Key matchups: Saints vs. Cardinals

NFL football is finally back for the New Orleans Saints. The black and gold will host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. While the Cardinals are favored, Week 1 is always unpredictable, and New Orleans has more than a chance to steal one to start the season. If the Saints want to start the season in the win column, they’ll have to take advantage of these key matchups.

The offensive line is the main focus for the Saints’ offense on Sunday. With the start of a young quarterback, New Orleans will have to turn to a strong run game to make life easier on Spencer Rattler. The Saints were a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of running the ball last season, ranking 14th in both total rush yards and yards per carry. While New Orleans wasn’t great at running the ball last season, the Cardinals struggled to stop the run, ranking 13th worst in total run defense and 7th worst in yards per carry.

Despite their struggles last season, Arizona added plenty of talent to its defensive line with the addition of veterans Calais Campbell and Josh Sweat. For the Saints, they’re trotting out a revamped version of their 2024 offensive line with multiple position changes. The black and gold will also be without starting left guard Trevor Penning, while starting first-round rookie Kelvin Banks Jr at left tackle. The Cardinals will likely look to take advantage of New Orleans’ unproven left side.

Establishing a strong run game for Rattler will help open up the pass. Unfortunately for the Saints, however, neither Rattler nor rookie Tyler Shough was able to throw much with the starting offensive line in the preseason due to heavy pressure. While preseason usually doesn’t tell the full story, it didn’t look good for the Saints. If Rattler has any chance to succeed against a veteran pass rush, it will be behind a strong performance from the offensive line.

The oldest starting cornerback for the Cardinals is 24-year-old Garrett Williams, who has two seasons under his belt. Arizona will also be starting second-round rookie Will Johnson. With such a young secondary, the Saints’ wide receivers will have a chance to start the season off strong.

New Orleans’ offense clearly has a plan for its receivers in 2025: speed. Chris Olave, Mason Tipton, and Trey Palmer all have official 40-yard dash times faster than 4.40, not mentioning the team’s fastest wideout, Rashid Shaheed, who doesn’t have a recorded 40 time. For the Cardinals, their young cornerbacks don’t have the speed to keep up with the Saints’ wideouts. Johnson didn’t run a 40, but was estimated to run a 4.40-4.45. Williams and Melton did record 40 times at the combine, with Williams running a 4.5 and Melton running a 4.39.

A 40-yard dash isn’t a completely accurate depiction of in-game speed, but it does show a clear speed deficit for the Cardinals. With a more experienced and faster wide receiver room for New Orleans, the Saints’ wideouts could have a big day on Sunday.

The Saints’ defense has consistently struggled against quarterbacks who can make plays with their legs and will be instantly tested on Sunday against Kyler Murray. The seventh-year quarterback has put up over 3,000 yards rushing in his career, making him one of the league’s best dual-threats.

New Orleans struggled to contain quarterbacks in the preseason, and the possible absence of Chase Young only worsens the team’s case. The Saints will likely need to assign a spy on the speedy quarterback and make him one-dimensional. While Murray is capable of making plays with his arm, he isn’t the biggest threat through the air. Forcing the former No. 1 overall pick into more passing will make him more prone to mistakes, helping put the ball back in their young quarterback’s hands.

Kellen Moore’s first coaching matchup won’t be easy. When the Cardinals signed Jonathan Gannon as their head coach in 2023, it wasn’t a success off the bat. Gannon led the team to a 4-13 record, finishing last in the NFC West. Despite their struggles early, Gannon doubled the Cardinals’ wins in 2024 and is looking to make a playoff push in 2025.

Gannon and Moore are similar, having both been signed from the Philadelphia Eagles and taken over rebuilding teams. The Cardinals’ head coach is defensive-minded and has been making the proper personnel changes to get his ideal roster. With Moore being an offensive-minded coach, it will likely be a game of chess between the two promising young coaches, with Gannon having the two-year advantage.

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