The New Orleans Saints arrive in Week 1 as a huge home underdog and with low expectations nationally. Can they prove the doubters wrong?
Kellen Moore's squad has a chance to make a statement when the Arizona Cardinals come to town, and it wouldn't be out of character. The Saints currently have the longest active win steak for season openers with six straight victories dating back to 2019.
THE GAME | Cardinals (0-0) at Saints (0-0)
- When: Noon, Sunday, Sept. 7
- Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, La.
- Series history: tied 16-16
- Last meeting: 2022, Cardinals 42, Saints 34 (TNF)
- Betting line: Saints +6.5
- TV: CBS
- Listen: WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
- Pregame: First Take with Jeff Nowak & Steve Geller, 8-10 a.m.; Countdown to kickoff with Bobby Hebert & Steve Geller, 10 a.m. - noon
Moore also has success to lean on, going 3-1 against Jonathan Gannon defenses back when he was the OC for the Cowboys and Gannon the DC for the Eagles. Moore's offenses put up 40-plus points in each of those three wins. Could history be on the Saints' side?
With all that in mind, here are the top three things I'm watching for (and a bit of lagniappe) when the Saints host the Cardinals to open the 2025 season.
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1. RATTLER'S MOMENT
Players will never assign more than the requisite importance to any particular game. The most effective response to the question 'how much are you looking forward to facing (insert team name here)' is a simple, 'a lot, because it's the team we're playing this week.'
But there's no way to deny the reality that this game has to mean a lot more to Spencer Rattler than just his 7th start in the NFL. This is the first time he's taking the field as the chosen starter. It's the first time he's taking the field with a full array of weapons. It's the first time he's had a legitimate chance to succeed in an offense built around what he does well.
Can he deliver this time?
An important part of that will be if he can avoid trying to put the team on his back. Rattler wasn't chosen for the job because he was the most dynamic, he was chosen because he was the most consistent. He's the player this coaching staff trusted more to run the plan, and that plan isn't complicated: Stay ahead of the chains, stack first downs, protect the ball.
Those are all football cliches themselves as they pertain to NFL offenses, but they're that way for a reason. The Saints can't be living in third and long. You avoid being there by finding positive plays on first and second downs. Whether that's handing the ball to Alvin Kamara or Rattler pulling the ball down when he doesn't like a look, 2 or 3 yards on early downs won't be the end of the world. They're body blows in a fight. Hit enough of those and bigger shots will appear, but don't count on many shortcuts. This team needs to be living in 3rd and 5, not 3rd and 15.
What this team can't afford is for Rattler to look like the player who was sacked more than 3 times per game last season. A (mostly) healthy OL should help, but Rattler looking like the decisive, confident player we saw throughout camp will be a big part of that.
Field goal drives are just fine, as long as there's also a TD drive or two mixed in there. If the Saints offense can put up 20 it'll give the defense a reasonable chance.
The reins might come off eventually, but how Rattler sticks to the plan while they're on will decide how long he keeps the starting job.
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2. CONTAINING KYLER
The question has been posed several times this week: Does the 3-4 scheme translate better to defending mobile QBs? The answers have been a bit measured.
"I think it’s based on your personnel, whether you’re 4-3 or 3-4, your actual people rushing and how you rush the quarterback," Brandon Staley said, "that’s the biggest factor."
It's a fair response. I think, just logically speaking, the wider alignments and more rangy OLBs should have an easier time preventing QBs from getting to the edges of the field. That's been one of the bigger struggle points with QB runs for the Saints under their previous scheme that prioritized size and run-stuffing at the DE spots.
But like anything in the NFL, the best laid plans only work if the plan is executed correctly. Enough stress can snap just about anything, the only question is how much stress you can actually handle. We'll get a good idea of how much that is this week from Kyler Murray, who is as effective a scrambler and runner as you'll find in the NFL. It won't help that Chase Young has already been ruled out due to a calf issue. The Saints signed rookie Fadil Diggs to the active roster (while waiving QB Jake Haener), though I expect Chris Rumph to take on the bulk of the available workload. Carl Granderson and Cam Jordan will be the primary players on the edges.
Staley noted that he expects to have a rotation at the edge rusher spot to keep players fresh for the 4th quarter, but also that it's not going to be perfect. The Saints have to be ready to get punched in the mouth and keep going.
"He’s going to make plays, just like in basketball there are some guys who are gonna make shots no matter how well you cover," Staley continued, "so he’s gonna make some shots and our guys just got to keep it moving. We’ve got to keep our composure and we’ve got to try and have our best at the end.”
What I think makes Kyler particularly difficult is that he's not always looking to run, but when it's there he's gone in a blink. I liken his running style to Super Mario, the Saints need to make sure there are obstacles in his way.
The Saints recipe to win this game involves making the Cardinals one-dimensional. I need to force Kyler to beat me with his arm.
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3. KELLEN'S INFLUENCE
One of the defining characteristics of the Dennis Allen coaching era is that once things started to go wrong, they seemed to stay that way for a while.
Errors led to more errors. Frustration led to more frustration. Losses led to more losses. He was able to pull things back a few times, but I think that was more about the players than the coaching staff. There always seemed to be was a thinly veiled mutiny bubbling beneath the surface. True or not, that was the vibe.
Kellen Moore has made team-bonding a point of emphasis this offseason, and the vibes in the locker room seem to be high. It's easy to be that way before anything bad happens, but my read is that the culture being established is a strong one. If things go the way a lot of people outside the building expect them to this season for the Saints, that culture will be tested.
I'm as hopeful as anyone that the Saints buck expectations and prove a lot of people very, very wrong, but what happens if they don't? Is this team capable of playing the right way even when games start to get away? Do players start to lose the plot, or does the culture keep the train on the tracks? Any successful coach has to be as effective a leader in the hard times as he is in the good times, and in many cases even moreso.
It probably doesn't hurt to have Brandon Staley in the building as defensive coordinator, a former head coach who knows a thing or two about a spiraling head coach tenure. That's not meant as a negative, it's just the reality. Experience is a valuable resource, even unpleasant experience. The Saints also have strong veteran leadership, though it's primarily on the defensive side.
The ability to establish a strong team culture and a group that can keep its composure is something every first-time head coach has to prove he has. Let's see what Kellen's first roster has to show.
LAGNIAPPE
Devaughn Vele has only been on the team for a few weeks, but his teammates and coaches have raved about his football IQ and ability to pick up the offense. We'll find out how true that is on Sunday. I'd expect Vele's work will be limited to a handful of packages targeting red zone and third down situations. ... Blake Grupe has had as impressive a preseason as you'll ever see, but can that translate to the regular season? The Saints single-season record for made field goals is 32 (Wil Lutz, 2019). I wouldn't be surprised if Blake breaks that record by Week 14. ... The Saints cut J.T. Gray, meaning there's a significant opportunity for players to establish themselves as the new special teams aces. Isaiah Stalbird, Jaylan Ford, Rezjohn Wright, who wants it? All three have been impressive on punt and kickoff teams. ... Kendre Miller got through a full training camp without an injury, but now comes the tough part. Can he be the Robin to Alvin Kamara's Batman? It feels like forever since the Saints have had a legitimate RB2 behind Kamara. It'll make things a lot of easier if he can deliver.