NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana native Kayshon Boutte bought 40 tickets for New England's visit to New Orleans and the former LSU receiver got his money's worth.
Boutte caught two of Drake Maye's three touchdown passes and added a game-sealing catch to help the Patriots outlast the Saints 25-19 on Sunday.
“It was amazing coming back home, first time playing in the Superdome," said Boutte, who caught five passes for 93 yards, including a pivotal 21-yard catch on third-and-11 in the final minutes. "A little emotional at first. It feels like a full-circle moment.”
Maye completed 18 of 26 passes for 261 yards without a turnover and also connected with DeMario Douglas for a 53-yard score as the Patriots (4-2) won for a third straight week.
“It feels good getting in the win column consistently,” Maye said, complimenting his receivers. “It was good to hit some deep shots and those guys, they made some great plays.”
The Saints (1-5) were driving for a possible go-ahead score in the fourth quarter when tight end Juwan Johnson was ruled on video review to have fumbled what initially was called a first-down catch across midfield.
“I was confident when it first happened,” said linebacker Christian Ellis, who was credited with the forced fumble that safety Craig Woodson recovered on New England's 49. “I felt the ball move completely out of his hands.”
While the Patriots were unable to convert the turnover into points, they forced the Saints to punt with 3:55 to go and never gave the ball back. Maye's clutch connection with Boutte along the left sideline came after the Saints had used all of their timeouts and with just more than two minutes left. So, Maye was able to run the clock out by taking a knee three times.
“We will never not enjoy and embrace winning in this league, but I do think guys are aware of the fact that it can be better," Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. "To do that on the road and be able to end it with the ball offensively in victory formation is fun.”
Spencer Rattler completed 20 of 26 passes for 227 yards without a turnover, but the Saints struggled to get in the end zone. Taysom Hill had New Orleans’ lone TD on a 1-yard run and Blake Grupe kicked four field goals.
Rookie coach Kellen Moore described the postgame mood in the locker room as “just frustration."
“We had opportunities — everyone can feel that,” said Moore, who has seen his team lose three times by a touchdown or less. "I've got to figure out a way to get us there. We’re close. We’re knocking on the door.”
Johnson's fumble was just one of several untimely mistakes made by players on the other end of Rattler's throws. Chris Olave had six catches for 98 yards, but could not hold on as he dived to get both hands on a pass in the end zone. He also dropped a potential first-down catch on New Orleans' failed final possession.
Meanwhile, the Patriots held New Orleans to 73 yards rushing as a team.
Maye began making plays on New England's first possession, converting a third-and-9 with a pass to Boutte before launching his deep scoring pass to Douglas.
On his second series, Maye had a 61-yard touchdown pass to Douglas nullified by a late flag for an offensive pass interference call on Stefon Diggs. Undaunted, Maye continued finding completions — one on a back-handed flip under pressure to TreyVeyon Henderson for a 9-yard gain.
“His instincts are crazy,” Ellis said. “Sometimes he flicks the ball out there and he just moves in the pocket so well now. He knows where to be and he knows where the ball needs to be. He’s playing great.”
Soon after, Maye fired a 25-yard scoring strike to Boutte, who made the catch in the back of the end zone amid tight coverage by Kool-Aid McKinstry.
“I think I’m good at contested catches honestly – something I’ve been doing since college at LSU," Boutte said.
The Saints briefly took a 16-14 lead on Grupe's third field goal of the first half before Boutte's 29-yard touchdown catch put New England back in front at 22-16 in the last minute of the second quarter.
Patriots: OLB Harold Landry and CB Carlton Davis received treatment on the field, but both returned. .... CB Marcus Jones also received attention on the field in the second half.
Saints: LT Kelvin Banks Jr. appeared to hurt his right leg in the second quarter and LB Isaiah Stalbird also received treatment for an apparent lower-body injury and returned. ... DE Chase Young came back from a calf injury to make his season debut. He pressured Maye at times, but finished with one tackle and without a sack.
Patriots: Visit Tennessee next Sunday.
Saints: Visit Chicago next Sunday.
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