The Good: Pass rush
In 2024, the New Orleans Saints pass rush left a lot to be desired so starting this season with 5 sacks against one of the more mobile QBs in the NFL in Kyler Murray is a good sign. Cameron Jordan started it off with the first sack of the season for the Saints, and later combined for one with Carl Granderson, who also finished with 1.5 sacks. Pete Werner also got to the QB, and Alontae Taylor had a very timely sack on a 3rd down to force the Cardinals to punt and give the Saints a chance to tie the game.
The Saints front seven as a whole did a pretty good job on Sunday, as Demario Davis looked as good as ever and the Saints did a decent job against the run save for one broken play that resulted in a 52 yard carry. The issues however primarily came in the secondary.
The Bad: First half defense
On paper the Saints pass defense did a serviceable job on Sunday. But during the flow of the game it felt like every time the Cardinals needed a big gain through the air they were able to get it. Arizona quickly answered back every time the Saints scored, primarily by way of tight end Tre McBride or receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. The Saints had big problems defending the tight end last year, which makes it disconcerting to see them give up 6 catches for 61 yards to McBride already in Week 1. They gave up 17 points in the first half including back to back touchdown drives in the second quarter to dig themselves into a 17-10 hole at halftime. The defense got much better in the second half, but the second quarter burst by Arizona proved to be the difference in this matchup.
The Ugly: Penalties
The Saints committed 13 penalties on Sunday which cost them a total of 89 yards. The most costly penalties were a pass interference on 3rd down that kept a scoring drive alive for Arizona, a false start which turned a 3rd and 8 into a 3rd and 13 which was not converted, another false start on 3rd and 10, and a facemask that turned a 2nd and 8 on the Arizona 42 into 1st and 10 on the New Orleans 43 on an eventual touchdown drive for the Cardinals. This issue is something the Saints will obviously look to clean up as the season progresses.
