11yds pass to Boutte late that sealed the win for the Pats.

Will Campbell has impressed me this season, I knew we thought he'd be good but I thought the growing pains would be more evident. The no sacks allowed streak continues. He's big country.

Now that Diggs is deservedly getting attention from defenses, it's opening up other options for Drake. Stefon was excellent again, pivotal for offense. Referees had it out for him with BS OPIs, would have had more yards, possibly even a third straight 100 yard game only for those ridiculous calls.

Boutte has become one of my fav players this season. Production. 2TDs and just shy of 100 yard game with 93 yds he's a very serviceable WR2, and can absolutely step in if Stefon has an off game. It is refreshing to have options at the skill positions this season.

Demarius Douglas has earned the right to be called Pop again. He was unfairly stripped of a 2TD game but was excellent all day catching balls all over the field and producing. More of the same Pop.

Saints are a good run D so Rhamondre didn't see the ball very often but he did well when he got it and he didn't leave it on the ground behind him. Small steps but props all the same. We need a productive and turnover-free Mondre.

Honourable mention to one Bryce Baringer. The hang time on his punts is ridiculous. We haven't had a guy look this good punting the ball since Ryan Allen so it's a refreshing addition to the team.

The Defense

The bend, don't break defense strikes again. They got key stops in the red zone late in the game to preserve the lead. Forced fumble by Christian Elliss in the fourth quarter gave the assurance to the Pats that a win was secure. Held the Saints to field goals rather than touchdowns on vital drives which was a key factor in winning the game.  The defense also kept New Orleans' explosive plays to a minimum and contained them which meant the offense wasn't relied upon to score in every drive. 

Run defense, which has been pretty good, wasn't as good yesterday. They weren't necessarily bad but it did feel the Saints had more success running the ball. The secondary has to keep improving because the big plays are being conceded far too often. Penalties and mental errors are a team-wide issue. I know we didn't get help from the zebras yesterday, but we gotta clean up the penalties.

The referees

I don't like talking about referees, especially after wins, but yesterday was remarkable. Two bogus OPI calls, a fumble called a completion, and a non-called DPI against our receiver. It's hard enough to win in the NFL without having to beat the refs too. But they did it, and that shows how much grit this team has.

Vrabel

Coach Vrabel is possibly the best addition to the team this offseason. I owe him an apology. I wanted him to challenge the first fumble but if he did and we didn't win it (never know with that crew), we wouldn't have been able to challenge the sideline catch that won the game. Sorry Coach.