DATE:
November 25, 2001
SITE:
Foxboro Stadium (60,292) - Grass
TIME:
4:05 p.m. EST
TELEVISON:
This week's game will be broadcast nationally on FOX (locally on WFXT Channel 25 in Boston). Sam Rosen will provide the play-by-play detail and will be joined by broadcast partners Bill Maas.
RADIO:
WBCN's Rock Radio Network 104.1 FM. Gil Santos, now in his 25th season as voice of the Patriots, will call the action along with Gino Cappelletti. The tandem is enjoying their 18th season together.
The New Orleans Saints (5-4) will march in to Foxboro this week to battle the New England Patriots (5-5). It will be the Patriots' only appearance on FOX this season and FOX's farewell to Foxboro Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. The Patriots are 3-2 at home this year, while the Saints are 3-2 on the road.
Through 10 games, the Patriots are .500 and in third place in the AFC East division race with just six games to play. Of their final six opponents, four currently have winning records, including the two division rivals who are ahead of them in the standings, New York (7-3) and Miami (6-3).
Last week, the Saints celebrated a 34-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak. Conversely, the Patriots lost to the St. Louis Rams, 24-17, snapping a two game win streak. The Saints are the only team to defeat the Rams this season, a 34-31 triumph at St. Louis on Oct. 28.
This week's game will be just the 10th in the series with the Saints and the Patriots own a 6-3 overall record. The Patriots won the first five games in the series before dropping three straight. The Patriots defeated the Saints in their last meeting, 30-27, in 1998.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, now 5-3 as a starter, has completed 159 of 248 attempts this season, for a completion percentage of 64.1 percent. He has the potential to finish the season as the most accurate passer in franchise history. The Patriots single-season record is held by Tony Eason, who completed 61.6 percent of his attempts (276 of 448) in 1986. The last quarterback to finish a season completing over 60 percent of his passes was Drew Bledsoe in 1997 (.602). In each of the last two games, Brady completed over 70 percent of his attempts. The last time that was accomplished by a Patriots quarterback was in 1996 when Bledsoe completed over 70 percent of his passes in three consecutive games.
Brady's favorite target this season has been Troy Brown, who continues to post Pro Bowl-type numbers. Through 10 games, he has 63 receptions for 794 yards and four touchdowns. If he continues at that pace, he will finish the season with 100 receptions for 1,270 yards and six touchdowns. The Patriots single-season reception record is currently held by former tight end Ben Coates, who had 96 reception in 1994. Terry Glenn holds the team record for the most receptions in a single season by a wide receiver, which he set as a rookie in 1996 with 90 receptions.
