Category: New Orleans Saints

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Week Two Preview Bucs @ Saints- Key Matchups And More

After a bonkers week one victory against the Falcons. The Saints move on to another divisional foe, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady leads the Bucs into the Superdome for the Saints home opener, with both teams 1-0.

I’m going to highlight 3 key matchups. who’s playing and who’s not? and of course my score prediction for the game.

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Saints And Bucs Overview

If you’d told me heading into the 4th quarter of Saints Vs Falcons last week that the Saints would end up winning, I might have believed you. As let’s be fair its perfectly believable that the Falcons would blow a 4th quarter lead. Where I wouldn’t have believed you is if you’d told me the offense was the reason the Saints completed the comeback.   

New Orleans looked completely disjointed for 3 quarters against Atlanta, the offense couldn’t do anything either, other than Taysom Hill doing Taysom Hill things. The offense had no rhythm and really struggled to get anything going.

Until the 4th quarter. led by QB Jameis Winston, who completed 13 of 16 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns. In the 3 quarters before that, Winston went only 10 of 18 for 56 yards. All his playmakers stepped up, with especially encouraging performances from Michael Thomas (after a sluggish first half) and free agent addition Jarvis Landry, who suddenly turned into an elite downfield playmaker.

Josh Norris on Twitter: “29 year old Jarvis Landry becoming a vertical playmaker feels unprecedented considering he had a 6.2 aDOT in the first 4 years of his career” / Twitter

If this version of the offense shows up for the majority of the season, then the whole league will be on notice that this Jameis Winston led team is coming and nobody is safe.

Consistency is key though and the Saints offense needs to prove this week that it can be really good but for more than 1 quarter.

The Bucs enter week 2, coming off a far different game. It all seemed fairly routine for them to beat the Cowboys.  No dramatic 4th quarter comeback required. In fact, the Bucs were only behind for 3 minutes and 57 seconds in the whole game and cruised to a 19-3 victory.

The Bucs barely had to get out of 1st gear, they dominated a Cowboys offense that might have looked as bad as the Saints offense did, only the difference with the Cowboys wad they couldn’t do anything for all 4 quarters. A lot of that comes down to the Bucs talent on defense.

The Bucs stifled the Cowboys passing attack with a mix of speed and aggression in the front 7 and versatility in the secondary, also great preparation as LB Devin White explained here.

Devin White reveals how easy it was for Bucs to figure out Cowboys game plan (thelandryhat.com)

The Bucs leaned on their running game with Leonard Fournette rushing for 127 yards, at 6 YPC. With Brady and the Bucs passing game doing what I needed to do to win the game.

This is a matchup the Saints have dominated since Brady arrived. Especially on defense. Brady in the 4 previous regular season games has been sacked 13 times, fumbled 3 times (lost 2) and been intercepted 9 times. Brady’s Bucs have only averaged 16 points per game (PPG). That average jumps up 25 PPG when the Bucs visit the Superdome, compared to 1.5 PPG when they play at home.

Despite this being a landslide for the Saints since Brady arrived, for the New Orleans to push the record to 5-0, there are certain matchups that I think are key.

Key Matchups

Saints Pass Rush

The age old trop that you must be able to disrupt brady by rushing 4, is a tiresome narrative but, it is completely true and if you do Blitz It needs to be well timed and from a place Brady isn’t expecting.

That last point is a challenge, Brady is in his 23rd NFL season (Much to his wife’s dismay) he’s seen everything at this point, there isn’t much that surprises him. The Saints have managed to surprise him and keep him out of rhythm better than anyone during Brady’s time in Tampa.

Without pressure, Brady will dice you up. New Orleans has done a great job at this previously.  I mentioned earlier how many times the Saints have sacked Brady in their last 4 meetings (13). Which works out at 3.25 sacks per game, if you add in QB hits, then New Orleans have hit Brady on average, 10.75 times a game.

That is a lot of punishment on a QB in his mid-40’s and that is one of the main reasons the Saints have had so much success in this matchup.

Now that context has been provided, let’s take a look at how the Bucs are looking entering this game.

Their O-line is missing some key pieces, all-pro center Ryan Jensen is possibly out for the season and trusted vet LT Donavon Smith could also miss this game, even if he does play it’s likely that he will be in some pain with is elbow. They also have a rookie 2nd rounder starting at LG, who allowed 3 pressures and 3 hurries week 1 Vs the Cowboys per PFF. It seems like the Bucs line can be exploited.

Brady will help by getting the ball out quickly, making it harder for the rush to get home but that does mean shots down the field might be harder for Brady to execute if he doesn’t have time to let the play develop.

The Saints D-line struggled to create pressure week 1 Vs Atlanta, PFF chart the Saints as having 4 hurries and 1 QB hit in that game. That won’t nearly cut it against Brady.

However, this matchup suits the Saints d-line much more. Last week the game plan was to keep contain and make sure there wasn’t easy running lanes for Mariota to escape the pocket. That means the Saints rushers couldn’t truly rush.

With Brady, there is no threat to run that means the Saints can pin their ears back and go after Brady. Which with the Bucs lesser o-line should be a receipt for success.

If the Saints are without Paulson Adebo for a second straight week, the Saints will need to pass rush to produce.

Saints Run Defense

Last week the Saints struggled against a very creative running game. Not just against a very mobile Marcus Mariota but Cordarrelle Patterson gashed them as well.

This week is a much more traditional running game, but a no less successful one. The Bucs ran the ball at will Vs the Cowboys in week 1.

If the Saints d-line, especially the interior struggle again this week it causes very significant issues to how the Saints want to defend Tampa.

Last season the Saints could stop the run in NICKEL, meaning they only had 2 LBs and 5 DBS on the field. This a huge advantage against a team like Tampa. It means that you have another capable defender against the pass. Rather than a slower less capable LB that Brady can exploit.

Last week against Atlanta, the Saints had to switch to their base defense (3LBs) to try and help stop the run.

If they have to do the same this week, it gives Brady a big matchup advantage. As good as Kaden Ellis has played from the SAM LB spot. You really don’t want him on the field for significant snaps because Brady will move players around to isolate them on him or another LB, with 3 LBs on the field it’s a lot easier to that.

Secondly if you can’t stop the run, play-action starts to become a much more credible threat. Brady is a machine when running play-action. Last season Brady completed 96 passes from play-action for 1211 yards, 14 TDs and 2 interceptions good for a 115.4 passer rating and was successful in a small sample size week 1.

The Saints must go back to old ways this week where stopping the run is concerned, otherwise Brady will have a much easier time picking them apart.

The Shutdown Matchups

Marshon Lattimore Vs Mike Evans (if he plays, he will. they always do against the Saints) and Carlton Davis Vs Michael Thomas. These are 2 of the juiciest CB Vs WR matchups in the league. Not just because it’s a matchup of 4 very good players, also because these players simply really don’t like each other.

There’s not holding back in these matchups and the difference between these CB/WR matchups compared to others is these CBs generally do travel. Lattimore and Davis try to matchup with Evans and Thomas on as many plays as possible.

For the most part, the CBs have had most of the success. See below from ESPN who give detail on just how much these players face off against each other.

Fantasy football 2022 Week 2 – Best and worst WR/CB matchups (espn.com)

For the Saints to win, coming out on the right side of these matchups will go a long way to achieving that.

State Of The Rosters

Time to review who will play and who will not and discuss some other key points to take from the final injury report (below).

Saints– Alvin Kamara being listed as questionable is the biggest surprise here, after being limited earlier in the week, Kamara did not practice on Thursday or Friday, this is usually a sign that he would be ruled for Sunday. If he does its likely to be a limited role. I don’t think not having Kamara is as big of a deal in this matchup compared to others. The Bucs usually play Kamara well and I think the Saints strength in this game is with the WR matchup.

I think not having Adebo for this game hurts more than Kamara, even with Chris Godwin not playing the Bucs still have plenty of receiving options. With Adebo back the Saints would have been been able to have their desired starting CBs on the outside, allowing Roby to move back into the slot, in a game where pure coverage skill is what the Saints require. Adebo being back would have allowed the Saints to field their best 3 cover corners.

In regards to the other players listed as ‘questionable’ there seems to be no concern over Jameis Winston and Mark Ingram’s status after being limited all week. I am interested to see if Dwayne Washington or Tre’Quan Smith are active after missing last weeks game.

Bucs– Godwin being out was already pretty much a forgone conclusion. The biggest question entering this final injury report was Mike Evans and Julio Jones’ statuses, after being limited on Wednesday, both were downgraded to DNP. This is usually a sign of a setback. After returning in a limited capacity on Friday, I expect them both to play, though it will be interesting to how healthy they are.

Donovan Smith being listed as doubtful, is interesting. Earlier in the week Todd Bowles said this was going to be a pain management thing for Smith. So this appears to be a true game time decision and a huge one at that. Marcus Davenport against a back up tackle yes please!!!.

Score Prediction

With the Saints d-line having a more static target to aim at this week I think we see a far more improved version of them and see some meaningful pressure on Brady. I especially look for Marcus Davenport to have a dominate game.

With Paulson Adebo out and a lot of new faces starting, I think the Saints secondary struggles a bit more than in previous games. I think Brady will make some big throws with a least a couple of 30+ yard completions but I think the Saints hold firm in the redzone to force some field goals.

Overall, this is of course a tough matchup, regardless of how well the Saints have done in previous meetings. Crucially I think the Saints passing offense is far better than it was in most of those games, and I think Winston and his crew of weapons do just enough in this one.

Score-28-26 Saints Win                                                                                                                        

I will be previewing and recapping of all the New Orleans Saints games this season on New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards

Please let me know your feedback on this article and the others throughout the season, I’m always looking to improve and add things that people want to read about!

I want to try and create as much of a UK Saints community as possible, so follow me on Twitter @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion.

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Saints Win, Recapping The Saints Week 1 Win Over The Falcons Quarter By Quarter.

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Somehow the Saints are leaving week 1, 1-0. With 13:40 left in the 4th quarter the Falcons had a 97.6% chance to win this game according to Next Gen Stats and to some fans giving the Saints a 2.4% chance to win seemed too generous. So, quarter by quarter lets see how New Orleans mounted an unbelievable comeback.

Before going into the breakdown, I wanted to start with an admission. I was wrong, in my preview of this game I made a mistake. I predicted this game based on conventional wisdom and logic. What I should have done was predicted this game based on my years of Saints fandom. This game was ludicrous, as a lot of Saints and more specifically Saints-Falcons games are, especially week 1. I should have known better and will try to not make the same error again!  

Now I’ve got that off my chest lets move onto the breakdown.

Quarter 1

The Saints struggles were clear straight from the opening Atlanta drive. They couldn’t contain the Falcon’s creative running game. Marcus Mariota looked really good on this drive with two 11 yard runs and 1 of 5 yards. Before the Saints defense finally stiffened up after the Falcons inexplicably decided to pass and forcing a field goal.

Unfortunately, this opening drive was an ominous sign of things to come for Saints fans.

Two of my Saint’s breakout candidates for this season featured on the first offense drive. Unfortunately, one is Juwan Johnson who looked to be held on a third down incompletion (more on Johnson later) and the other? Punter Blake Gillikin as the Saints wen three and out quickly. Gillikin did boom an excellent 58-yard punt, that with better punt coverage from Alontae Taylor (who flashed multiple times as a gunner today), would have pinned the Falcons around their own 10-yard line.

More on my 3 Saints breakout candidates here-Three Saints Players That Could Breakout In 2022 (whodathype.com)

The Saints’ defense was much better on the 2nd Atlanta drive, 2 good plays by Marcus Maye, one on what appeared to be a run blitz, he nearly stopped Damien Williams for a loss but couldn’t quite make the tackle, leaving Cam Jordan to clean up the tackle for no gain, after a deep incompletion to Patterson. Maye again made a good play of 3rd down; he quickly recognised a WR screen and broke on it to stop the play for a minimal gain and got the Saints defense off the field.

The ensuing offensive drive was much more promising for New Orleans, they marched 77 yards on 5 plays, taking just 2 Minutes and 2 seconds to punch it in for a touchdown. The success of this drive was down to Taysom Hill and a little help from his friends. Hill started with a 57-yard rumble on 3rd and 1, Hill showed great vision and power on the run juking and stiff arming a Falcon defender on route. Hill did have a massive hole to run through though with great blocks from FB Adam Prentice, LG Andrus Peat who pulled over to the right side and TE’s Adam Trautman and Juwan Johnson.

Hill capped of the drive with another strong 11-yard touchdown run again to the right side, with an even better block from TE Juwan Johnson, he drove his man to sideline, shoutout to Mark Ingram for leading the way as essentially the FB on the play and Erik McCoy showed why the Saints signed him to a new 5 year deal this week, by getting to the second level with ease to clear the backend of the defense.

The momentum was all Saints after this drive, with the next play from scrimmage being a great FF by Peter Werner giving the Saints the ball back in good position at the Atlanta 43.

Pete Werner forces a fumble! – YouTube

Unfortunately, after 2 good Mark Ingram runs (7 and 6 yards) the offense stalled, at this stage of the game the Saints’ passing offense was completely out of sync.  Winston completed 2 of his 6-passing attempts for 6 yards.

This could have been down to Winston’s missed time with his new teammates in the offseason? This could have been Pete Carmichael finding his feet as the play caller? or a mix of both. It also didn’t help the O-line was struggling in pass protection, a theme that would continue (more on that later).  Either way it wasn’t working.

To add to the offensive woes, Will Lutz bonked the 44-yard filed goal attempt of the left upright. Meaning no points off the Atlanta turnover and this spelt a major change in the momentum of this game.

1st / 2nd Quarter  

After the miss, Atlanta went to work on a bully ball 9 play, 66-yard touchdown drive which started at the end of the 1st quarter and ended in the 2nd. Atlanta ran the ball right at the Saints front, Patterson accounted for 53 of the 66 total yards all on the ground. The Saints were missing tackles and did not seem like the same team that had dominated against the run in the 4 years prior. Atlanta took their first lead of the game.

2nd Quarter

This quarter was much of the same after the Falcons touchdown drive. The Saints did show some resistance against the run in the Falcons next drive. But that was short lived.

Meanwhile the passing attack of the Saints was completely out of rhythm and couldn’t get anything going. There were players open but the pass protection could not hold up, especially when the Falcons blitzed. Both James Hurst and Cesar Ruiz gave up quick sacks, killing drives where players were open, Winston just had no time to get the ball out. The Saints gave up 3 sacks in this quarter and 1.5 of those were to Grady Jarrett (a player I highlighted in the game preview).

The Falcons managed 2 field goal drives mainly led by Mariota and Patterson on the ground. With a big completion to rookie Drake London mixed in there for good measure. Saints went into half time in disarray and down 16-7.

3rd Quarter

The Saints started with the ball and showed signs of life. Alvin Kamara started the drive with a nice 5-yard run, his best gain of the day so far. Chris Olave had his first catch of his NFL career with a crucial 11-yard catch on 3rd and 4 to keep the drive alive.

Taysom Hill had another solid 9-yard gain at this point Hill was still looking like the best weapon the Saints had. The passing game started to click, with Michael Thomas finally getting his first catch after being targeted 2 times previously.

The protection issues ultimately let them down, with a big 9-yard loss on a sack from Mykal Walker on, yet again another unpicked-up blitz.

The Saints did manage a 49-yard field goal. After a good gain on 3rd down to Chris Olave. This was needed for Lutz after the miss earlier.

Just when it looked like the Saints could build some momentum, the Falcons marched down the field for a touchdown. Aided by Marcus Maye picking up a pass interference penalty on a pass intended for Olamide Zaccheaus, placing the ball at the Saints 2-yard line.  Zaccheaus was a pest this drive having 2 catches for 20 yards before forcing the PI. The Falcons punched it in with a Mariota run up the gut.

The next offensive series started well and ended in disaster. A nice 15-yard gain on the ground for Kamara to start, ending with Winston avoiding pressure on 3rd down again, desperately shovelling the ball to Ingram who tried to make something happen and fumbled right back to the Falcons.

With a short field the Falcons offense looked to land the decisive blow, with a pass to the London and Mariota scramble the Falcons were inside the red zone. The Saints finally got pressure on Mariota, he escaped and scrambled towards the 5-yard line, a typical play for Saints fans considering how the game was going. When a turning point play came to the rescue, and it was made by the 2 free agent safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye. Mathieu pulled one of Mariota’s arms of the ball and Marcus Maye punched it out, with Mathieu falling on it. It was a textbook play by the veteran duo.

It went from being first and goal at the Saints 5- yard line, already down by 13 to 1st and 10 with no points added to Atlanta’s lead.

Now, this was just the start of the change in momentum, the offense didn’t quite come to the party just yet. The Saints went 3 and out in only 3 plays from the ensuing possession. Saints fans figured the fumble was just a way to give the fans hope and a way for the team to play with their emotions, with the offense still stuck in neutral.

On a slightly brighter side all the punts did give us a chance to see 2nd round pick Alontae Taylor as a gunner, he was really impressive getting down the field in a hurry, just needs to work on finishing the play at the end, after missing a couple of tackles. Also, Blake Gillikin is still a stud.

3rd/4th Quarter

The Falcons got the ball back with 1 minute 40 left in the 3rd quarter on the 50-yard line, after a nice 18-yard return from Avery Williams. Giving them another short field with the chance to put the game to bed with a touchdown.

At this point the Saints seemed so scared against the run they were playing a lot of base defense (4-3) and were still struggling to stop the Falcons rushing attack.  They were quickly inside New Orleans’ 10-yard line after an 18-yard pass to KhaDarel Hodge. Crucially the defense held with help from a Falcons false start and stiff bend but don’t break redzone defense. Forcing Atlanta to settle for a short field goal to go up 26-10 with 12:41 to go in the fourth.

4th Quarter

Now, this where the Saints offense came to the party. OC Pete Carmichael went to the hurry up offense, a staple of Sean Payton’s tenure and it appears Sneaky Pete isn’t too shabby at calling it either.

Starting with a huge 26-yard connection to my guy TE Juwan Johnson, 15-yard pass to Kamara. A beautiful bomb across the middle to Jarvis Landry. Capped off by a bullet pass on a fade route to Michael Thomas in the endzone, we didn’t know yet that would light a fire in CantGuardMike. Just like that, 5 plays 74 yards in just 1 minute and 29 seconds. The Saints finished the perfect drive, at the perfect time, with the perfect 2-point play. A beautiful play design and route by Chris Olave.

For more on where the Saints got this play, see this thread on twitter from NOLA.com writer Luke Johnson: https://twitter.com/bylukejohnson/status/1569090487381893120?s=46&t=pjr8dFRYhDSX-6V-52acFg

Falcons are still up 26-18 with 11:06 left to go. Surely, they can’t blow another big lead, in the 4th quarter, can they? Well…. Let’s see, shall we? They started well and worked they up to their own 45-yard line with a mix of run and pass, the Saints had started to stiffen up against the run which was promising. The Saints’ defense managed to force a punt after a 3rd and 3 run stop by Shy Tuttle and Cameron Jordan.

Getting the ball back on their own 14-yard line, with 07:04 to go. On came a defiant Jameis Winston and the buoyant Saints offense. Starting with a reception from an Ohio State Buckeye (Chris Olave) and ending with a catch from an Ohio State Buckeye (Michael Thomas) Jameis Winston looked locked in, with the Saints completing their longest drive of the game going 86 yards in 8 plays and crucially only taking 3 minutes 27 of the clock. Thomas, Olave, and Landry all looked excellent on this drive, Thomas especially looking back to his best with 3 catches for 50 yards and a TD on the drive.

Unfortunately, the 2-point try this time was not as successful with a direct snap to Mark Ingram going nowhere, you have to wonder why this didn’t go to Taysom Hill? Leaving the Saints down 2, with 03:38 left.

Falcons started strong, rushing for 21 yards on the first 3 plays (Mariota and Patterson again!) the Saints used their first timeout after the 3rd run, leaving 02:03 on the clock. Pete Werner (who had an overall excellent game, 13 tackles, 1 TFL and a FF) made a crucial play to drop Mariota for a loss on 2nd down as the 2-minute warning hit.

With clock stopped at 01:59 the officials decided they weren’t getting enough attention and decided to call a weak defensive holding on Marshon Lattimore on 3rd down, after Mariota air mailed a ball down field nowhere near anyone. Giving the Falcons a fresh set of downs with 01:52 remaining. Ball placed on the Atlanta 49, crucially the Saints had one timeout remaining, stuffed Patterson for minimal gain on first down. 2nd and 9 Mariota nearly get a first down with an 8-yard scamper, leaving it down to 3rd and 1 at the Saints 42.

Mariota fumbled the snap, recovered it but only enough to get back to the line of scrimmage. Hope was still alive for the Saints.

At their own 20-yard line the Saints had 48 seconds left with no timeouts. Winston produced the throw of the game a 40-yard completion to Jarvis Landry down the left sideline, a perfect throw and it needed to be with 2 Falcons defenders in the area. Landry made a spectacular play caught it and ran for a few more yards, before going out of bounds.

The Saints rushed to the Atlanta 40-yard line, to try and spike it as they believed Landry had been ruled down by contact inbounds, meaning the clock was still running. The Saints got set and spiked it, then a flag. The refs had ruled that Landry was not touched and had got out of bounds, meaning when Winston spike the ball inside the pocket, it was actually intentional grounding. Meaning the Saints lost 10 yards and lost a down. This was a confusing sequence, and it appears the refs got it wrong as Landry was touched his way to the ground.

Alas, the Saints completed one more pass the Juwan Johnson for 17 yards. With no timeouts, Winston rushed to spike the ball again, believing he had one more down, due to the intentional grounding this now meant it was 4th and 4 after the spike not 3rd and 4 as Winston seemed to believe. Winston had just given the Falcons a chance to keep one of their timeouts and left 23 seconds on the clock.

Will ‘Big Nutz’ Lutz as he’s known in Saints world drilled the 51-yard attempt to give the Saints the lead 27-26.

Saints’ fans including me, were nervous, we’ve seen this movie before, and we don’t like the ending. With 19 seconds left and all 3 timeouts, the Falcons started at their own 25-yard line. Following 2 straight incompletions, it was 3rd and 10. The Saints got to Mariota and caused a fumble. Typically, the refs blow the play dead, saying the Falcons had called a timeout prior to the snap.

Try again, this time a 1st down completion to Patterson the Falcons weren’t done yet, they used their 2nd timeout. 6 seconds to go the pass was complete for 5 yards and the clock hit zero. That was it the Saints had pulled off the epic 4th quarter comeback. Wait, hang on, nope the refs again after some time, intervened. Stating the Falcons had called a timeout with 2 seconds left. Not only that but they had also judged a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Marshon Lattimore (admittingly it was a bad play from Lattimore).

Meaning it all came down to this, ‘Mr Automatic’ Younghoe Koo. Had a chance from 63-yards out to snatch victory away from the Saints in heart-breaking fashion.

But there was one final twist, the kick left Koo’s foot at a low trajectory due to the distance and it’s blocked by Peyton Turner! Saints Win and this time it counted!

Conclusion

The Saints came back when they had no business doing so and in true Saints fashion gave all their fans all they could handle.

I tweeted at halftime that this was a game the Saints just needed to find a way to win, and they did just that, with a bit of help from the Falcons yet again blowing a double-digit 4th quarter lead.

Finally, shoutout @ATLFalconsUK who had this glorious twitter exchange with me during the 3rd quarter!

The Saints will need to be a lot better next week in the home opener against the Bucs. But, if the team from the 4th quarter shows up all game/season long. This is going to be a fun one.

I will be previewing of all and recapping all of the New Orleans Saints games this season on New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards

Please let me know your feedback on this article and the rest throughout the season, I’m always looking to improve and add things that people want to read about. I will back later in the week to preview Bucs@ Saints, so please keep an eye out for that.

I want to create as much of a UK Saints community as possible, so please follow me on Twitter @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion

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Week 1 Preview Saints @ Falcons- Key Matchups And More

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It’s finally here! the first NFL Sunday of the 2022-2023 NFL season is two days away. It’s time to preview the New Orleans Saints week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. I’m going to discuss 3 key matchups. A position to watch, whos playing and whos not? and of course the result.

Overview

The Saints enter week 1 as the favourite against the rival Falcons. Both teams have many new faces, most notably Tyrann Mathieu for the Saints and a new starting QB in Atlanta. Marcus Mariota succeeds franchise legend Matt Ryan after he was traded to the Colts in the offseason (much to Cam Jordan’s dismay). Mariota will give the New Orleans defense a totally different challenge compared to Ryan. Mariota is far more mobile, Arthur Smith is likely to try use this mobility by running the read-option, plenty and often. Unless the Saints show improvement at containing it. The Saints have struggled to defend this plenty over the last few seasons.

These two teams are at very different stages, the Saints with a largely veteran team, should be a playoff team this season and if things go their way, a legit Superbowl contender. Whereas the Falcons are at the start of a rather large rebuild, with very few players to build around.

One paper this should be a walk in the park for the Saints. However, this is a divisional game and one of the NFL’s more heated rivalries. Nothing can be taken for granted here, especially in week 1.

3 Key matchups/Players To Watch

Michael Thomas And The Saints New WRs

One of the primary things I will be watching, how does Michael Thomas and the 2 new Saints receivers look? We haven’t seen Thomas play since 2020 and that was at far less than 100%.

If Michael Thomas is 85% of the player he was, then that is huge for this Saints team and QB Jameis Winston. Reports from camp suggest that 85% might be a conservative number too.

Things have changed considerably since the 2020. Meaning that even Thomas at 85% will give the Saints 3 legit studs at WR, with the additions of Jarvis Landry and Rookie Chris Olave.

It will be interesting to see how Landry’s game meshes with Winston’s. Traditionally Winston prefers to through deep and outside the numbers, whereas Landry’s game has been more in-between the numbers in the short and intermediate range. All signs so far seem good but we need to see it in regular season action.

Lastly, Chris Olave. The Ohio State sensation joins a whole host of other Buckeyes on the roster. How does he match up against good NFL corners? One of the main concerns coming out of college was, if he can be physical enough against press man coverage to get open? All reports from camp have been glowing in this regard. We just need to see it in action now.

This matchup against future all-pro A.J. Terrell and excellent vet Casey Hayward should provide a good measuring stick for the Saints to see where their top 3 WRs are at.

Who Does Marshon Lattimore Match Up Against?

I’m interested to see if Marshon Lattimore will travel against Kyle Pitts. Traditionally Lattimore matches up well against bigger and more physical pass catchers. Compared to the smaller more twitchy players.

So, from a style perspective Pitts fits well for the Saints to match him up against Lattimore. It also wouldn’t hurt for the Saints to take Pitts out of the game as much a possible by having Lattimore on him.

Now, where this get interesting. What do the Saints then do with rookie Drake London? The 6ft 5 210lb first round pick out of USC, also fits the mold of a player worth putting Lattimore on.

So do the Saints just play sides? And let Lattimore lockdown one side of the field and just see who lines up opposite him?

I’m very interested to see how they decide to defends the 2 mammoth pass catchers.

Grady Jarrett Vs The Interior O-Line Especially Cesar Ruiz

Grady Jarret is a game wrecker, a star and one of the best at his position. Whether it be defending the run or rushing the passer, Jarrett can do it all.

So how does the Saints interior O-line hold up against him? I expect Erik McCoy who is a top 5 Center in the league to do just fine, he might lose a few reps but all in all hold up very well. McCoy just got a fully deserved, fat new contract. He will really earn his money against Jarrett this week.

More on McCoy’s new deal here- Saints, center Erik McCoy agree to five-year extension worth up to $63.75M (nfl.com).

The question comes when Jarrett matches up over LG Andrus Peat and RG Cesar Ruiz. Peat is coming off a season ending pec injury and can be inconsistent. This matchup will be a strong test in his first regular season game back.

RG Cesar Ruiz is in a make or break year. The former 1st round pick is going into his 3rd NFL season and there’s not been too much to celebrate from his play on the field. Reports are that he has massively improved his game this offseason. If that’s true we should find out pretty quickly here. I’m not expecting Ruiz to win every snap against Jarrett, that wouldn’t be a fair standard to set. But to see improvement would be huge for the Saints O-line.

If the Saints are going to be the team I expect them to be this season, then they really need their interior O-line to be a strong, especially in the run game. This was an area of weakness last season, compared to years past.

That’s why I think this is one of the key matchups to watch.  

A Position To Watch

That position? Safety and more specifically how will the Safeties be used?

When former HC Sean Payton ‘retired’ the Saints wanted to keep continuity. Hence keeping a lot of the same staff and promoting former DC Dennis Allen to the Head Coach.

Well, continuity is not the word to use to describe the Safety position. Versatility is.  

After losing starting safeties Marcus Williams in free agency and Malcolm Jenkins to retirement. The Saints added 2 new starting safeties, in Louisiana native and LSU hero Tryann Mathieu and Former Jet Marcus Maye.

Marcus Williams was an excellent safety for the Saints but, we was fairly predictable. Generally lining up as a deep safety. In Mathieu and Maye the Saints have 2 players who can line up anywhere, they can player deep as a single safety or in 2 safety looks. They can both play in the box in zone or man coverage to cover TEs/RBs. They can help in run support and be productive blitzers, they can even cover the slot.

What this means is Dennis Allen now has 2 cheese pieces that he can move around the defense all game long, to fit a certain matchup, a certain tendency, or to simply confuse. These 2 could be anywhere at any time. Causing huge amounts of confusion for the opposing Qb’s. As they will be in one position pre snap and somewhere complete different post snap.  

This is going to festinating to see what how Dennis Allen and Co-Defensive Coordinators Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen decide to deploy these 2 in their first game as New Orleans Saints.

State of the rosters

Saints Injury report:

WR- TreQuan Smith- OUT

RB- Dwayne Washington- OUT

CB- Paulson Adebo-OUT

T- Landon Young- Questionable

WR-Michael Thomas- Questionable

S-J.T. Gray-Questionable

S- Tyrann Mathieu- Questionable

C- Erik McCoy- No designation

LB-Pete Werner- No designation

Falcons Injury report:

TE- Parker Hesse- No designation

CB- Darren Hall- Questionable

WR- Drake London- Questionable

Key Saints things to take from this? all signs seem to point to Michael Thomas playing. With Paulson Adebo out, all reports suggest that Bradley Roby will start at outside CB opposite Marshon Lattimore. With Justin Evans and/or P.J. Williams manning the slot. With no designation that means Pete Werner will play which is hugely important for the Saints run defense.

Key Falcons things to take from this? simply that rookie WR Drake London appears to be ready to make his NFL debut.

Result

I think the Saints defense dominate and confuse Mariota. With a wide range of coverages pre and post snap and a ferocious pass rush that gives him very little time to throw.

 I think the offense will be efficient in all areas, with the run game excelling.

Result- Saints Win 27-10

I will be previewing of all of the New Orleans Saints games this season on New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards

Please let me know your feedback on my article throughout the season, I’m always looking to improve and add things that people want to read about!

 I will also be posting at least 1 other article on the site weekly, so stay tuned.

I want to create as much of a UK Saints community as possible, so please follow me on Twitter @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion.

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New Orleans Saints 2022-2023 Season Record Prediction

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We are on the eve of the 2022-2023 season. The 53 man roster is set, for now anyway. This seems like a good time to put out my prediction for how the 2022-2023 regular season will go for the New Orleans Saints.

Disclaimer- these predictions are based on the teams as they are now. Of course injuries, suspensions and trades could all massively change the Saints and any of their opponents throughout the year.

Week 1 @Atlanta Falcons

The Saints are on the road for week 1 against the division rival Falcons. #Falconshateweek is already in full flow on Saints twitter. This is a matchup that has been kind to New Orleans in recent memory winning 3 of the last 4.

On paper the Saints have a far superior roster but, games against the Falcons are unpredicable. Both team usually play each other well.

I predict the Saint’s defense is dominant, against an underwhelming Falcons offense. The New Orleans offense will simply just need to not make mistakes to win this game.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 27- 10

Saints bold prediction- Saints defense has 6+ sacks.

(Record 1-0)

(For a full preview of this game keep an eye out later in the week on New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards and @SaintsReportUK on twitter).

Week 2 Vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Terrific comes to the Caesars Superdome for a huge home opener. Despite Brady and the Bucs dominance on the rest of the league, this matchup has been a stellar one for New Orleans. The Saints defense has held Brady to 13 points per game in their 4 previous regular season meetings.

The Bucs offense has been more potent in the Dome compared to at home and I think this will be a close game coming down to 2 key points, who commits more turnovers? And can the Saints harass Brady to the same degree as they have previously?

I think these 2 teams will split the season series. Brady’s Bucs have performed better at the Superdome but, I’m going to go for a Saints win. It’s going to be very hard to run on the Bucs front with Vita Vea and former Saints Akiem Hicks manning the middle. I think this game is won from the arm of Jameis Winston with Chris Olave have his first big NFL performance.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 30-27

Saints bold prediction- Chris Olave 100+ receiving yards

(Record 2-0)

Week 3 @ Carolina Panthers

3 games to start the season, 3 division games for the Saints. Game 3 means a road trip to the ‘Bank of America Stadium’ in Charlotte. The Panthers have a new man leading the offense. Former number 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield will start under center for Carolina.  I am higher Baker than others. they a bring a young, hungry and fast defense that traditionally plays the Saints well.

I think this is a game where the Saints start slow, coming of a huge performance against the Bucs and despite a late rally; the slow start costs them here.

Result- Panthers Win

Score- 24- 20

Saints bold prediction- Saints defense holds MaCaffrey to under 60 rushing yards.

(Record 2-1)

Week 4 Vs Minnesota Vikings (London Game)

Coming off their first defeat of the season the Saints head to London for a ‘home’ game against the Vikings.

With first year HC Kevin O’Connell a disciple of Sean McVay. The Vikings are expected to have a new and improved offensive system and have stars on both sides of the ball. I expect the Vikings to be a playoff team this year, i even think they might win the NFC North.

I think this game is close, I think it’s going to be an offensive battle. With the biggest play coming from the Saints defense forcing 1 crucial turnover that swings the game in their favour.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 34-30

Saints bold prediction- Winston throws for 350+ and 3+TDs 

(Record 3-1)

Week 5 Vs Seattle Seahawks

Usually when teams play in London they have a bye week. The Saints refused that option, as they felt this would be too early in the season for a bye. To aid the team to transition back from the time zones changes and extra travel that the London game brings. Should the schedule makers have put this game on Monday night? I think yes, But of course its New Orleans so they did not.

So here come the Seahawks, a post London hangover is certainly possible here for the Saints. Luckily this is not the Seahawks of old, gone are the Russel Wilson lead, Legion of Boom teams. Enter the Geno Smith era, at least for now.

I think the Saints defense overpowers whichever QB the the Seahawks are starting on their way to comfortable victory.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 27-14

Saints bold prediction- Saints defense has 3+ interceptions

(Record 4-1)

Week 6 Vs Cincinnati Bengals

A huge Louisiana matchup follows, with former LSU Tiger legends Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase coming to town, as the Saints welcome last year’s Superbowl runner up Cincinnati Bengals to the Caesars Superdome.

On paper it appears the Bengals got even better this offseason, especially on the O-line (admittedly it’s not difficult to be better than last year’s line) with the free agent additions of Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and La’el Collins.

I predict a comeback down to earth game for the Saints, with the Burrow/Chase lead offense being just too much to keep up with on the night.

Result- Bengals Win

Score- 30-26

Saints bold prediction- Michael Thomas over 125 receiving yards.

(Record 4-2)

Week 7 @ Arizona Cardinals

Week 7 takes the Saints head to the desert to face the Cardinals, a team many the media believe will be a playoff team this season. I on the other hand do not share that same vision for them.

Now. I’m not saying are bad, I just don’t see them as a playoff calibre team, more likely around .500. They are not good enough at key spots O-line, CB and other than J.J. Watt (can he stay healthy? ) and Marcus Golden there is not much at Pass Rusher either.

Yes Kyler has weapons and this will be DeAndre Hopkins first game back after suspension. But, I think the Saints defense, especially the front 7 dominate this game. With a statement away win.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 34-21

Saints bold prediction- 3 Saints receivers go over 80 receiving yards.

(Record 5-2)

Week 8 Vs Las Vegas Raiders

A new and improved Raiders come to town. Or so you were told. The Raiders have been a darling of the offseason. With the trade for Davante Adams, free agency addition of Chandler Jones and the hiring of Patriots offensive mastermind Josh McDaniels as HC.

I, on the other hand. See a team with a weak O-line and a defense outside that of Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby who, admittedly are studs. Appears average.

I think the Saints put together their most complete game of the season, they harass Derek Carr all night and Winston throws it all over the field for big numbers.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 38-18

Saints bold prediction- Marcus Davenport 2+ Sacks.

(Record 6-2)

Week 9 Vs Baltimore Ravens

If the Saints are the team I think they are, I think they should win this game. It will be tough though and this Ravens team should not be taken lightly.

Always well coached and led by former MVP QB Lamar Jackson and a strong, deep and versatile secondary, I think this game will be close. My main concern if I’m a Ravens fan, Can Rashod Bateman or any other WR step up this season? If not that’s a lot to put on Mark Andrews in the passing game.

I think this a defense battle, with the Saints relying on their running game and producing just enough in the passing game to get through with a win.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 24-21

Saints bold prediction- Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram both average over 4.5 yards per rush.

(Record 7-2)

Week 10 @ Pittsburgh Steelers

A trip to the Steel City awaits the Saints in week 10. Some of the points I made about the Ravens are true here. The Steelers are well coached, instead of the excellent secondary the Ravens posses. For the Steelers it’s a dominant front 7 led by reining defensive player of the year T.J. Watt.

The biggest question by this point of the season will be, who is the starting QB? Will it be Mitch Trubisky or will rookie Kenny Pickett have taken over.

This could be a low scoring grind it out type of game. As all Saints fans know there’s always at least one let down game every season. A game the Saints should win and they just lay an egg. Here’s where I guess that game comes.

Result- Steelers win

Score- 21-17

Saints bold prediction- Juwan Johnson leads the team in receiving yards.

(Record 7-3)

Week 11 Vs Los Angeles Rams

The Reigning Superbowl Champions visit New Orleans, this matchup when played the dome especially, will not bring fond memories for Saints fans. I feel that trend could continue.

I don’t think the Rams will be a Superbowl powerhouse this season and I really could see the Saints winning this game. But and there isn’t any analysis in this take. For some reason this just feels like a game the Saints will lose, maybe with some frustration from fans, feeling like this was a missed opportunity. Leaving the game feeling like the Saints should have won.

Sometimes as a fan you have these feelings. I’m going to go with my gut here.

Result- Rams Win

Score- 27-20

Saints bold prediction- Alvin Kamara 140+ yards from scrimmage

(Record 7-4)

Week 12 @ San Francisco 49ers

Coming off a loss to the Rams the Saints travel to Santa Clara to face Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers. Will Trey Lance still be the starter? We will see. Shanahan’s offense has traditionally given Dennis Allen issues.

This time I think the Saints defense strikes back, confusing the rookie QB with disguised coverages. Leaving San Fran’s offense in disarray.

Whilst Jameis has is way with the 49er’s secondary.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 31-20

Saints bold prediction- 2+ interceptions for Saints Safeties

(Record 8-4)

Week 13 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

As I said earlier I think the 2 teams split this series, so in the second meeting with the Bucs, Tom and his cronies come out on top.

Result- Bucs Win

Score- 27-21

Saints bold prediction- David Onyemata’s Sacks + TFL’s will be 3 or more

(Record 8-5)

Week 14 Vs Atlanta Falcons

Rinse and repeat from my week 1 comments. The only difference here is Desmond Ridder may have found his way into the starting line-up at QB.

Either way I think this is a Saints win.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 34-17

Saints bold prediction- Cam Jordan breaks the Saints franchise sack record with 2+ Sacks.

(Record 9-5)

Week 15 @ Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson will have had plenty of time to knock off the rust by now after not playing for a season and serving his suspension.

Giving the Saints a challenge in this game. I think they manage to shut down the Browns run game. Leaving a passing offense with limited weapons outside of Amari Cooper out to dry.

Winston takes a backseat to a dominate Saints run game led by Kamara, Ingram and Taysom Hill.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 30-24

Saints bold prediction- Marshon Lattimore holds Amari Cooper to 4 or less catches whilst lined up against him.

(Record 10-5)

Week 16 @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Saints bogey team over the last 2 seasons and unfortunately the Eagles are much improved this year compared to those teams. After a masterful offseason, capped with a trade for C.J. Gardner Johnson that depressed most Saints fans. Giving the Eagles defense the final piece it needed.

Unfortunately I don’t think the Saints bring in the New Year with a win. With the Saints issues against the Eagles attack continuing and the formidable Eagles front making it very difficult for the Saints offense to operate, especially in the run game.

Result- Eagles Win

Score- 31-21

Saints bold prediction- Saints offense is held to under 50 yards rushing.

(Record 10-6)

Week 17 Vs Carolina Panthers

I had the Saints losing this matchup in week 3. I don’t see a sweep for the Panthers. Avoiding a slow start this time around. The Saints romp to a dominate win to close out the regular season.

Result- Saints Win

Score- 27-19

Saints bold prediction- Taysom Hill 3 total TDs

(Record 11-6)

There you have it! You now know exactly how the Saints regular season will go (said with tongue firmly in cheek). New Orleans finish 4-2 in the division and 11-6 overall.

I will posting at least 2 Saints articles to New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards every week throughout the regular season and beyond! So stay tuned there.

I want to create as much of a UK Saints community as possible, so please follow me on Twitter @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion.