The Packers vs Ravens game may be getting a lot of hype for its quarterback battle, but no NFL Week 6 game has more riding on it than the Saints vs Patriots. New Orleans is one of just three 5-0 teams remaining, while New England has managed a 4-1 record even as quarterback Tom Brady has looked decidedly human. If for no other reason than pride, the Patriots would love to beat the Saints at Gillette Stadium and knock one of the undefeated teams off its mountain. This Saints vs. Patriots preview outlines what you need to know before catching the game on FOX or using one of several different methods to watch Saints vs Patriots online free streaming.
With the Saints and Patriots, the battle will undoubtedly start with the quarterback. New Orleans has largely excelled this season because of QB Drew Brees. Through five weeks, Brees has gone 140-201 for 1,722 yards and 12 touchdowns. That performance has made him the second-ranked QB in the league so far, behind only the Broncos’ Peyton Manning. If that weren’t imposing enough, Drew Brees is also 3-0 against the Patriots in his career, with a 148.3 passer rating. Interestingly, that same NFL QB ranking that shows Brees in a positive light doesn’t even list Patriots QB Tom Brady until the Number 10 spot. “Last” isn’t exactly a position Brady’s used to holding in a top-ten list. So far in the 2013 NFL season, Brady has gone 111-196 for 1,211 yards and seven TDs.
But when you watch Saints vs Patriots online free streaming today, the story won’t just be about quarterbacks. The 4:25 Eastern / 1:25 Pacific game will feature two of the top-four scoring defenses as well. The Patriots are allowing 14.0 points per game this season, ranking them second, while the Saints are allowing 14.6 points per game for a fourth-place ranking. The Patriots defense is carrying the team right now, led cornerback Aqib Talib, who may end up with an unorthodox assignment to cover Saints tight end Jimmy Graham. The Patriots’ big linebackers may not be a good matchup against the Saints’ offense, so we may even see their top draft choice, speedy linebacker Jamie Collins, used more this week. The Saints, meanwhile, have one of the best four-man fronts in the NFL, and their talent in the secondary is solid across the board, making it even harder for Brady with Rob Gronkowski still out and Brady’s remaining receiving corps still finding their sea legs.
The Saints’ receiving corps may struggle just as much though, as the Patriots defense is holding opposing quarterbacks to a 57.6 completion percentage. It’s also collecting more interceptions (six) than it’s allowing touchdown passes (four). And that’s before factoring in the homefield advantage of this game being played in Foxborough, Mass., where New England tends to run rampant. Patriots reporter Mike Reiss says “I wouldn’t put Gillette Stadium in the same category as a place like Seattle. But … home has been good to the Patriots, and I think the comforts of being in that environment, coupled with having good teams, getting better as the weather gets colder … has contributed to that as well.”
Still, only one ESPN analyst has picked the Patriots to win, and the Saints are 2.5-point underdogs according to Las Vegas betting pros. When you consider that homefield advantage is usually a three-point swing, that means today’s Week 6 game between New Orleans and New England should be both tight and entertaining. If you can’t catch it live on FOX, you can watch Saints vs Patriots online free streaming on DirecTV with the NFL Sunday Ticket package. That package requires a fee, but it includes a free online stream for subscribers.
