The Saints are set to host their first regular season game in front of a full-capacity crowd in nearly 2 years, and defensive back CJ Gardner-Johnson knows just what to expect.
He's not sure the same can be said for their Week 4 opponent, the New York Giants.
"I feel sorry for them boys. ... They're in for a rude awakening," Gardner-Johnson said. "12 o'clock gonna feel like 7:30 p.m. Get ready."
The firebrand nickel corner appeared to be pointing to equal parts energy and noise from fans in the building and the comforts of the team returning home after more than a month away due to Hurricane Ida. The Saints' last full-capacity game was a playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings to end the 2019 season. The team will also be looking to build off an impressive victory over the New England Patriots in Week 3, all of which seem to stack the deck against the winless Giants at the Caesars Superdome.
But the Saints aren't far removed from a dud of their own in a 26-7 loss to the Panthers, a game without several key defensive players. One of those was Gardner-Johnson, who says he's back to "100%" from a knee injury that kept him off the field. Star cornerback Marshon Lattimore also missed the game after a hand injury in the opener. He got back on the field despite wearing a cast in Week 3 and caught the game-sealing interception of Mac Jones.
"I was sick watching, sitting out of the game. I'm back now, feeling 100%. You see what happens when we come back with that swag. It get crazy out there," Gardner-Johnson said.
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That was certainly the case, with the defense picking off rookie quarterback Mac Jones three times and holding down the Patriots offense to just 13 points. Every player and coach asked this week has pointed to the Superdome noise as a significant advantage, and one the team didn't have last year.
That picture was painted best by Deonte Harris earlier in the week. The undrafted free agent out of Assumption College vividly remembers being in awe of the crowd noise at his first preseason game, even with a reasonably low turnout compared to a regular season game.
"It was probably only like 20-30,000 people and I was like damn, this is the loudest [stadium] I have ever heard. And then when I heard it packed for the first time I was like, it’s crazy," Harris said. "I’m pretty sure I'm going to get that same feeling like the first time I had when it was packed because it's been a minute.”
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