The New Orleans Saints started the 2025 NFL season with a disappointing home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. While the Saints were able to rally back late and make the game competitive, once the Cardinals took a 10-7 lead, they never looked back.
Fortunately for New Orleans, it’s Week 1, and there’s a lot more season to go. Despite the loss, the Saints learned a lot about themselves and can regroup ahead of Week 2.
Up: Cameron Jordan
Cameron Jordan has put up some of the worst production of his career over the last two
seasons. Since 2023, the veteran edge rusher has recorded just 6 sacks. But Jordan looked like the prime version of his self against the Cardinals as the 15-year veteran recorded 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 TFLs, and one pass defensed.
Jordan has expressed his feelings about former defensive line coach Todd Grantham publicly over the offseason. Jordan has described Grantham as “the worst D-line coach I’ve ever had.” While the Saints legend does claim accountability for his recent struggles, Jordan names Grantham’s strange techniques as big contributors, “Hey man, you’re one of our starters, but also here’s one play, take you out. Eight plays later, I got you.’ … “He wasn’t focused on teaching players technique, tweaking form over the course of a season, or development in general.”
It’s also fitting for Jordan to have a big performance in the debut of New Orleans’ new uniform featuring gold jerseys. The veteran defensive end has been pleading with the Saints to bring back a gold alternate for the last five years, and the team finally answered.
Up: Kendre Miller
Running back Kendre Miller was one of the biggest standouts during the preseason. The third-year running back’s numbers didn’t pop off the box score, but he’s shown his elite burst and Alvin Kamara-like balance. Miller is expected to have a bigger role in Kellen Moore’s offense and saw some action early against Arizona.
Unfortunately, Miller only saw 5 carries on Sunday, rushing for 24 yards. Once the Cardinals started to take a lead, the Saints went away from the running game. While limited, Miller showed off everything he did in the preseason against a starting NFL defense.
But it wasn’t on offense that the third-year running back made an impact. Miller also returned kicks for New Orleans on Sunday, logging 3 returns for 88 yards, including a 43-yard return. Kellen Moore has emphasized his desire to run the ball, and the team was able to do it well enough against Arizona. Hopefully, once the offense starts to flesh itself out, Miller will see more touches.
Down: Kool-Aid McKinstry
There are a ton of expectations for second-year cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. The former second-round pick had a promising showing during his rookie season, allowing the Saints to feel comfortable trading away All-Pro Marshon Lattimore and letting Paulson Adebo walk in free agency. But McKinstry struggled heavily during the loss.
Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. got the best of McKinstry during their matchup, leading to Harrison having a 156.3 passer rating when he was targeted. McKinstry followed the second-year wide receiver throughout the game, with Harrison recording 5 receptions for 71 yards and 1 touchdown.
McKinstry has another daunting matchup approaching as the Saints host Ricky Pearsal and the San Francisco 49ers. Pearsal came out of Week 1 being the 49ers’ leading receiver with 4 receptions for 108 yards. While Pearsal isn’t as highly esteemed as Harrison Jr, he could give New Orleans some problems if McKinstry struggles.
Down: Penalties
By far the biggest problem for New Orleans on Sunday was the 16 penalties the team logged in the loss, with 13 of them being accepted for 89 yards. 11 of the team’s penalties were called on the offense, with 8 being pre-snap problems.
The Saints’ offense ran tempo throughout the game to speed up the pace for Spencer Rattler, but it was clearly a problem for the offensive line. In an offense that was run to help their young quarterback, they ended up creating more adversity for him. When asked about it pregame, Rattler said the team is looking to utilize tempo for the rest of the season, causing a lot of concern from fans after the offense was called for 11 penalties.
Kellen Moore is a first-year head coach, and addressing the penalties will likely be the first thing brought up in practice. While we can hang our heads on the lack of discipline the team showed in Week 1, it’s more important to see what adjustments are made next week.
