Patriots-Saints Live Blog: Pats Come Back To Win 26-24
Final: Patriots 26, Saints 24: The Patriots come back from a 21-0 deficit to win their first preseason game of the year.
It was a great night for Jimmy Garoppolo, who went 28-for-33 for 269 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The pick was the only real mistake he made on the night, showing some solid poise under center for New England.
Another bright spot for New England was running back Dion Lewis, who had five receptions for 36 yards. Rookie receiver Chris Harper continues to impress as well, hauling in five receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown just before halftime.
As for the first unit, they struggled again to start the game. Tom Brady got the start and played three series, going 2-for-5 for 13 yards. He's played a total of 16 snaps, going 3-for-9 for 23 yards.
We'll have much more from this preseason contest throughout the night, so stick with CBSBostonsports.com. You can also catch full postgame shows on both 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV.
4th Quarter, 00:14: WHAT A COMEBACK!
Sorry, the caps button was stuck. But Stephen Gostkowski boots a 35-yarder to give New England a 26-24 lead with only 14 seconds left.
4th Quarter, 00:23: An eight-yard run by James White has the Patriots at the New Orleans facing a third-and-four at the New Orleans 17.
4th Quarter, 1:50: The Patriots are in field goal position now after a 22-yard connection to Krause.
4th Quarter, 2:00: Veteran corner Bradley Fletcher may be playing late in the fourth quarter, but he's making the most of his time on the field.
He just broke up a third-down pass attempt by the Saints, forcing a New Orleans punt. Garoppolo and the offense will take over at the New Orleans 45.
4th Quarter, 3:21 -- Saints 24, Patriots 23: Garoppolo went to Gibson on third-and-nine, but the play came up a few yards short. To make matters worse, Gibson went limping off the field.
Stephen Gostkowski put a 36-yarder through the uprights to make it a 24-23 game.
4th Quarter, 5:12: Garoppolo did his best Brady impression on a third-and-short, putting his head down and pushing through the line to get the first down.
4th Quarter, 8:50 -- Saints 24, Patriots 20: After Bradley Fletcher broke up a Grayson pass in the end zone, the Saints settled for a field goal to make it extend their lead to 24-20.
Some good Red Zone defense by the Patriots on that drive. I'd say very good, but it's preseason and Garrett Grayson is New Oreans' quarterback.
4th Quarter, 10:02: Some really nice coverage by Logan Ryan on Willie Snead, blanketing him in the end zone and eventually breaking up Grayson's pass.
4th Quarter, 10:34: Garoppolo just made his first big mistake of the night. Feeling a little pressure, he went deep to Gibson, who was not open. Instead, Garoppolo was picked off by Pierre Warren, who took it 33-yards to the Patriots' 15-yard line.
It's a throw Garoppolo shouldn't have made. Hopefully he learns from it, which is what the preseason is all about anyways.
4th Quarter, 10:56: After giving up that big reception to start the drive, the Patriots defense forces a punt. Garoppolo will have a lot of field to cover though, as New England will start at their own 12-yard line.
4th Quarter, 13:04: Garrett Grayson has taken over QB duties for the Saints, and started his night with a 24-yard hookup with Willie Snead.
4th Quarter, 13:36 -- Saints 21, Patriots 20: James White danced his way into the end zone for a three-yard score after he should have been stopped at the line of scrimmage.
The Patriots went for two, but Garoppolo couldn't connect with Krause, who was well-covered. A good learning experience for Garoppolo, who forced the throw.
We'll give him a break though after going 7-for-7 on the drive.
4th Quarter, 14:50: Garoppolo moves the chains with a 14-yard toss to Krause. The Pats are at the New Orleans nine-yard line.
End 3rd Quarter -- Saints 21, Patriots 14: The Patriots are threatening to tie this puppy up as we get set to begin the fourth quarter. They'll start on the New Orleans 23 when play resumes, but face a third-and-11.
Garoppolo looks very good out there tonight, making quick decisions and throws. He's 19-for-22 for 187 yards and a touchdown.
He's locked in on both Chris Harper and Brandon Gibson, who started the most recent drive with 10-yard and 15-yard receptions, respectively.
James White entered the game, and picked up 20-yards with some nice footwork on a screen from Garoppolo.
3rd Quarter, 4:09: If Siliga wasn't a fan of James Morris before, he is now.
The second-year linebacker punched the ball out of Josh Morgan's hands as he ran down the sideline after making a reception, with rookie Jordan Richards scooping it up at the New England 22.
Nice play by Morris, who didn't give up on the play after Morgan made the reception.
3rd Quarter, 4:51: The Patriots forced the Saints into a 4th-and-2 deep in their own zone, and the offense took the field to try and force a New England encroachment.
That's exactly what happened too, with Sealver Siliga jumping offsides and giving New Orleans a fresh set of downs.
3rd Quarter, 5:57 -- Saints 21, Patriots 14: We have ourselves a ballgame (that doesn't count)!
Dion Lewis continues to impress tonight, as he just took it 11 yards to the house. He got a nice push from his offensive lineman Chris Martin (signed earlier this week) late in the run, just crossing the plane for the score.
He now has 12 rushing yards on the night on three carries to go with his 34 receiving yards.
3rd Quarter, 6:03: It looked like Blount just ran in a touchdown, but Krause was flagged for holding to negate the score.
It's now first-and-goal at the New Orleans 11.
3rd Quarter, 9:35: Receiver Jonathan Krause showed a nice burst of speed on a third-and-11, but he was only able to pick up nine yards.
No problem though, as Garoppolo stepped up and hit Harper over the middle to move the chains on fourth down.
3rd Quarter, 11:32: Jabaal Sheard just put a nice hit on Griffin on third down, forcing a 55-yard field goal attempt that was no good.
The Patriots will take over on their own 45.
The drive wasn't without a Patriots miscue though. Logan Ryan was burned for a 28-yard recption by Josh Morgan, setting the Saints up at the New England 35. It's been a tough night and tough preseason for Ryan.
3rd Quarter, 15:00: The second half is underway, and the names on the field are going to start getting interesting.
Ryan Griffin is in at QB for New Orleans.
Halftime -- Saints 21, Patriots 7: The good news is we're halfway through this one. The bad news is we're only halfway through this one.
Tom Brady played just nine snaps in the first half, on the field for a trio of three-and-outs. He went 2-for-5 for 13 yards in his brief appearance.
The offense as a whole wasn't all that great, but keep in mind there aren't many starters out there. Dion Lewis has looked pretty good, with the back hauling in four catches for 34 yards.
Garoppolo has been solid despite the lack of scoring, going 11-for-13 with 113 yards and a touchdown.
Receiver Brandon Gibson has four receptions for 33 yards, while rookie Chris Harper has a pair of grabs for 45 yards and a score.
The defense didn't play great, as you can see from the score, but again, not many starters saw the field. The secondary remains a big concern though.
2nd Quarter, 00:14 -- Saints 21, Patriots 7: Jimmy Garoppolo showed off some elusiveness, and those extra seconds bought him enough time to find Harper in the end zone and put the Patriots on the board.
It was a 24-yard hookup for Garoppolo and Harper. It's Harper's second catch of the evening. Garoppolo is 11-for-13 with 113 yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots got some more free yardage thanks to a late hit by the Saints on wide receiver Krause the play before the touchdown.
2nd Quarter, 00:27: Dion Lewis made a nice one-handed grab on a screen from Garoppolo, jumping out of bounds after picking up 10 yards for a first down.
2nd Quarter, 00:37: The Patriots called their second timeout of the half, and Bill is still letting the refs know he's none too pleased.
2nd Quarter, 00:37: The play stands. Bill is still arguing though.
2nd Quarter, 1:02: It looked like Garoppolo hit Gibson with two straight completions to start the drive, but before his second catch the refs apparently whistled the play dead to review the previous reception.
To no surprise, Bill Belichick is not pleased.
They're reviewing to see if Gibson hauled in an 11-yard reception over the middle before it hit the ground.
Bill is still upset.
2nd Quarter, 1:08 -- Saints 21, Patriots 0: The Saints went big on the first play of the drive, with McCown finding Cooks for 36 yards. Logan Ryan was burned on the play.
Robert McClain was flagged for PI a few plays later, setting up a six-yard touchdown by tight end Josh Hill on a nice play action by McCown. He had a wide open lane to the end zone, as most of the New England D bit on the play action.
The Saints missed another two point conversion after the score.
But this sets up some good situational football for Jimmy Garoppolo and the Patriots offense.
2nd Quarter, 1:52: The Patriots got into New Orleans territory, but they still remain scoreless.
Garoppolo went looking for Harper on a third-and-five pass, but Harper never turned around (the throw was a little behind him as well). Garoppolo was then hit as he threw on fourth down, and the ball fell to the ground to give the Saints the ball.
Gray had a few nice runs on the drive, including a 10-yard pickup on the first play of the drive. Garoppolo did connect with Harper on a nice 21-yard pickup over the middle on the drive as well.
Bill Belichick chewed out Cameron Fleming as he made his way back to the bench.
2nd Quarter, 6:55: The Patriots defense forces a three-and-out, with Dominque Easly putting some nice pressure on McCown on the last two plays.
Newcomer Jabaal Sheard had a nice stuff of Ingram on first down.
2nd Quarter, 8:04: Another drive, another punt for the Patriots offense.
It looked like Gray was going to lose yards on a first down run, but the Pats got a big gift thanks to a 15-yard facemask by New Orleans. Their biggest offensive plays of the game right now are because of Saints penalties.
Garoppolo hooked up with Brandon Gibson for a nice eight-yard pickup, but then Gray was stuffed for a four-yard loss. Garoppolo went back to Gibson on third down, hooking up for a six-yard reception, but Gibson's reach was just short of a first down.
2nd Quarter, 10:29: Luke McCown took over for Drew Brees under center, and the Patriots defense was able to keep the Saints off the board.
After Robinson picked up six yards on a first down carry, Patrick Chung wrapped up Ben Watson before he could move the sticks, stopping him for just a two-yard pickup. That set up a third-and-2, which turned into a third-and-7 after Watson was flagged for a false start. McCown overshot Watson on third down, and Garoppolo and the Pats will have the ball back at their own 13-yard line.
Blount's night might be done, with Jonas Gray now in the backfield.
2nd Quarter, 12:03 - Saints 15, Patriots 0: The Patriots offense benefited from a pair of pass interference calls, but all they could show for it was a 57-yard field goal attempt by Stephen Gostkowski. He had the distance, but missed it to the left.
It's been a struggle for LeGarrette Blount all night, as he has just three yards on eight carries. He was stuffed at the line twice on the last drive.
End of 1st Quarter: Saints 15, Patriots 0: The Patriots got their first first down of the game thanks to a PI call on the Saints. Rookie receiver Chris Harper drew the flag on New Orleans' corner Stanley Jean-Baptiste, who was holding his jersey.
They also picked up an actual first down as Blount took a short pass from Garoppolo and extended as he was tackled to move the chains before the quarter came to the end.
There is some life to the New England offense, but not much.
1st Quarter, 1:50: Tom Brady is done for now, with Jimmy Garoppolo heading out to the field.
His first play of the game: Calling a timeout.
1st Quarter, 1:50: Saints 15, Patriots 0: It's alllllllllll Saints right now in this one. Brees just connected with Cooks on a 45-yard bomb for a touchdown. Duron Harmon tried to get a hand up at the last second, but to no avail.
Cooks fakes outside on McCourty, and then went inside when he say he had a few steps on Harmon. That kid is going to be a stud this season with no Jimmy Graham.
The Saints went for two again, but Brees was a little too high for Colston in the end zone.
1st Quarter, 3:01: It's a broken record for the Patriots' offense in New Orleans tonight, as they go three-and-out for the third straight time to start the game.
Blount lost three yards on a first-down carry. Brady hit Lewis for six yards on a screen, but then couldn't connect with Amendola on another third down pass over the middle.
1st Quarter, 4:29 -- Saints 9, Patriots 0: Drew Brees just found former Patriots tight end Ben Watson for 10-yard touchdown. He was wide open over the middle. New Orleans went for two, but Robinson was stuffed up the middle.
There were some good plays by the Patriots defense on the Saints' 62-yard drive. Robinson had a big pickup of 17 yards, but was chased down by Malcom Brown on a great effort.
On a reverse to receiver Brandon Cooks, Malcolm Butler made a great play to chase him down from the other side of the field and keep him to a seven-yard gain on a huge hit.
But the Saints own a 9-0 lead, as the Pats offense can't seem to do much right now. Tom Brady will be back out for his third series of the evening.
1st Quarter, 8:40: Another three-and-out for Brady and the Patriots.
After Blount picked up two yard run up the middle and Dion Lewis went up the middle for five yards, Brady couldn't connect with Danny Amendola over the middle on a short third down. Amendola wanted a flag, as it looked like he got tripped up by his defender, but to didn't get it.
1st Quarter, 9:55 -- Saints 3, Patriots 0: The Saints went marching down the field, but the Patriots defense held them to a field goal thanks to a good defensive play from corner Devin McCourty.
Brandon Coleman couldn't hang on to a Brees pass in the end zone on a third down and goal at the New England nine, with McCourty making a nice play to knock it out of his hands. New Orleans settled for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
It was Saints running backs doing the damage on the drive. Mark Ingram had a pair of receptions for 40 yards, with Khiry Robinson chipping in with an 11-yard reception.
1st Quarter, 13:22: Three-and-out for Brady and company on their first drive of the game. After Blount lost five yards on a first down run, Brady hit tight end Jimmay Mundane for a few yards. He couldn't hook up with Michael Hoomanawanui on third down, forcing a Ryan Allen punt.
Both Dont'a Hightower and Jerod Mayo are getting the night off on the New England defense.
1st Quarter, 15:00: Tom Brady is getting the start for the Patriots, along with with LaGarrette Blount.
It's a trio of rookies in the middle of the New England offensive line, with Shaq Mason, David Andrews and Tre Jackson sandwiched between Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer.
Pregame, 7:29 pm: It sounds like Devin McCourty is getting the start at right corner opposite of Malcolm Butler.
McCourty wasn't very enthused with a potential move back to corner when asked about it over the offseason, but as pointed out on Patriots Pregame on 98.5 The Sports Hub, this could just be a way of Bill Belichick getting a better look at some of his young corners.
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's still a preseason game, but it has to be better than last week, right?
The Patriots and Saints, after engaging in a pair of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday in West Virginia, will take the field at the SuperDome tonight for preseason game No. 2. New England's preseason opener last Thursday night against the Packers was pretty much what you'd expect out of a preseason opener, a sloppy game that had its moments, but really didn't teach us much about the team.
Hopefully that will change tonight, and answers to some glaring questions will start to come into focus. While the third preseason game is usually the closest we'll get to an actual Sunday afternoon contest, this game is the next best thing.
We'll see just how much Tom Brady will play tonight, given his stellar day at the two team's joint practice on Thursday. He's geared up and ready to go, seen headbutting New England's two backup passers before taking the field, and will likely have his two tackles back in Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer, vastly improving his protection from last week.
But we'll also get another extended look at Jimmy Garoppolo, who despite some poor numbers had a decent game last week against Green Bay. He looked much more comfortable under center than what we saw during his rookie season, and now he'll have to see if he's made adjustments in the last nine days.
It doesn't look like either of those passers will have Rob Gronkowski, who was spotted on the field going through a vigorous workout. But he wasn't taped up like his teammates, so it looks like he'll sit out for a second straight week.
But running back LaGarrette Blount was seen on the field in uniform just a short time ago, and should get a few carries tonight.
As for those who aren't dressed for tonight, here's what The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe tweeted a short time ago:
Stick with us throughout the evening for all the updates from tonight's preseason contest, and tune in on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub (streaming online for you New Englanders right here on CBSBoston.com). Both stations have full postgame shows scheduled for after the game, breaking down everything from preseason game No. 2.
