Drake Maye passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns and the visiting New England Patriots defeated the New Orleans Saints 25-19 on Sunday afternoon.
Maye completed 18 of 26 passes as the Patriots (4-2) matched their win total from last season while improving to 3-0 on the road.
Spencer Rattler completed 20 of 26 for 227 yards but no touchdowns and Blake Grupe kicked four field goals for the Saints (1-5).
A high-scoring first half was followed by a second half featuring defense.
The Patriots received the second-half kickoff and drove to a 24-yard field goal by Andy Borregales that increased their lead to 25-16, which held up through the end of the third quarter.
On the third play of the fourth quarter Grupe kicked a 54-yard field goal to pull the Saints within 25-19.
New Orleans got the ball back and drove across midfield, but Juwan Johnson fumbled and Craig Woodson recovered for New England at its 49.
The Saints got the ball again after a punt but wound up punting themselves and the Patriots ran out the clock.
On the first offensive play of the game Rattler connected with Chris Olave for a 53-yard completion, leading to Grupe’s 34-yard field goal.
On the fourth play of the ensuing possession Maye hit DeMario Douglas for a 53-yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 7-3 lead. Grupe added a 48-yard field goal that pulled the Saints within one point with 5:09 left in the quarter.
Maye’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte gave New England a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Taysom Hill’s 1-yard touchdown run pulled New Orleans within one point. The Patriots crossed midfield on the next possession, but on fourth-and-7 an errant snap got past Maye and he fell on the ball at the New England 47.
That led to Grupe’s 38-yard field goal that gave the Saints a 16-14 lead with 1:51 left in the half.
Maye and Boutte teamed up once again on a 29-yard touchdown pass and after two penalties on New Orleans, Maye sneaked for a two-point conversion, giving the Patriots a 22-16 halftime lead.
