The Saints and Patriots matchup has been gassed up this week because of the quarterback matchup between Tom Brady and Drew Brees. However, it’s also a good coaching matchup between Bill Belichick and Sean Payton.
Payton showed why in the second quarter. The Saints were facing a fourth-and-8 on the Patriots 16 and attempting a field goal. The kick was good, but the Patriots’ Jonathan Jones jumped offside. The Saints took the penalty, making it a fourth-and-3.
The offense lined up and tried to draw the Patriots offside, which they nearly did:
Instead, the Saints took a delay of game, and ended up kicking a field goal again. Wil Lutz made it, and it ended up being the same result.
While the play didn’t work, it was a great move by Payton and the Saints to attempt that. It nearly worked, and while it didn’t, they still got points out of it.