The UMaine men’s swimming and diving team finished off the regular season with a loss to the Providence Friars at Taylor Natatorium on Saturday, Jan. 28. The rival Friars topped the Black Bears by a score of 177-111.

Despite the loss, Maine’s A team shined in the opening event, winning the 200-meter medley relay. First-years Hayden Kasavicha, Jack McNamara, Jacob Ketch and fourth-year Kevin Clyne all contributed to the victory. The final time for the team was 1:48.09, which earned the squad 11 points.

Clyne and Ketch contributed in the 200-meter freestyle as well, helping the team take home second place with an end time of 1:39.09. They were also aided by teammates first-year Andy Sprague and second-year Coulter Morrill.

Clyne also shined in the butterfly, taking home second with a time of 1:59.82, and in the 50-meter freestyle, he earned third place (24.64).

In the 1- and 3-meter dives, first-year Kyle Adams beat out fellow first-year and teammate Ben Sturgis. Adams posted times of 265.57 and 235.65 in the 1- and 3-meter dives respectively.

In the 100-meter freestyle, third-year Alexander Penn finished third with a time of 54.02. He finished a half second behind first-year Friar Sebastian Melendez and a tenth of a second behind second-year Patrick Brannigan

In the 100-meter breaststroke and 200-meter medley, Maine once again was helped by one of its newcomers. First-year Kazu Temple finished second in both the events, with times of 1:08.29 and 2:14.11 respectively. The Palo Alto, Calif. native also finished third in the 200-meter medley relay with a time of 1:51.11.

Morrill was able to beat out Temple in the 200-meter breaststroke, edging him out for runner up with a time of 2:29.07. Morrill also played a key role for the men in the 200-meter relay.

In the 800-meter freestyle, first-year Alexander Watson placed second with a time 9:09.70. Watson’s results would wrap up Maine’s top performers on the afternoon.

Women’s swimming loses dual meet at New Hampshire

The UMaine women’s swimming and diving team lost 167-106 on the evening of Friday, Jan.  26, to the Wildcats of New Hampshire at Swasey Pool.

Maine took home first in three events of the night.

In the 500-yard freestyle it was redshirt second-year Gabrielle Murphy finishing with a time of 5:19.21. Her time was good for a first place finish.

In the 100-yard butterfly, fourth-year Victoria Kingston completed the event in 59.08., good for another first place finish.

In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the squad of fourth-year Emily Borger, second-year Emma Blair, third-year Julianna McDonald and second-year Sabrina Nuttall finished first with an end time of 1:38.69. For the bulk of the swimmers on this team, the action wasn’t over. Along with first-year Rita Chen, Blair, Nuttall and McDonald finished with a time of 1:50.00. Just behind them group of first-year Ines Khiyara, third-year Megan McGillivray, Kingston and Borger, who ended with a time of 1:51.84, which was good for third place.

McGillivray would also earn a second place finish in the 100-yard backstroke, earning a time of 1:00.21. First-year Caroline Strolic finished right behind her in third, registering a time of 1:01.73, and also found herself in second place in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:30.49.

Women’s swim team earns win at Providence

The UMaine women’s swim team ended their regular season on a positive note on the afternoon Saturday, Jan. 27, by beating the Providence Friars 161.5 to 133.5 at Taylor Natatorium.

Both relays were won by Maine on the day. First, it was the A team of McGillivray, Borger, Chen and Nuttall taking home the 200-meter relay posting a time of 2:02.11. The victory earned the team 11 points. The B team consisting of Blair, Khiyara, McDonald and Kingston finished second with an end time of 2:03.67. The Providence A team of third-years Juliet McLaughlin and Abby Czerniecki and first-years Katie Thornton and Lauren Zawacki prevented a Maine sweep.

In the 200-meter freestyle relay, Blair, Chen, Borger and McDonald earned the team 11 more points finishing with a time of 1:49.95. Their performance was good for another first place finish.

In the 100-meter backstroke, first-year Lynsie Russell took home first with a time of 1:06.46. She also earned first place honors in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:28.39. The Maine native picked up second place in the 100-meter butterfly, finishing with a time of 1:06.64. Russell chipped in 24 points overall toward the team’s score.

Along with her help on the B team, Nuttall also earned wins in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke. Fellow teammate Khiyara finished behind her in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:18.65. In the 200-meter breaststroke, it was first-year Caroline Strolic finishing in second behind Nuttall.

McDonald finished in first place for Maine, topping all swimmers in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 1:00.60. Blair finished runner-up with a time of 1:00.77. Blair also won the 50-meter freestyle (27.43) on the day. Her performance would round out all the first place finishes for Maine.

The overall 161.5 points is the most the team has posted since they scored 172 against Rhode Island at the start of the season.

Both the women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams will travel to Worcester Polytechnic Institute on the weekend of Feb. 15, where they will compete in the America East Championships.

Both the University of Maine men and women’s track teams traveled to New Hampshire for a Friday afternoon meet. The two teams both finished in third place.

Maine had three top place finishers. Third-year Lauren Magnuson placed first in the 200-meter dash for the Black Bears. Third-year Ariel Clachar had the best long jump of any competitor, ending with nine points. In the weight throwing it was fourth-year Rachel Bergeron taking first overall, tallying nine points in the contest.

Dartmouth won the meet, finishing with 172 points. The University of New Hampshire placed second with 133.5 points, Maine was third with 129 points, and Vermont rounded it out with 92.5.

On the men’s side, first-year John Hassett crossed the line first in the one mile run, with a time of 4:20.76. In the high jump, second-year Troy Davis displayed his skills, notching nine points and a first place finish.

The long jump proved to be Maine’s best event. The first three competitors were all Black Bears, with Davis once again taking honors, ending with another nine points. First-year Elijah White took second with seven points and third-year Dylan Smith ended in third.

In the triple jump, White found himself up a spot, finishing with nine points.

Fourth-year Garrett Johnson stood out in the heptathlon. Overall, in the multi-person event, the squad ended with a total mark of 839 points, beating out Dartmouth by more than 50 points.

On the day, it was the visiting UNH Wildcats taking home first in familiar territory. They finished with 157 points, narrowly edging Dartmouth who had 151. Maine finished with 129 and Vermont found themselves at the bottom with 115.

Both the men and women’s teams will now take a month-long break before returning to action on Jan. 13, as they both will return to Dartmouth. The first meet of the new year is set for an 11 a.m. start.

Almost everyone has heard the news: the New York Yankees made the first splash in the offseason, acquiring newly-named MVP Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins. While not having been rumored to Stanton up until a few days ago, the Bronx bombers wasted no time getting involved quickly, and making the trade for him less than 24 hours after engaging with Miami.

Stanton, who slashed a video-game type line of 59 home runs (HR), 132 runs batted in (RBI) and a 281. batting average (AVG). His HR and RBI totals were both good for best in the league.

This Stanton trade makes the AL East even more of an exciting division to follow. Stanton joins a Yankees lineup that consists of Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Didi Gregorius. I mention these players because the four of them combined to hit more home runs than four other baseball clubs hit the entire season- the Boston Red Sox, being one of them. Aaron Judge stood out the most, hitting 52 HRs. Judge also had 114 RBIs and a 284. AVG, which earned him Rookie of the Year honors.

As a Red Sox fan, I love and hate this trade. I knew Stanton wasn’t coming to Beantown, but seeing him donning pinstripes come early April will not be a pretty sight. At the same time, if you are an avid follower of baseball and specifically a Boston fan, this should excite you as well. The best seasons I’ve ever watched growing up were when the Red Sox and Yankees were at the peak of their rivalry. It was Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz going against Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. With Stanton now in the Big Apple, this rivalry is only further being revived. The Red Sox already have a lineup stacked with young talent and if they can go out and lure in an Eric Hosmer or J.D. Martinez type bat, I can’t even imagine the type of fireworks we’ll witness in the 2018 season.

Of course other pieces have to fall into place as well. Both teams experienced managerial replacements recently, and there are areas both teams need to sure up before spring training comes. Pitching comes to mind for both teams. The Red Sox need to find a way to balance out a rotation heavy with left-handed pitchers. On New York’s side, Luis Severino showed many signs of becoming an ace. But after that, there are some questions. Can they expect another solid campaign out of an aging pitcher in Sabathia, who will turn 38 in July? Masahiro Tanaka will also look to rebound from a subpar 2017, which saw his ERA skyrocket from 3.07 (2016) to 4.74 (2017).

Big East rival Georgetown University (5-0) proved to be too much of a challenge for the University of Maine men’s basketball team (1-7) on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Hoyas rode a dominant first half en route to a 76-55 victory in the first meeting between these two teams.

A fast start propelled Georgetown in the first 20 minutes. An 11-2 run out of gate forced Maine to call an early timeout. The Hoyas notched 40 points in the half, while holding the Black Bears to 24. Third-year forward Kaleb Johnson of Georgetown led all scorers with 18 points, and was one of five Hoyas to reach double figures on the night. Third-years Jessie Govan and Marcus Derrickson followed with 16 and 12 points to balance out the attack.

Redshirt third-year guard Aaron Calixte impressed with a team high 17 points for UMaine. He converted six of his nine shot attempts, and tallied five rebounds and a steal. Calixte was on the floor for a team-high 33 minutes.

Third-year Ilker Er turned in a solid performance off the bench, scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds. First-year Dennis Ashley chipped in 8 points of his own. Overall UMaine led in bench points (32-19).

Despite the 21-point loss, Maine’s play shined at times. They held Georgetown 9 points below their average on the season and to just under 23 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Georgetown entered the game having made 47 percent of their three-pointers, which was good for fourth in the nation. The team also lead in offensive rebounds (14-13) and in blocks (5-4).

The deciding factor was turnovers. Maine committed 18, to the Hoyas’ 12.

The Hoyas reached the foul line 29 times and made 22, good for over 75 percent. Maine reached the foul line just 10 times, and made seven.  

On the game Georgetown led in total field goal percentage 46.3 to 36.7. Neither team shot well from three-point range, with the Hoyas shooting 22.2 percent, while Maine shot a dismal 17.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite the inconsistent play, the team showed strides in the second half. They cut the Hoya lead to 12 with under 10 minutes to play in the second half, but Georgetown used a 9-0 run to quash any hopes of a Maine comeback.

The Hoyas will return to the court on Sunday, Dec. 3 for a matchup against Coppin State. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. at Capital One Arena. Maine returns to action Saturday, Dec. 2 when they travel to New York to take on Fordham, the final game of their three-game road trip. The game is set for a 2 p.m. tip-off at Rose Hill Gymnasium.

Black Bears fall to Fordham in Overtime

UMaine Men’s basketball lost an overtime thriller to Fordham University (3-4) 67-66 on the afternoon of Saturday Dec. 2 at Rose Hill Gymnasium down in the Bronx, NY.

Maine was less than four and a half minutes away from picking up their second win on the season when the Rams went on a 8-0 run to take a 60-57 lead with close to a minute to play. Er drained a three pointer with 42 seconds left in the contest, ultimately forcing the game into overtime. Er finished with 15 points off the bench for Maine.

Defense took over in extra time, with the score staying the same until Fordham scored a quick four points to take a 64-60 lead with under two minutes to go. The Black Bears answered back, converting on one of two attempts from the charity stripe, but Fordham answered with a made free throw attempt of their own, keeping their lead at four. The Black Bears made two more free throws to cut the Fordham lead to two once again, and had a chance to tie the game at 66 all. Unfortunately, they turned the ball over with just three seconds left. Maine fouled third-year guard Joseph Chartouny who was able to hit one of two shots. The Black Bears inbounded the ball and third-year guard Celio Araujo nailed a half court. Unfortunately the Brazil native’s incredible effort wasn’t enough, as time expired shortly after.

Araujo had a career mark of eight assists in 33 minutes played.

Maine’s offense was lead by Calixte who scored 20 points, and was a perfect 7 for 7 from the free throw line. He added four rebounds and two assists before eventually fouling out in overtime.

Second-year Andrew Fleming played a solid game of his own, notching a double double of 16 points and 13 rebounds in a team high 41 minutes of play.

Maine held the lead for 28 minutes of the 45 minute game. The game was tied for an eight minute stretch as well. Overall there were nine ties and nine lead changes throughout.

Chartouny lead all scorers in the game with 21. Fordham had help from third-year Prokop Slanina who chipped in 15 points and fourth-year Will Tavares who had 15 as well.

Maine held the edge rebounds 42-37 overall, including ten on the offensive side.

Fordham remains home to take on Harvard University on December 6. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m.

Maine will come home to play the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, following the women’s game. The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. start.

The No. 25 University of Maine Black Bears (12-6) couldn’t complete the comeback bid against No. 24 University of the Pacific (10-8) Friday afternoon at the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus. The team fell 3-2 to the Tigers in a close America East playoff game.

Pacific got off to a roaring start, netting their first goal only three minutes into the game. Fourth-year midfielder Savannah Burns sent a pass to second-year forward Krieke van Wyk, who was able to get the ball past fourth-year goalie Emma Cochran. Van Wyk and Burns are both standouts for the Tigers. The South African native van Wyk was named America East Offensive Player of the year, and Burns was awarded America East Midfielder of the year.

Van Wyk was not done flashing her talent, though. In the 19th minute she assisted third-year Rylee Comeau on a goal, giving Pacific a commanding 2-0 lead.

The two goals were the only shots on net in the entire half for Pacific, but the Tigers would head into the intermission with all the momentum.

In the second half the Black Bears began to show some life on offense. Third-year standout Libby Riedl scored on second-year Brianna Rickers’ shot, which hit the post and bounced directly to her. The goal came five minutes into the third period.

As the game progressed, Maine became more aggressive, sending a barrage of shots toward the net. They converted again in the 58th minute, when Riedl rifled a shot to the left of the goaltender to tie the game up 2-2. The play was set up nicely by third-year midfielder Casey Crowley, who stole the ball and passed it up ahead to Riedl.

The goal gave Riedl nine on the season and also upped her point total to 28, which is the highest on the team.

With three minutes to go in the game, van Wyk and Burns proved why they were both honored by America East. Burns assisted van Wyk on her second goal of the game. It would turn out to be the game winner.

Maine fought hard in the final three minutes of the contest, but failed to get any shots to the back of the net.

On the game each side tallied 10 shots. Pacific finished with five shots on goal while the Black Bears had four.

Fourth-years Madison Cummings, Emily Corbett and Cochran played their final games as  Black Bears. The trio lead UMaine to a (54-27) record in their four seasons on a team. The squad will have some voids to fill with them departing.

Overall on the year Maine ends with a (12-6) record. This is the seventh straight season the Black Bears have racked up at least 10 wins.  

As for Pacific, they will play again on Saturday, Nov. 4 at UMass Lowell as they square off against No. 18 Stanford. The game is set for an 11:30 a.m. start.

The University of Maine women’s soccer team (4-6-1; 2-1 AE) fought hard in West Hartford, Conn. Thursday night, but fell to the University of Hartford (6-6-1; 2-1 AE) 2-1 due to a quick overtime goal.

A minute into the first 10-minute overtime period, first-year Gabriela Gamory wove her way through traffic and netted the game-winner for the Hawks, quashing any hopes of a Maine comeback. The goal was the first of Gamory’s young career, and it propelled the team to their fourth straight win. The streak is the longest since the squad won four straight this same time a year ago.

Hartford, who entered the season as favorite to win the America East, played like it in the early going. Less than five minutes in, second-year forward Kaila Lozada scored off a ricochet shot. The goal gave Lozada five on the year, which tied her for the team lead. The second-year has been heating up as of late, now having scored in three of her past four games.

Despite the early deficit and Hartford’s strong suffocating defense, Maine played unphased and countered the aggressive play with some of their own. Second-year midfielder Nicole Bailey displayed excellent hustle while tracking down a pass from fellow second-year midfielder Emilie Andersen. Despite the pass going beyond Bailey’s reach, her quickness allowed her to sprint through the Hawks’ defense and drive home the game-tying goal. The goal was her second of the year, and it gave her a team a high of six points on the season. The assist gave Andersen her second point of the season and she has now had one in two consecutive games.

From there, the game would remain scoreless throughout regulation thanks to strong play from both teams’ defenses and goalies. Second-year goalie Annalena Kriebisch made four saves on the night, including a difficult one before the end of the first half, which preserved the tie.

First-year goalie Maia Perez matched Kriebisch’s effort, tallying four saves of her own. With only one goal allowed, the game marked ninth in which Perez has allowed one goal or less.

Overall the Hawks led in the major offensive categories. They outshot UMaine 18 to six overall and six to five on shots on goal. The Hawks also led in corners three to one.

Maine had seven players play the full 90 minutes of the game, including fourth-year defender Amy Falkin, who has done so in every game this year.

The overtime game marked the fourth one of the year for the Black Bears.

Hartford will host Stony Brook at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1.

Maine returns home for a noon matchup against University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). Afterward, they will hit the road for a trip which includes games against New Hampshire, Vermont and Albany in the span of 10 days.

Women’s soccer blanks UMBC 1-0

The UMaine Women’s soccer fought off aggressive play from the University of Baltimore Maryland County (UMBC) (2-6-3) Sunday afternoon, to preserve the shutout. The team improved to 2-1 in America East play, while the Retrievers dropped to 0-2.

“Full credit for bending and not breaking,” head coach Scott Atherley said of his defense’s performance. Although not allowing a goal, the team faced a lot of pressure in the second half, including four consecutive corner kicks from UMBC. UMBC held the total edge in corners 12 to six.

“They were very aggressive, definitely two distinctly different halves,” Atherley added.

Despite all the opportunities for the Retrievers, UMaine managed to deny them any decent shots toward the net, truly exemplifying the idea of the bend, but don’t break defense.

The best chance for UMBC came in the 83rd minute, when second-year Nikki Saad hit the post on a shot to the left corner. Saad was looking to score her first of the season.

The Black Bears played strong in the early going, forcing UMBC to stay in their end for much of the first 20 minutes. The team had a number of excellent set ups in the time frame and eventually converted on a corner. The goal happened when fourth-year Kendra Ridley headed in a pass from second-year Emilie Andersen off a corner kick in the 15th minute.

“They decided to zone the box, they played six zonal players, and weren’t marking me, or anyone else, which was nice because it gave us more room. Then Emilie put in a beautiful ball and I just happened to get it in the back of the net,” Ridley said of the situation.

The goal was Ridley’s second of the season, but the Ontario native has proved to be a force for the Black Bears in every game so far. She again played the full 90 minutes and was involved in several defensive stops, along with many great passes on the offensive side. Despite the goal being just the third of her career, all of them have proved to be game winners against America East opponents.

The Black Bears held the edge 13-12 in total shots as well as 5-4 on shots on goal. The opportunities were there throughout the afternoon, but the team could never quite finish their well-executed set ups.

“We definitely had a lot of chances, especially in the first half of this game,” Ridley said.

Much of the first-half chances were given to the Black Bears by undisciplined play on the Retrievers side, and moving forward, Ridley realizes that the team will need to do a better job finishing.

“We got to focus on getting the ball into the back of the net and following our runs in and tracking them,” she emphasized.

The Black Bears had a chance to go up 2-0 minutes before the half when first-year defender Olivia Bamford drove a shot in from nearly over 20 yards out. A leaping save off the fingertips of first-year goalie Jade Wilkins denied Bamford her second goal of the season.

Both goalies played exceptionally well. Wilkins finished with four saves on the afternoon, in what was her first start of her college career.  

Second-year goalie Annalena Kriebisch had five of her own. The shutout was the German native’s seventh of her career, and her fourth of the season. Kriebisch played on her toes for much of the second half, staying alert and trying to fend off the barrage of corner kicks from UMBC.

The Retrievers were unable to take advantage of their aggressive offensive play though; the team consistently held onto the ball too long, often resulting in turnovers.

Second-year midfielder Jessica Hopkins had the best looks for UMBC, finishing with three shots total, with two being on goal.

Third-year Jenna Denis also generated multiple shots for the Retrievers, with her best attempt sailing over the post in the 62nd minute. The shot would be one of the last chances UMBC had to tie the game on the afternoon.

The win was Atherley’s 147th of his UMaine tenure, and overall the team now leads the series 12-3-1 against UMBC.

The Black Bears won’t return home until Oct. 19, when they take on Binghamton. Their next three games will feature America East opponents in University of New Hampshire on Oct. 5, Vermont on Oct. 8 and Albany on Oct. 15.

Another strong performance from the offense was more than enough for the University of Maine field hockey team on Friday afternoon, as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Northeastern (5-4). The Black Bears (6-3) entered the home game having won four of their last five, and showed no signs of letting up against their rivals from Boston, who they’ve now defeated five straight times.

For the second straight game UMaine outshot their opponent by a significant margin, racking up 18 total while holding the Huskies to five. The Huskies were being shut out late into the second half until fourth-year Jamie Bartucca ended the bid, notching her ninth goal of the season.

For UMaine, third-year Emily Hindle got the scoring started, picking up her third goal of the season off a penalty corner. Eight minutes later, it was third-year Lydia Gavner notching her first of the season, finishing off a breakaway with a goal, giving the Black Bears a comfortable 2-0 lead halfway through the first half.

Late in the second half third-year Casey Crowley found the back of the net for her second goal of the season. Two minutes later, second-year Brianna Ricker tallied her fifth of the year.

In their first eight games, the offense has outperformed their opponents. So far on the year the team has outshot their opponent 176-54, which averages out to a 22 to six difference each game.

UMaine has quietly played strong on the defensive side as well. The defense has allowed one goal or less in six of their eight games so far, and fourth-year goaltender Emma Cochran has consistently been a part of the success.

In the Northeastern matchup, Cochran made one save on the day.

Next up, the Huskies will take on Vermont at home on Sunday Sep. 24, with a 2 p.m. start. UMaine travels to Memorial Field at the University of New Hampshire, for a neutral site matchup against No.12 Stanford. The Cardinal are the first ranked opponent UMaine will face this year.

Field Hockey falls vs Stanford

The Black Bears couldn’t overcome a quick start by the No. 12 Stanford Cardinal (7-2) falling 4-1 in the game.

The matinee matchup at Memorial Field at the University of New Hampshire experienced action early, when redshirt fourth-year Kristina Bassi scored for the Cardinal just two minutes into the game. From there on out, Stanford added three more goals and were backed with good defense en route to their seventh straight win.

For UMaine, the shutdown defense of Stanford proved to be too much. The team managed to outshoot Stanford 9-8 on the afternoon, but the nine attempts were less than half of their season average of 20. The Black Bears also only managed to get two of them on goal.

The lone goal scorer was third-year back Samantha Wagg, who netted her ninth of the season on a penalty corner, assisted by third-years midfielder Libby Riedl and Hindle. Wagg’s goal cut the Cardinal lead to 2-1 at the time, where it would stand until the half.

With the win, Stanford now holds a 3-2 edge in the series.

Next up the Cardinal take on Ohio State, slated for a 12 p.m. start on Saturday, Sep. 30. The Black Bears will travel to UMass Lowell to kick off America East play. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start on Sunday Oct. 1.

Final: Patriots 36, Saints 20

Offense: A

A vintage Tom Brady performance and an overall solid bounceback effort from the Patriots. They went back to throwing over the middle, and incorporated a lot of throws to running backs into their attack, both things we did not see last week. It was nice seeing Rob Gronkowski playing to his usual standards; he broke a number of tackles, including one on a 53-yard TD catch. His injury, which forced him out in the third, doesn’t appear to be serious at the moment, a sigh of relief for a team that can’t afford to lose any more offensive players. Cooks wasn’t involved most of the day (just 2 catches for 37 yards), but Phillip Dorsett surprised, hauling in three catches on three targets, including a 38-yard grab near the goal line. The running backs ran for over 100 yards, with Gillislee leading the charge with 69 yards on 18 carries. It appears he’s their feature back, but with numerous options at the position, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them mix it up week in and week out. The offense overall looked like what everyone thought it would, but the big question now turns to the team’s health.

Defense: B-

Don’t focus on the stat sheet in this game. Drew Brees threw for his usual 350 yards at home (he averaged 357 yards a game last season), but as a team New Orleans had a mere 13 points late into fourth, well below their home average. The defense gave up the yards but held strong on third down, making the Saints fail on eight out of 12 attempts. It was a true display of the bend-don’t-break defense we’ve seen in years past. The rush did a better job getting to Brees, forcing him into quick and often poor throws. The running attack of New Orleans never found too many holes, and ran for 81 on the game, 100 fewer than Kansas City last week. Fourth-round draft pick Deatrich Wise looked like a steal as well, disrupting the line upfront, and making a nice move to get the lone sack of Brees on the afternoon. This unit should continue to improve, and they definitely took a huge step forward yesterday.

Coaching: B+

After the debacle in the season opener, Belichick and Co. seemed to have things figured out in the Big Easy on Sunday. In the first half, McDaniels called a near perfect game, mixing in a good balance of runs and passes. He also returned to throwing over the middle, and made Gronk a focal point in the game plan from the beginning. Having James White lining up as receiver proved to be the right call on multiple occasions. He and Brady always seem to be on the same page. Having the running backs involved in the passing game has always worked wonders for this squad. Defensively, I wouldn’t call it a complete 180 from last week’s effort, but there were many improvements. The secondary looked better, and created far less space for the receivers to get open than they did a week ago. Despite generating only one sack, the line put pressure on Brees and forced him to throw the ball away multiple times, which is something you won’t see on the stat sheet. With quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Cam Newton coming to town in the next two weeks, it’ll be interesting to see how the unit gameplans with quarterbacks who run almost as well as they throw.

Special teams: C

Missing an extra point attempt automatically drops the unit a full letter grade, at least this week. Since missing a crucial point after touchdown attempt in Denver almost two years ago, kicker Stephen Gostkowski has been shaky at best. Ryan Allen’s punts were inconsistent; he had one that traveled only 27 yards. The coverage on kickoffs was hit or miss, and starting off the game by giving the Saints an extra 15 yards on a penalty was not ideal. Look for improvements: the missed PAT didn’t hurt them this week, but it could be the difference in a game moving forward.