No, it's not time to sound the alarm bells after a scuffling first-team offense failed to get into the end zone -- or even field goal range -- in a preseason win over the Arizona Cardinals.
But it is a pretty clear sign that there's still work to do, even if rookies Spencer Rattler and Charlie Smyth combined to lead the Saints to a 16-14 win on Saturday in Glendale. We saw a pass rush that looks ready to wreck games, way too many penalties and another preseason explosion from a young Saints wide receiver.
With all that in mind, here are my three up, three down players after the preseason opener.
THREE UP
The pass rush
What we saw today was a microcosm of what we saw all camp: This pass rush has the ability to wreck games, particularly when it smells blood in the water.
That was the case early in this game and admittedly against the Cardinals' second string offense. Still, they got after Desmond Ridder relentlessly and from multiple spots on the defensive line. We got a good look at Chase Young and with the exception of an unfortunate penalty where he lined up in the neutral zone for a penalty that extended a drive deep in Cardinals' territory, he looks very much like the player the Saints hoped they were getting when they brought in the former No. 2 overall pick this offseason.
Carl Granderson, Bryan Bresee, pick any player in that group and there were nice moments. The Saints finished the game with four sacks and two more TFLs. If this group can stay healthy I feel really confident that they can flip the script from a year ago and end up among the top teams in the NFL in terms of pressures and sacks in the 2024 season.
WR A.T. Perry
The dude did it again. This time last year we were questioning the impact of A.T. in early camp practices, only for him to put on an impressive showing in the preseason opener and build confidence from there.
It happened again this year, with Perry hauling in 4 catches for a game-high 85 yards, including an impressive deep ball from Jake Haener late in the first half to set up a field goal. Perry had a few more nice connections the rest of the way and continued to show that when the lights get brighter, he gets better.
We'll have to wait and see if he can use this performance as a springboard for the rest of his offseason, but I feel a lot better about where A.T. is right now than I did going in.
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QB Spencer Rattler
So far, so good for the rookie. In his first NFL drive Rattler took a shot to A.T. Perry downfield and drew a pass interference penalty, then overcame multiple red zone mishaps before flashing his athleticism for the first TD of the day.
The offense bogged down on the next three series, but when the Saints needed a 2-minute drive to set up a game-winning field goal, that's what they got. Now, it wasn't all perfect. There was some frazzled decision-making in the final few moments that led to that game-winning attempt happening with time left on the clock. Those specific scenarios are something I imagine the Saints will be addressing with practice time over the next week. It's also worth noting that Rattler's reps came in the second half against second and third string players, many of whom won't be making the Cardinals' roster. Nevertheless all you can do is show up and play the defense across from you, and Rattler showed his arm talent and poise in that scenario.
Rattler finished the day 9-17 for 70 yards.
That competition should take a step up this week with joint practices against the 49ers, followed by a preseason game in San Francisco where I'd expect Rattler and Jake Haener to switch roles as they've been doing throughout camp.
Honorable mention: Charlie Smyth: I considered putting him in my three up, but he kind of just did what he had to do. That said, knocking through a 37-yard game winner on your first ever kick in an American football game is something to be celebrated, and he certainly did that after the action. He did have a short kickoff that resulted in a plus return at one point. He also hit from 66 with ease during pregame warmups (though there were a few misses baked in there as well). Hopefully he gets some more opportunities from different ranges this preseason to get a real idea of where he's at. ... CB Kool-Aid McKinstry: He was impressive early in this game, playing on the outside and making a few impressive plays to shut down Cardinals drives. It's tough to say exactly what his role will be early in the season, but this was a positive start for the rookie, no question. ... RB Jamaal Williams: For such a happy-go-lucky guy, Jamaal has been running angry this offseason and it showed today. Maybe it's because he misses his cats or whatever, but I think we saw a glimpse today of the player the Saints thought they were bringing in last year. A player that isn't going down on first contact and is going to fight and claw for every inch. The yards per carry wasn't great (3.3) with 20 yards on 6 carries, but the way he runs can wear down a defense, hopefully we see more of that this season. ... QB Jake Haener: It wasn't perfect, but he did lead a pair of scoring drives and his bomb to Perry late in the first half was one of the more impressive throws I've seen a Saints QB make in quite a while. He's dealt with a lot this offseason and I think he's handled it well. He finished the day 9-13 for 107 yards and operated the offense well.
THREE DOWN
First team offense
We should have learned by now not to overreact to what the first-team offense does in the preseason. The last two years we've seen perfect drives for scores and then the season opened with significant struggles on that side of the ball. Still, we're creatures of the moment and watching your entire starting offensive group minus one receiver in Rashid Shaheed fail to mount any offense whatsoever doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Derek Carr's longest completion appeared to be left behind Chris Olave and was dangerously close to being intercepted. Another pass sailed a bit targeting Olave downfield. There was an out on third down where the timing seemed off and Olave didn't have his head around by the time the ball arrived. We also saw a failed screen attempt that the QB had to bail on with no window to throw.
One of my bigger concerns is the blocking, and it's not only Trevor Penning -- who can add a few more rough reps to that highlight reel. It wasn't all bad, but the issue is when it's bad -- it's inexcusably bad. Still, I'm equally concerned with blocks missed on the edges by tight ends and receivers, because you're running a scheme where those blocks are more important than ever. It's a frustrating combination to see tight ends who are better pass-catchers than blockers but aren't making much happen in the receiving game, either. Hopefully Juwan Johnson can change this when he gets back healthy.
At the end of the day you're not really gameplanning for Arizona, nor are you doing anything particularly interesting on offense. The motion and misdirection we've seen throughout camp wasn't really displayed, so there's reason to think this showing isn't indicative of things to come. The scheme will help things look better when you actually implement it. Still, when you have a chance to go out and build confidence and you walk away with 18 yards and zero points on nine plays, with one drive starting at your 47 against a defense that also isn't gameplanning for what you'll be doing, it's hard to spin that positively.
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OL Oli Udoh
There was sketchy offensive line play throughout a good bit of this game, so Udoh isn't alone in some level of criticism. But when you draw penalties on back-to-back plays (a hold and a false start) that effectively torpedo a drive, off. Not a great showing for a player that should be in the conversation to start if the guys ahead of him aren't getting the job done. He was playing guard at this point, and I'd say that's definitely his weaker position.
Udoh also wasn't the only lineman committing penalties. The Saints were flagged nine times in the game, with six being handed to the OL group. That included Trevor Penning (holding), Landon Young (false start), Zach Wood (false start) and Jesse Davis (false start). There's plenty of blame to go around there.
P Matt Hayball
I don't want to be too hard on a UDFA kicker competing for a job, but this was his first opportunity to really create a competition and he didn't take advantage. Now, he did flash the cannon leg that we've seen in a camp with a 61-yard boot in the third quarter. The problem? The kick was returned to the 25 yard line. His next kick was from the 49 and it bounded into the end zone for a net of 31 yards. His next kick was from the Saints 44 and returned to the 25 for a net of 31 yards.
On the other side we saw Lou Hedley take three pin-them-back opportunities and force the Cardinals to start drives at their 10, 13 and 14. Consistently taking advantage of those opportunities is likely what will win him another year as the Saints' starting punter.