The 2025 NFL regular season is at last just days away. With the New Orleans Saints’ regular season opener against the Arizona Cardinals fast approaching, it’s time to take a look at what either a win or a defeat would mean for the black and gold.
If the Saints win
Winning games of NFL football is never easy. So if the Saints are able to put Sunday in the win column, it means at least some aspects must have gone well. It likely means Spencer Rattler puts on a show at quarterback and the Saints offense manages to shirk
off some of their preseason red-zone troubles. It could also mean the defense wins the turnover battle, is able to put consistent pressure on Kyler Murray and/or contain his rush threat. Perhaps it means Blake Grupe steals the show with a variety of deep field goals, as he’s proven capable of doing.
But regardless of how it gets done, a Saints win would mean head coach Kellen Moore gets exactly the start that he will be after. There is much ado about the team’s ceiling heading into the new season, with a few question marks highlighted by the unknowns of the future of the quarterback position. Neverthless, getting a win on the board at the first time of asking will be the aim that triumphs all else come Sunday.
In front of the home crowd in Caesars Superdome, a victory would give a real lift off to the new era of Saints football that we’ve witnessed come to be over this summer. It’s what everyone is hoping for.
If the Saints lose
A defeat at home to the Arizona Cardinals in the home opener would be – in my view – a disappointment. No matter the lower expectations attached to the Saints this season, this game is winnable. A loss means the team underperforms in one way or another.
The Cardinals pose obvious threat, particularly through Murray. But while they’re not a team deemed to be at the bottom of the NFL, they’re certainly not projected to be Super Bowl contenders. The Saints will leave disheartened should they lose on Sunday.
It would also result in a lot of the more optimistic fans’ balloons being abruptly burst. Assuming the loss is deserved and free from any severe refereeing controversy, losing in the Dome to Arizona may serve as a reality check; opening more eyes to the fact that the season could turn grim.
Of course, making such claims over a single result may feel overblown. But season openers set the tone, especially at home. For a Saints team that will have to scrap and fight for every win in an attempt to make the postseason, this is the type of game they can’t afford to drop.
How do you feel ahead of the Saints’ home opener? What do you feel each outcome means for New Orleans? Let us know in the comments below!
