#TBT to the last Patriots-Saints matchup
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| Stephan Savoia | AP |
*This article is part of a weekly Throwback Thursday series that will feature key stat lines and short recaps of the last time the New England Patriots played their upcoming opponent.
Last Time Out…
I am way too excited to write this #TBT post on the last time the New England Patriots faced off against the New Orleans Saints, and you’re about to find out why.
Excluding preseason games, the two teams last met on October 13, 2013 when the Saints visited Gillette Stadium for a Week 6 matchup. When it looked like New Orleans was about to head to 6-0 to start the season, Brady and company had other ideas. The Patriots posted a crazy comeback at the end of regulation to win the game 30-27.
Noteworthy…
Unicorns! Shows ponies! Where’s the beef!?!?
The Patriots found themselves down 27-23 with just over two minutes to go in the game. While it looked like a Brady interception was the end of it to seal the deal for the Saints, the Patriots defense came up big to force a three-and-out from Brees. New England got the ball at their own 30, but there was only a little over a minute go to, and the Patriots had zero timeouts left.
Brady and company drove 70 yards down the field to then hit rookie Kenbrell Thompkins for a 17-yard touchdown with just seconds left to seal the victory.
This legendary finale left us with some epic commentary by Scott Zolak and an incredible GIF of Rob Ryan.
via GIPHY
The Stats…
Tom Brady went 25-of-43 with 269 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Drew Brees completed 17 of 36 attempts for 236 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Stevan Ridley led the way for Patriots’ rushing corps with 20 carries, 96 yards and two touchdowns. For the Saints, Khiry Robinson had seven carries for 53 yards and one touchdown.
New England’s receiving group was pretty widespread that day with an array of receivers getting their hands on the ball. Aaron Dobson led the way with six receptions and 63 yards. Michael Hoomanawanui and Julian Edelman each racked up 57 receiving yards. And Kenbrell Thompkins came through with the clutch touchdown on the day. He racked up three receptions for 45 total yards.
On New Orleans’ side, Kenny Stills and Benjamin Watson caught three passes each for 64 and 61 yards respectively, while Darren Sproles tallied six catches and 58 yards.
For the defense, Patriots’ Joe Vellano racked up eight total tackles while Steve Gregory and Chandler Jones totaled seven total tackles each. Jones also recorded a sack on the day.
The Saints’ defense was led by Curtis Lofton and Rafael Bush who posted 12 and 11 total tackles, respectively. New Orleans’ defense included four sacks on the day.
And Now…
The Patriots travel to Louisiana to take on the Saints for a Sunday afternoon matchup. The game will kick off on September 17 at 1pm at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Follow Megan on Twitter: @carnahanmegan
