(Photo credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images)

Drake Maye passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns and the visiting New England Patriots defeated the New Orleans Saints 25-19 on Sunday afternoon.Maye completed 18 of 26 passes as the Patriots (4-2) matched their win total from last season while improving to 3-0 on the road.Spencer Rattler completed 20 of 26 for 227 yards but no touchdowns and Blake Grupe kicked four field goals for the Saints (1-5).A high-scoring first half was followed by a second half featuring defense.The Patriots received the second-half kickoff and drove to a 24-yard field goal by Andy Borregales that increased their lead to 25-16, which held up through the end of the third quarter.On the third play of the fourth quarter Grupe kicked a 54-yard field goal to pull the Saints within 25-19.New Orleans got the ball back and drove across midfield, but Juwan Johnson fumbled and Craig Woodson recovered for New England at its 49.The Saints got the ball again after a punt but wound up punting themselves and the Patriots ran out the clock.On the first offensive play of the game Rattler connected with Chris Olave for a 53-yard completion, leading to Grupe's 34-yard field goal.On the fourth play of the ensuing possession Maye hit DeMario Douglas for a 53-yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 7-3 lead. Grupe added a 48-yard field goal that pulled the Saints within one point with 5:09 left in the quarter.Maye's 25-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte gave New England a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.Taysom Hill's 1-yard touchdown run pulled New Orleans within one point. The Patriots crossed midfield on the next possession, but on fourth-and-7 an errant snap got past Maye and he fell on the ball at the New England 47.That led to Grupe's 38-yard field goal that gave the Saints a 16-14 lead with 1:51 left in the half.Maye and Boutte teamed up once again on a 29-yard touchdown pass and after two penalties on New Orleans, Maye sneaked for a two-point conversion, giving the Patriots a 22-16 halftime lead.--Field Level Media