New Orleans Saints: 3 takeaways from Week 3 win over Patriots

The New Orleans Saints had to bounce back after a rough outing last week in Charlotte. Bounce back they did, as they led 21-6 in the fourth quarter and ended up beating the Patriots by a score of 28-13. It got close in the fourth quarter but when called upon, the Saints’ offense stepped up and put the game away.

Let’s take a look at three takeaways from the victory.

Armstead injured

Early in the game, Terron Armstead exited the action and did not return. It appears that he has an elbow injury and was replaced by James Hurst. The Saints brought Hurst in for this very reason but losing Armstead is a massive blow.

Hopefully, Armstead will be fine and able to return for Week 4 and beyond. If he goes down for an extended period of time, however, it could be a rough stretch for the NOLA o-line.

Callaway with his first big game

Marquez Callaway was quiet through the first two games, totaling just 20 yards off three catches. Fans were getting antsy about the former UDFA out of Tennessee but he showed why this team trusted him to fill in for Michael Thomas while he’s out.

Callaway finished this one with four catches for 41 yards and his first NFL touchdown. The touchdown grab was crazy and Jameis Winston probably shouldn’t have thrown that pass but the good guys lucked out with it going in their favor.

Defense is very good

Last week was an anomaly, as New Orleans was without a lot of their key defenders when they were blown out by Carolina. Having those players back this week paid dividends as the Saints made Mac Jones look like a rookie quarterback playing in his third-ever game.

Malcolm Jenkins had an impressive pick-six to kick off the second half and the Saints defenders hit Jones a whopping 10 times. Jones hadn’t thrown an interception prior to this game and NOLA got two off of him.

This group could be one of the best defenses in the league and we saw why on Sunday.

This was a huge win for the Saints and a win they needed after last week’s beatdown. This team looked like the group we saw kick Green Bay’s butt in Week 1 and hopefully, this is the group we’ll see most weeks.