Sunday basically is a must-win game for Bill Belichick and the Patriots.

New England hasn’t started 1-4 since 2000, Belichick’s first year on the job, when it got off to an 0-4 skid before winning two in a row. But at 1-3, the Patriots will face that same, bleak reality Sunday when they host the 2-2 Saints.

New Orleans’ offense is mediocre at best, but its defense is for real. In fact, the Saints gave up 20 or fewer points in 12 of their previous 14 games, including a stretch of 11 straight.

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So, it could be tough sledding for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who’s in desperate need of a good performance after last weekend’s stinker against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

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Will he get the job done and push New England back on track? Or will Derek Carr and the Saints send the Patriots to a new post-Tom Brady low?

We’ll find out soon enough.

    What do you think?  Leave a comment.

Here’s how to watch Sunday’s Patriots-Saints game online and on TV:

When: Sunday, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m. ET ET
TV: CBS
Live stream: FuboTV | Paramount Plus

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Featured image via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images