Numbers to know following Saints’ loss to Cardinals

By Ross Jackson

It was a valiant effort by the New Orleans Saints against the Arizona Cardinals as the two teams opened their NFL seasons. Expectations around the Saints are low this year, with record only being a small part of the story. New Orleans is in a transition year as the team finally embraces the rebuild it probably should have years ago. 

While the win-loss record sits at 0-1, here are some more numbers that better tell the story of the Saints’ opening game. 

0 – There were no turnovers forced in the season debut by either team. While the Saints played a clean enough game to avoid giveaways, (thanks to a defensive penalty at least) they didn’t find ways to be opportunistic enough on defense to swing fortune in their favor. Safety Julian Blackmon almost came up with an interception off of a tipped pass.

1 – The Saints came one play short of having a chance to tie or even take the lead with a two-point conversion late in the game. Unfortunately, tight end Juwan Johnson wasn’t able to come down with a high-flying grab at the goal line thanks to a great play by Cardinals safety Budda Baker. Also, defensive tackle Bryan Bresee blocked a field goal in this game, the first of his season and his second of his career.

1.36 – Saints running backs went from averaging 6.7 yards per carry in the first half to just 1.36 in the second half. 

6 – Only six total passes between Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler and Cardinals’ quarterback Kyler Murray were located between the numbers and traveled 10-19 air yards. Both players operated the majority of their passing game underneath and on the perimeters. Each only threw one pass deeper than 30 yards, though Rattler’s was erased by a fortunate defensive penalty.

10 – Per Pro Football Focus, the Saints missed a total of 10 tackles on Sunday. Seven were charted in the run game and three were in the passing game. One of the missed tackles against the pass resulted in a third down conversion that led to points. A play that safety Justin Reid admirably accepted accountability for following the game. 

13 – New Orleans committed 13 accepted penalties during this loss. That’s the first time the team has been whistled for 13 or more penalties since Week 6 of the 2017 season. 

 18.4 – During the first half, Rattler completed 72.7% of his passes (8/11). That percentage fell 18.4% to 54.3% in the second half. (19/35). The Saints leaned heavily on the run game in the first half, but shifted away from it after halftime, perhaps putting too much emphasis on the passing attack.

39 – The Saints ran 39 plays with pre-snap motion, tied for No. 9 in the league with Monday Night Football still left to play.

46 – New Orleans allowed Arizona to convert 46% of its third down attempts on Sunday. Last year, the Saints surrendered a 40% or better conversion rate on third downs 10 times. The team went 1-9 in those games.

50.5 – After having four punters in four years, the Saints saw some promise from rookie Kai Kroeger at the position on Sunday. He averaged 50.5 yards per punt on four punts Sunday. That’s the first time the Saints have had a punter average more than 50 yards per punt since Blake Gillikin in 2022. 

1,000 – Running back Alvin Kamara scored the Saints’ 1,000th scrimmage touchdown in their home stadium, the Caesars Superdome, on an 18-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter.