Going into another game where the odds are stacked in their favor, the Patriots are hoping to win a third game in a row and build upon the impressive performance they displayed against the Bills last Sunday night. They should be able to accomplish that against the 1-4 Saints, even on the road, but they will be short in a key area that could become a problem throughout the afternoon.
Although they haven't played a significant role so far this season, the absence of pass rushers Anfernee Jennings and Keion White, who the Patriots ruled out on Friday, so there won't be much depth for the pass rushers to rely on this weekend.
That means, even more than it has over the last few weeks, that a player like Harold Landry III needs to get back to the player we saw in Week 1 and 2, where he recorded 3.5 sacks and looked well on his way to being and underrated quarterback annihilator, or the defense might have a bigger problem on their hands moving forward.
Outside of Christian Barmore and Milton Williams, the pass rush hasn't been as productive over the last few games as it was at the start of the year. Now, being down a capable player like Jennings could become a problem.
White, on the other hand, might not be, since he has seemingly fallen down the depth chart and hasn't been playing all that well so far. However, this does mean there will be a lot of pressure on their teammates, like Landry, to pick things up, given the limited depth behind them to help.
The Patriots pass rush will need to step it up big-time against the Saints with their depth now depleted due to injuries
The duo of Barmore and Williams has proven to be the best thing going for the Patriots' defense, which is great to see considering how much money they spent on one and how the other missed most of last season due to health reasons.
They have made up much of their pass rush so far, but they cannot be the only ones delivering in that area. Landry began the season looking like an absolute star, and he still could be that for them the rest of the year. But he has certainly slowed down as the weeks have gone on, as he recorded 3.5 sacks in the first two games, and none in the three since.
He was brought in to be that guy for this defense, so he needs to return to his form against the Raiders and Dolphins before it becomes a bigger problem.
We'll need to see more from Barmore and Williams, too, as the latter has recorded just 2.5 sacks in five games so far. Yet, at the same time, those around them need to step up more and contribute to the pass rush because they cannot do it on their own.
That's why losing a potential contributor like Jennings could be problematic. Perhaps now that K'Lavon Chaisson might be back in the lineup, that will improve their chances of getting to QB Spencer Rattler on Sunday. He, too, has recorded 2.5 sacks, so there's a chance he could add more this week.
They'll need it if they want to continue seeing the defense grow and become more dominant. Otherwise, and maybe regardless, it shows that Mike Vrabel and Co. need to invest more in their pass rush next offseason to ensure this isn't a problem when one player is sidelined for a game.