Then an in-cut to Collie that picked up 15 and a quick-hitter to Dobson for 6. He was on his way to his first 1,000-yard season but had caught just 32 total passes over the previous three years.īrady opened with a dart to Edelman for 23 yards, moving the Patriots across midfield. And even Edelman wasn’t Edelman at this point. When Brady broke the huddle to start this do-or-die drive, his five skill-position players were Edelman, Bolden, Austin Collie and rookies Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins. Making matters worse, the player the Patriots signed to replace Welker, Danny Amendola, left the Saints game with a concussion and wasn’t available in the fourth quarter (and was an all-around disappointment until much later in his New England tenure anyway). Four were gone, and the lone holdover - Gronkowski - was dealing with an injury that would sideline him until Week 7. None of them were with the team and active when the 2013 season began. ![]() The Patriots’ top five pass-catchers in 2012 were Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Woodhead. The supporting cast he had during this season was one of the weakest he played with during his two decades in New England. ![]() Here’s where we should include a reminder that Brady was not surrounded by an arsenal of top-flight offensive weapons in 2013. ![]() That brought Brady back out with 1:13 left on the clock, no timeouts and 70 yards to travel for a go-ahead touchdown. Their defense forced a quick three-and-out, with Chandler Jones lassoing Brees for a 5-yard loss on third down. Ballgame, right? That’s what a significant portion of the home crowd believed, with fans beginning to stream toward the parking lot as Brees’ offense returned to the field.īut the Patriots weren’t buried. Saints ball at their own 30 with 2:24 remaining. “I’m really not sure what Tom Brady saw on that play,” FOX analyst Troy Aikman pondered on the game broadcast. Two-and-a-half minutes to get four points? That’s an eternity for Tom Brady, especially since the Saints’ decision to pass on third down saved the Patriots a timeout.īut on his next snap, Brady heaved a deep ball to Julian Edelman that sailed well wide of its mark, resulting in an easy interception for cornerback Keenan Lewis. The Saints made New England burn two timeouts, took a shot with a fade to Marques Colston (broken up by Alfonzo Dennard, who’d been beaten deep on Stills’ touchdown minutes earlier), then tacked on a Garrett Hartley field goal to make it 27-23 with 2:29 to play. The ensuing Patriots drive went nowhere: a quick four-and-out with drops by Brandon Bolden and Aaron Dobson. Two Stephen Gostkowski field goals ensued, followed by a 34-yard scoring strike from Drew Brees to Kenny Stills - over two defenders on third-and-20 - that put New Orleans ahead 24-23 with 3:29 remaining in the fourth. Two short Stevan Ridley touchdown runs gave the Patriots a 17-7 lead at halftime, but the Saints tied things up midway through the third quarter on a touchdown by Khiry Robinson. The Saints, with head coach Sean Payton back from his yearlong Bountygate suspension, came in a perfect 5-0, winning each of their last three by double digits. They’d been far from dominant, though, averaging just 19 points per game and losing a 13-6 rock fight to the Cincinnati Bengals in the pouring rain in Week 5. ![]() The only non-playoff game to rank higher was the Pats-Denver Broncos showdown from six weeks later (24-point comeback, “take the wind,” etc.), which came in fifth.įor those who might not recall the intricacies of this mid-October thriller, hop aboard the way-back machine:Īfter losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the previous year’s AFC Championship Game, the Patriots had opened the 2013 season with wins in four of their first five games. When we assembled our Top 10 Patriots Games of the Decade last December, this one - final score: Patriots 30, Saints 27 - checked in at No. The 2013 meeting between New England and New Orleans - perhaps best remembered as the “Unicorns, Show Ponies, Where’s the Beef” game - was an underappreciated classic, featuring two of the game’s greatest quarterbacks, dueling fourth-quarter comebacks, a last-second touchdown, a legendary radio call and one of the best two-minute drills of Tom Brady’s illustrious Patriots tenure. We can only hope this game is as entertaining as the Saints’ last visit to Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots will host the New Orleans Saints this Sunday.
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