Patriots’ Week 6 hero might’ve just saved his job with one massive play

The New England Patriots (4-2) are officially off to their best start since 2019, when Tom Brady was still their quarterback. Drake Maye is playing with the consistency of a legitimate MVP candidate right now, and the attention flowing his way is about as expected as it is deserved.

The Patriots’ defense, however, might not be getting the credit it deserves for what is now a three-game winning streak.

After an up-and-down first half, the Patriots put the clamps on head coach Kellen Moore and the New Orleans Saints in Sunday’s 25-19 win. New England has now allowed 20 points or fewer in three consecutive games, with four takeaways over that span (all against the Saints and Bills).

The lone turnover of Sunday’s game in New Orleans proved to be the turning point. 

The Saints were about to have a first down in Patriots’ territory midway through the fourth quarter when an unlikely hero punched the ball free from tight end Juwan Johnson. Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss has had a rough start to the 2025 season, but he may have saved his job with the clutch performance his team needed to survive New Orleans with a win.

New England Patriots LB Christian Elliss just flipped the narrative on his 2025 season with huge game

Elliss earned his spot alongside Robert Spillane during training camp this year, but it had been a struggle through the first five games of 2025. He entered the Saints game with nine missed tackles and had been a liability in pass coverage with 13 receptions allowed on 13 targets, per Pro Football Focus.

That changed against the Saints on Sunday. Elliss had his first pass breakup of the season to go with seven tackles and two run stuffs. He also had the key forced fumble on Johnson that stopped the Saints’ best chance at scoring a go-ahead touchdown.

Elliss’ high-IQ play to punch the football out could not have come at a better time.

The Patriots, leading by six, had just punted the ball back to the Saints with 9:41 left in regulation; it was a frustrating drive, too, after penalties nixed a pair of would-be first-down throws, including a 51-yarder to Stefon Diggs that would set the Patriots up in chip-shot field goal range.

New Orleans quarterback Spencer Rattler promptly hit back-to-back throws for first downs on the ensuing drive, and Johnson was diving across midfield when Elliss attacked the ball from behind and dislodged it. 

The takeaway didn’t result in game-sealing points for the Patriots, but it did improve their field position. Instead of first-and-10 from midfield with 8:50 remaining, the Saints wound up starting from their own 10 with 5:51 left; they never crossed midfield again.

Elliss thoroughly outplayed Jahlani Tavai, who continues to see a part-time role since returning from injured reserve in Week 5. It was fair to speculate whether Tavai or someone else would take Elliss's job as he struggled through September. However, similar to the feeling coming out of training camp this summer, the job is Elliss's to lose. Sunday's game only solidified it further.