The New Orleans Saints are undefeated after squeaking out a last-second 16-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. As the final score suggests, it was a sluggish preseason road opener, but all coaches would rather conduct film studies following a win. This is especially true in New Orleans. The Saints have not won back-to-back preseason openers since 2013-14.
Building up the culture in the years since Sean Payton left has been difficult as is. Every little win matters. The Saints are dealing with enough on the contract-issue front as it is. With all that in mind, here are three silver linings the Saints can spotlight while preparing for the San Francisco 49ers.
Dome Field Advantage depends on defense
The Dome Patrol is still the greatest linebacking group to ever grace the gridiron. This secondary looks primes to stake a claim as at least the best last line of defense in franchise history, and the Saints might not be done adding talent.
Arizona came up short on three different fourth-down conversion attempts. Carl Granderson and Nathan Shepherd split a sack. Bryan Bresee and Niko Lalos got solo sack credits. Khaleke Hudson and Jack Heflin split another late in the game. Monty Rice (7) and Willie Gay Jr. (5) were flying around making big drive-stalling tackles. Rico Payton (3) and Kool-Ail McKinstrey (1) were credited with pass deflections.
Gay Jr. has to be the player of the game. The 26-year-old was cut free from the Kansas City Chiefs. He played 19 snaps in his debut, with zero passes completed on eight coverages and two tackles for loss.
Bigger pictures, the Saints kept the same resilience and tenacity throughout the game. Rotating the defensive line managed to keep consistent pressure on the Cardinals’ quarterbacks. It was a complete team performance suggesting defense could be a strong point this season.
Special Teams unit going to be used often
The five greatest plays in New Orleans Saints football history are special teams productions. New kickoff rules mean at least one will never be replicated. The punting unit can expect to run through the same old routines after three-and-outs though.
Lou Hedley placed three of four punts inside the 20-yard line. His 49-yard punt distance average would be in the top 10 last season, just ahead of Thomas Morestead. Blake Grupe nailed two field goals and an extra point. Charlie Smyth hit a 37-yarder after spending all night watching from the sidelines.
Dennis Allen threw Smyth, a rookie, to the wolves in for a first-ever NFL field goal attempt. The Cardinals even called the ice-the-kicker timeout at the snap to mess with Smyth's rhythm. The Irishman aced the test on the game-winner, showcasing the potential to be a reliable option for the Saints.
“Not his first kick in an NFL game,” Allen explained. “First kick in a Football game, an American football game. For him to knock it through like that in a pressure situation was cool to see.”
Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener winning over fans
Quarterbacks usually lead the way on the field and in the headlines. The position group has been relegated to third at best when it comes to what will keep the Saints competitive. Derek Carr inspired little confidence in the opening two drives as going 2-for-6 (12 yards) had fans seeing flashbacks of last season. Thankfully, the two young arms waiting in the bullpen will not enter a game under riot conditions should Carr be yanked midseason.
Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener have been winning over fans in the locker room during training camp. Media reports have been mostly positive and fans were head-over-heels for both after encouraging preseason performances.
Haener, a 2023 fourth-rounder, showed flashes of brilliance with a 58-yard pass to wide receiver A.T. Perry. The current QB2 replaced Carr after the second series and finished 9-13 for 107 yards. The 25-year-old only had four incompletions but this back-up battle looks prime to continue for the rest of camp. It's a good problem to have considering the team's investments at the position.
Rattler, a 2024 fifth-rounder, led the game-winner drive after some early jitters. The 23-year-old drove the Saints 56 yards in 110 seconds to get Smyth in position for the rookie's big moment. Complain about the misses but going 9-17 for 70 yards and rushing touchdown is hard to ignore. It is also a great way to win, via NewOrleans.Football.
“We kept it tight until the end,” Rattler said, “You couldn't have asked for a better finish in a two-minute situation.”
The young gunslingers were impressive behind Carr, which could lead to some tough decisions on game day. The team will likely leave Rattler or Haener on the Inactive List since Taysom Hill is still running around the backfield.
Sure, the starting offense looked sluggish against the Cardinals. But the performances of young quarterback talent, a lethal defense, and the game-changing potential of the special teams unit provide reasons for optimism. As the team continues to prepare for the regular season, these silver linings suggest that the Saints have the talent to compete for another NFC South divisional championship.
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