“They were obviously the better team tonight,’’ Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “It wasn’t a competitive game like we thought it would be or like we needed it to be. We’ve got to coach better and play better. We have to do a lot better to compete with a team of this caliber.’’
The Saints stand five games away from wiping out the once-unthinkable offensive standard the Patriots set in 2007 and joining them as the only teams to finish 16-0 in the regular season. Last night, they shredded and exposed the Patriots defense for 480 total yards, “which was pretty ridiculous,’’ Saints quarterback Drew Brees said.
It was the third-most the Patriots have yielded under Belichick and the highest total since 2001. The Saints receivers romped through the secondary and their backs sliced through the line while the Patriots missed tackle after tackle.
Brees threw five touchdown passes and passed for 371 yards, completing 18 of 23 attempts. He compiled a 158.3 quarterback rating, the highest the sys tem allows. Every time he missed a pass, he grimaced and shook his fist as if he couldn’t believe what had happened.
The Saints defense, playing with a patchwork secondary because of injuries, held Tom Brady without a touchdown pass and frustrated Randy Moss, who made one explosive play but finished with three catches. By game’s end, he stood alone on the sideline, helmet in his right hand.
The Saints attacked the Patriots defense in every manner. They scored on long drives. They scored on a 75-yard strike. They scored on screen passes, on long post patterns, on a dump to their third tight end. They emptied both barrels.
With less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots took over on their 25-yard line and waved the white flag. Belichick inserted backup quarterback Brian Hoyer and ran the ball up the middle twice, letting the clock bleed.
