By Ross Jackson
While it was a slow start for the New Orleans Saints offense, things got going quickly for the team’s defense. After an opening 6-play, 18-yard drive for quarterback Derek Carr and the healthy starters around him, the Saints and Arizona Cardinals each failed to string together more than four plays for the next five consecutive drives.
The Saints’ defense put together a couple of sacks in the meanwhile and kept former Atlanta Falcon Desmond Ridder uncomfortable. Arizona had -3 passing yards through the first quarter thanks to the play of the Saints’ starting defense– a unit that was still without linebacker Demario Davis and cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo.
Despite missing some pieces on the defense, the Saints had some impressive showings. Defensive linemen Nathan Shepherd and Carl Granderson met at Desmond Ridder for a big sack on the opening drive. Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. made several big plays in the run game. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee also stood out with some great interior pass rush moments.
The Saints’ starting offensive line played a pair of drives, while young tackles Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning got some additional reps beyond. The line did not create much optimism in their early action. Penning in particular continued to struggle after a poor showing in Thursday’s practice.
It was not until the second quarter when Saints quarterback Jake Haener connected on a 58-yard pass to wide receiver A.T. Perry down the left sideline that things really felt like they were about to come to life for the offense.
The Saints went into the second half with a 6-0 lead. Arizona claimed the lead quickly in the third quarter on a 9-play and 70-yard drive that mostly found success through the ground game. Michael Carter rushed for an 11-yard touchdown to establish the one-point
Arizona lead.
The Saints gave the second half to rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, and it immediately paid off. Rattler orchestrated a 7-play touchdown drive, moving 70 yards downfield to get it done. A deep pass down the right sideline to Perry fell incomplete, but was well-timed with reliable placement. The Cardinals were flagged for a questionable pass interference penalty which gave the Saints great field position.
Rattler then connected with undrafted free agent rookie Dallin Holker on a 15-yard catch and run off of a play action bootleg. The play was one of the few times New Orleans incorporated play action as they presented a very dressed down version of their otherwise very active pre-snap offense.
The fifth-round draft pick out of South Carolina then scrambled away from pressure from his left side for a four-year touchdown run. He and Cardinals safety Darren Hall met at the goalline, and Rattler powered through the contact to get the ball just beyond the pylon.
The play was originally called down at the one, but after head coach Dennis Allen’s challenge, it was corrected.
The Cardinals would eventually respond with a Tony Jones Jr. rushing touchdown to take the lead, setting up for some end of game theatrics for Rattler.
With 1:50 and all three timeouts remaining, the Saints just needed to get into field goal range. Thanks to some good running, good decision making by Rattler (including a spectacular back shoulder connection with wideout Samson Nacua) and a couple of jumpy Cardinals defensive lineman drawing a pair of preseason penalties, the rookie quarterback got the team to a 37-yard attempt for Charlie Smyth.
The rookie kicker that joined the team through the International Player Program had never kicked a field goal in this type of situation before this moment. Despite Arizona calling timeout in an attempt to ice him, Smyth drilled it. An impressively clutch kick from a player who has never been under that kind of pressure in this game before. With an ongoing kicker battle, Smyth has kept himself alive with that one.
The Saints now open the preseason 1-0, much like 2023. While there are still question marks around what this new offense will actually look like and the porous offensive line, there were a lot of bright spots in this one as the Saints take it home 16-14.
