The defending National Football League (NFL) champions New England Patriots began their preseason campaign with a defeat against the Green Bay Packers; and in week 2 they will take on the New Orleans Saints who also suffered a loss in their opener.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady played against the Packers despite his off-field legal battles regarding the Deflategate scandal, although he did not put on a great performance.
The three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) only completed one of his four passes for 10 yards.
Backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was the one who played the majority of the game against the Packers.
Garoppolo was successful on 20 of his 30 passes for 159 yards, but he threw an interception and was sacked seven times.
But playing Garoppolo for most of their preseason games and giving him minutes might be the best for him and the Patriots, especially since there is still uncertainty if Brady's four-game suspension will be upheld.
Brady is currently trying to appeal to higher court the suspension handed by the NFL.
Garoppolo will likely be the one getting most of the snaps against the Saints, but it is expected that Brady will step on the field for some time especially with the performance he is having in their training camp.
Meanwhile, the Saints are also trying to bounce back after beginning the preseason with a 30–27 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on the road.
The Saints will have home field advantage against the Patriots and they will try to capitalize on that to get their first preseason win.
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees did not play in their game against the Ravens but backups Ryan Griffin, Garrett Grayson, and Luke McCown did a pretty decent job for their team's offense.
According to the team's website, Brees is expected to return against the Patriots, although it is unknown yet how many snaps he will be playing.
The game will be played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. EST; to watch via live stream, click here.
