The New England Patriots are coming off a huge upset victory over the Bills in Buffalo, but the team has spent all week saying the win is in the past. The Patriots sound like a team that has been there before, and their focus is only on Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints.

Now they have to go out and prove it on Sunday. The Patriots can't afford to "play with their food" and play down to a one-win Saints team. New Orleans may have started the season 0-4, but the Saints will make the Patriots pay if they take their foot off the gas.

But Mike Vrabel has his team thinking the right way ahead of a softer stretch in the schedule. New England's next four opponents -- the Saints, the Titans, the Browns, and the Falcons -- are a combined 5-14 on the season. The Falcons are the only team with multiple wins at the moment.

The Patriots got a massive boost on all fronts from Sunday's 23-20 win over their divisional rival, but it won't mean much if they fizzle out in New Orleans. New England is determined to bring the same energy and avoid a letdown in Sunday's showdown with the 1-4 Saints in New Orleans. 

"We have a job to do," head coach Mike Vrabel said earlier this week. "It's the same every week. I think if we are consistent each and every week, I think it allows us to get past some of those things. We're happy when we won, disappointed when we lost. I think we've responded. We'll make sure that we're doing everything that we possibly can to prepare to go on and handle another tough environment, the crowd noise, and everything else."

"I think it's something you can build off, for sure," Maye said of New England's two-game win streak on Wednesday. "Obviously it builds confidence. That's what Coach always preaches: Getting wins and the win column build confidence, but you've got to flush it, keep going and worry about – it's any given week in this league. You learn that really fast."

Here's what we'll be watching for as the Patriots go for a third straight win on Sunday, something they haven't done since the 2022 NFL season.

Any more explosive plays from Maye and Diggs?

The Drake Maye-Stefon Diggs relationship grew even stronger last Sunday, when Diggs delivered an elite performance against his old team with 10 receptions for 146 yards. He had a pair of big receptions from Maye, and nothing displayed the QB's trust in the veteran receiver like their 32-yard connection midway through the third quarter.

Diggs has knocked off the rust and put up a big game for the Patriots. The final step is for the receiver to find the end zone in a New England uniform. Perhaps that will come this weekend.

With Diggs looking like an All Pro last week, Maye had his best game as a starter as he completed 22 of his 30 passes for 273 yards. He didn't throw any touchdowns, but he didn't throw any interceptions either. If he goes pick-free again on Sunday, it will be the first time in his NFL career that Maye will have gone three straight games without completing a pass to the opposing defense.

That Maye has taken his game to the next level as Diggs has returned to his usual form is no coincidence. Diggs has five of New England's 16 explosive plays (more than 20 yards) for the season, and all five of them have come in the last two weeks. His emergence has opened things up for Maye downfield, and the quarterback is taking full advantage.

However, the explosive plays may not be there this weekend. The New Orleans defense is in the Bottom 10 of the NFL at 27.0 points allowed per game, but they have a stingy pass defense. The Saints have allowed just 204.0 passing yards per game and only 7.3% of those passing plays have been of the explosive variety, both of which rank ninth-best in the NFL.

New Orleans defensive backs Kool-Aid McKinstry, Jonas Sanker, and Jordan Howden are all coming off strong games last week against the Giants. McKinstry had two picks off Jaxson Dart, while Sanker and Howden both recovered New York fumbles. Howden took his fumble recovery back 86 yards for a game-sealing touchdown for New Orleans. Both Sanker and Howden had key pass break-ups for the Saints' defense too.

Maye, Diggs, and the rest of the Patriots' offense might have to beat the Saints with a bunch of paper cuts on Sunday, which Diggs is more than capable of doing from the slot. It could also mean big afternoons for tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper.

Having the run game show up would help the Patriots, too.

Can the Patriots run the ball against the Saints? 

While Maye and the passing game is firing for New England, the run game has been mostly stuck in neutral. The Patriots are averaging just 95.2 rushing yards per game, and is one of just seven teams averaging less than 100 yards on the ground each week. 

The stable took a hit last Sunday too when Antonio Gibson was reportedly lost for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. That will leave Rhamondre Stevenson, rookie TreVeyon Henderson, and eventually, Terrell Jennings to handle the load out of the backfield.

Stevenson's fumble issues were back last Sunday and he's now given up the football three times over the last three games. His workload will likely increase with Gibson now out, but will that lead to Stevenson remembering how to hand onto the football or will his turnover issues get worse? And if Vrabel is forced to sit Stevenson, that's putting a lot on the plate of a rookie in Henderson.

Henderson is still trying to find his footing in the NFL. Jennings is waiting to be signed off the practice squad this weekend.

The Saints have former Patriots run-stuffer Davon Godchaux in the middle of their defensive line, but New Orleans has been susceptible on the ground this season, especially the last two weeks. The Saints have allowed at least 130 rushing yards in their last two games, and rank 20th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (122.2 per game) for the season. 

As good as the Patriots' pass attack has been with Maye, they need to establish the run so they don't get too one-dimensional on offense.

Time for Milton Williams, Christian Barmore to feast in the trenches?

The Patriots will bring a big edge in the trenches into their matchup in the Big Easy against a struggling Saints offensive line. New Orleans is 30th in the NFL in both pass-blocking and run-blocking win rate, giving the New England defensive line a chance to take over Sunday's game.

Milton Williams and Christian Barmore have been doing a lot of great things for the Patriots' defense, but those contributions haven't shown up in the stat sheet. Both will have an opportunity to put up some big numbers on Sunday if they match up with right guard Torricelli Simpkins, who gave up five pressures against the Giants last weekend. 

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler hasn't had much time to throw this season and is settling mostly for quick, short passes. He is coming off his first career win after an 0-10 start, and completed 21 of his 31 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown last week against New York. He wasn't sacked last week for the first time all season and just the second time of his career.

The quarterback can get out of the pocket and buy time with his legs, but his options may not be there Sunday against a Patriots secondary that is starting to take off.

The speedy Rashid Shaheed

The New England secondary is rounding into shape now that Christian Gonzalez has a few games under his belt alongside Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones. The trio will have their hands full -- and their legs will be getting quite the workout -- throughout the game Sunday against a speedy New Orleans receiving corps. 

Chris Olave is leading the charge for Rattler and New Orleans with 33 receptions, and 15 of those catches have gone for first downs. When Olave isn't beating opposing secondaries, the lightning-quick Rashiid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks are looking to break things open one big, spectacular play at a time.

Shaheed had one of those last week against the Giants, when he had an 87-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He reached a top speed of 21.72 mph on the play, which is the fastest speed on an offensive touchdown this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

Shaheed (who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season) has real game-breaking ability and it can come out of the slot or as a vertical threat. Jones will likely look to match speed-for-speed with Shaheed on Sunday, while Gonzalez will look to shut down Olave and Davis will match up with Cooks. 

New England's safeties may be shorthanded with Jaylinn Hawkins already ruled out for the game. That will leave rookie Craig Woodson and Kyle Dugger to handle tight end Juwan Johnson, who has is second on the Saints with 24 catches and is averaging 9.3 yards per reception this season.