--LT Matt Light returned to the lineup Monday after missing several weeks with a knee injury suffered in the loss to Denver. He should be in the lineup the rest of the way.

--OL Sebastian Vollmer, who filled in while LT Matt Light was absent, sat out Monday's game with a head injury sustained in the Jets' game. Vollmer will be a big asset down the stretch, so it'll be interesting to see how soon he can return to the lineup.

--WR Randy Moss suffered through another frustrating game, catching only three passes for 64 yards. Moss was only targeted six times during the game.

--S Brandon Meriweather suffered through a difficult game, missing his assignment on a backbreaking, 75-yard touchdown pass in which Drew Brees' target was wide open over the middle of the field.

REPORT CARD VS. SAINTS

PASSING OFFENSE: C -- Tom Brady looked out of sync for most of the night, due in large part to the fact the Saints had Randy Moss covered tightly throughout the game. Brady overthrew open receivers at times and his first-half interception shifted the momentum toward New Orleans. The performance of the defense set the tone, but Brady's struggles didn't help.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B -- Laurence Maroney actually ran the ball well when given an opportunity, particularly on the opening drive when he converted a fourth-down attempt for a touchdown. Once the game got out of hand, the Patriots had to abandon the run, neutralizing Maroney as an effective weapon. Had the game been closer, he might've played a more pivotal role against New Orleans' defense.

PASS DEFENSE: F -- This was an absolute failure on all levels. Not only did Drew Brees throw five touchdowns, he also did so while completing 18-of-23 passes with no interceptions. The game got so ugly that coach Bill Belichick had to bench Jonathan Wilhite, and the alarming number of big plays and wide-open receivers made this performance tough to swallow.

RUSH DEFENSE: C -- The Saints certainly didn't gash the Patriots on the ground (that was Drew Brees' job), but they made every big play and conversion they needed to thanks to their rushing attack. Vince Wilfork got pushed around at times by the Saints' offensive line, allowing New Orleans to control the tempo when they needed to by moving the chains on the ground. Overall, this was not the Patriots' finest hour in any category defensively.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-plus -- The Patriots didn't give up much yardage on punt or kickoff returns, and neither did they get any on their end. Matthew Slater got leveled twice on kick returns, and the usually reliable Stephen Gostkowski missed a 50-yar field goal at the end of the half. Special teams didn't have much of an impact because the Patriots couldn't get anything going.

Coaching: D -- As Bill Belichick always says after a tough loss, everyone needs to do better, and that includes the coaching staff. The big plays and blown assignments on defense have to be corrected and the coaching staff has to be called out for not having players in the right spot at all times. Plus, Belichick dropped the ball on another questionable fourth-down attempt, this time passing up a chip-shot field goal on a fourth-and-4.