Five things to know about the New England Patriots

By Ross Jackson

Coming off of big wins, the New Orleans Saints (1-4) and New England Patriots (3-2) are set to lock horns in the Big Easy on Sunday. The game was flexed from 3:25 p.m. CT to a Noon kickoff, but the excitement is growing around the game as the Saints got their first win in over 300 days last week and the Patriots knocked off their previously undefeated division rival, the Buffalo Bills.

With the Patriots coming to town, play at the quarterback position, dynamic options in the passing game and a stellar defensive line will be key factors in Sunday’s game. Here are five things you need to know about the Patriots.

Patriots QB Drake Maye is one of the most accurate passers in the NFL

Maye ranks No. 2 in the league among qualifying passers (at least 70 passing attempts) in completion percentage. He has completed 73.9% of his attempts, just behind Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (75.2%). Meanwhile, the Saints’ defense has allowed a total completion percentage of 69.5%, the ninth-highest rank in the league.

RB Antonio Gibson is expected to be out for the year.

After suffering a substantial knee injury last week in the Patriots’ big win, Gibson is likely to be out the remainder of the season. He has not yet been added to Injured Reserve and was added to New England’s Wednesday injury report retroactively, but there’s no expectation that he will play Sunday. Backs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are likely to see the bulk of the workload on the ground game for New England

The Patriots’ defensive line is more talented than its production numbers.

New England ranks No. 17 in pressure percentage (35.8%), is tied for No. 15 in sacks (11) but ranks inside the top-five in both rushing yards allowed per carry and total rushing yards allowed. That’s because the line is stacked with talented players. Defensive tackles Milton Williams and Christian Barmore lead the way along with ends K’Lavon Chaisson, Harold Landy III and Keion White. The players will present another tough challenge for the Saints’ offensive line, which is hoping to be back at full strength on Sunday.

It’s worth noting that Williams (ankle), Chaisson (knee) and Barmore (not injury related) were all limited in practice on Wednesday while White missed with an elbow injury.

#Sainte Injury report for today, only one Saints player did not participate. pic.twitter.com/7dizopS742

— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) October 8, 2025

WR Stefon Diggs is still an explosive threat.

Last week, in the Patriots’ big win over the Buffalo Bills, Diggs totaled 146 receiving yards on 10 receptions with a long of 32 yards. He and Maye have a great chemistry on the field together already and that will present a big test for the New Orleans secondary and coverage unit. Pairing Diggs alongside tight end Hunter Henry, who ranks No. 6 among tight ends in receiving yards, and that challenge gets even steeper. 

The Saints’ have allowed the ninth-most receiving yards to tight ends so far this season with 283 allowed. They are also tied for the second-most touchdown passes complete to the position with four. Both players will be names to watch if the Patriots should get into the red zone on Sunday, where the New Orleans defense has struggled.

Several LSU players are coming back to Louisiana.

Along with Chaisson and Williams, offensive lineman Will Campbell and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte are among the players returning to Louisiana where they each took the field in college.