New England, you have a football team again. Just six weeks into his first season as Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel has already matched the team's win total from the last two seasons. 

The Patriots followed up last weekend's upset win over the Bills with a hard-fought, 25-19 victory against the one-win New Orleans Saints in Week 6. There was no letdown for New England after such an emotional victory on Sunday Night Football, as the team continues to build in Vrabel's first season.

Not much was easy for the Patriots in "The Big Easy," but they made some big plays in the first half and held on for the win. Quarterback Drake Maye was excellent again, the defense bent a bit but didn't ultimately break, and Vrabel displayed the patience of a saint (not of the football variety) as he dealt with a JV officiating crew throughout the game. 

It wasn't perfect for New England, so there are some "Downs" to highlight. But a lot went right for the Patriots as they won for a third straight game on Sunday.

UP: Drake Maye

Another Sunday, another great game for Drake Maye. The Patriots quarterback was excellent in the first half, as he went 11-for-13 for 185 yards and three touchdown passes before halftime. One of those scores was a 53-yard bomb to DeMario Douglas, and he had a 61-yard touchdown taken off the board on a terrible OPI call on Stefon Diggs.

One of Maye's incompletions in the first half came when the QB made a left-handed throwaway rather than take a sack.

It was a little tougher for Maye in the second half, but he finished the day with 261 passing yards and no turnovers off 18-for-26 passing. It's the third straight game Maye hasn't committed a turnover. 

While he didn't have any touchdowns in the second half, Maye hit Kayshon Boutte for a huge 21-yard connection on a third-and-11 before the two-minute warning. He did a great job spreading the ball around Sunday, as Maye hit seven different receivers.

UP: Marcus Jones

The slot corner was a game-wrecker for the New England defense on Sunday. Jones had three pass break-ups, including one in the end zone on New Orleans' first drive of the game. He also had a big sack early in the fourth quarter on third down that made the Saints settle for a field goal, making it a 25-16 game. 

Jones is a great return man, but he's really taken his defensive game to another level for the Patriots this season.

UP: Kayshon Boutte

The Louisiana native said he had to get 40 tickets for Sunday's game -- which he paid for on his own -- and he put on a show with two touchdowns for the Patriots. 

Boutte finished with five catches for 93 yards, which was good for 18.2 yards per reception. He made multiple contested catches, including a massive, win-sealing reception down the sideline late in the fourth quarter.

With 2:40 to play and the Pats facing a third-and-11, Boutte brought in 21-yard reception on a comebacker. After a great challenge by Vrabel, it was ruled Boutte stayed in bounds, which let the Patriots to burn even more clock before the 2-minute warning.

It was a huge day for Boutte in his return to the Superdome.

UP: DeMario "Pop" Douglas

Douglas has mostly been used as a blocker this season, but he popped with three receptions for 71 yards -- including a 53-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

He had a 61-yard touchdown too, but it didn't count because of the zebras called an egregious OPI on Diggs away from the play. 

UP: Mike Vrabel's challenges and patience

The Pats' head coach deserves a peace prize for the patience he showed with Sunday's officiating crew. Sure, he looked like he wanted to potentially end a few lives at points on Sunday, but he never let the bumbling crew get to him.

First, he didn't boil over after the phantom OPI on Diggs took a 61-yard touchdown off the board. (He didn't lose it when another Diggs OPI in the second half took a 53-yard reception for the receiver off the board, either.) Then in the second half, he stepped in and did the job of the officiating crew with a pair of key challenges for New England.

Vrabel threw the red flag with 8:50 left in the game when it looked like Christian Elliss forced a fumble on a reception by Juwan Johnson, but the officials ruled Johnson down by contact. But after review, the call was overturned and Elliss was credited with a fumble and Craig Woodson got the recovery.

The Patriots punted six plays later, but were able to take nearly three minutes off the clock. 

Then when Boutte brought in his 21-yard reception on a comebacker, Vrabel challenged again when the receiver was ruled to be pushed out of bounds. That would have stopped the clock ahead of the 2-minute warning, but by winning the challenge, the Patriots didn't snap the ball again until after the 2-minute warning. When they did so, they did it in the victory formation. 

Winning that challenge sealed the win for the Patriots, and let Vrabel show off his big brain. Sunday was a real good day for Vrabel, and a real bad day for the officiating.

DOWN: New England's run Game

Rhamondre Stevenson didn't fumble, which was a step in the right direction. But other than that, Stevenson went backwards most of the day, as he ran for just 18 yards on his 13 carries -- averaging just 1.4 yards per carry.

TreVeyon Henderson was only slightly better, as he picked up 27 yards on his nine carries. With Drake Maye rushing for 28 yards on his nine scrambles, the Patriots finished with just 73 yards on the ground on 31 carries.

Being a one-dimensional offense may work against a one-win Saints team, but it's not going to lead to much success against better competition.

DOWN: Garrett Bradbury

We haven't heard Bradbury's name much, which is good. But he had a big miscue in the second quarter when the Patriots went for it on fourth down with six minutes left in the first half. 

Bradbury sent his shotgun snap to Maye wide right on fourth-and-7, and Maye had to pounce on the ball to keep the New Orleans defense from making a big play. The Saints got a field goal out of the turnover on downs, but it didn't hurt the Patriots too much as they answered with a touchdown drive before halftime.