The New England Patriots are in trouble.
There are layers to that assertion. The Patriots are in trouble for the 2023 season, which is in danger of slipping away as they sit at 1-3 and having just lost their best overall player (Matthew Judon) and arguably their second-best (Christian Gonzalez), and having come off one of the ugliest losses in franchise history. They’re in trouble for the long-term, because their roster-building on offense has been poor in an offense-driven era of football, and the futures of both quarterback Mac Jones and head coach Bill Belichick are uncertain.
And yes, they’re in trouble on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 26: Head coach Bill Belichick and Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots walk off the field after the loss to the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
It is very much worth noting that the Saints went into Foxboro two years ago and beat the Patriots 28-13, in Mac Jones’ third career start. Jones threw a PICK-6! 🙌@MalcolmJenkins TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE 💪#Saints | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/dS4PIWDnlp
The Saints also won that game with Jameis Winston at quarterback, and it’s possible they get Winston again on Sunday, as incumbent starter Derek Carr deals with an AC joint injury. There’s less overall concern for the Patriots defense against those QBs, but there’s a chance that the Saints are getting the Patriots at the perfect time, as they scramble to adjust to life without Judon and Gonzalez.
But clearly, the bigger worry is for Mac Jones and the offense, regardless of what happened two years ago. Coming off the worst single-game performance of his career, Jones is in desperate need of a bounce-back, and it’s not going to be easy this Sunday.