FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots haven’t exactly been lightning up the scoreboard on offense lately.
So it’s not surprising that the first touchdown between the two teams came from the other side of the ball Sunday afternoon.
Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu took the scoring issue into his own hands after the teams combined for three punts early in the first quarter. Mathieu snagged a pass from Patriots quarterback Mac Jones on third-and-6 with 7:11 left in the first quarter, returning it 27 yards for a touchdown and putting the Saints up 7-0.
.@SAINTS PICK 6! 🚨 @Mathieu_Era with the steal!
đź“ş: #NOvsNE on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/LxW25sxPWA pic.twitter.com/ASK40UJKxL— NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2023
Mathieu snagged the ball in the middle of the field after Jones was pressured into a throw by Saints defensive end Carl Granderson, returning it untouched for the score. It was Mathieu’s 30th career interception and the fourth pick Jones has thrown this season.
Jones has now thrown six career pick-sixes, tied with Matthew Stafford for the most in the NFL since 2021. Furthermore, the Patriots have now been outscored 45-0 off turnovers this season, which is the worst point differential in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
