Over the first two weeks of the 2026 NFL season, the New Orleans Saints have shown some good and some bad on both sides of the ball, resulting in a 1-1 record, which was only a two-point conversion success away from being 2-0.
Ultimately, they have done enough to put themselves in a good position heading to their home grounds in Week 3, but there are still quite a few questions to be answered with this team. Some regarding further improving areas of the roster, others around sustaining already successful units.
Here are three of the most pressing ones entering a Week 3 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders:
How will Asim Richards look in Kelvin Banks Jr.'s prolonged absence?
The biggest news story surrounding the Saints this week is the long-term injury to Kelvin Banks Jr., as he will now be out indefinitely with a surgical
repair for his high-ankle sprain. This leaves the Saints scrambling a bit, but thankfully they have a reliable backup in Asim Richards on the roster, who looked quite positive in his role following Banks going down.
This will be Richards' biggest test yet in the NFL if he ends up remaining the starter, as the most games he has started in four seasons is four, which occurred in 2025 due to a Taliese Fuaga injury. We will see how he holds up long-term, as the team looks to improve upon a slow start in the run game.
How do the Saints get the run game going?
Speaking of which, the rushing attack that was supposed to develop rapidly with the additions of Travis Etienne Jr. and David Edwards has been extremely lackluster through two weeks. Granted, both Detroit and Baltimore have strong defensive tackle units and linebackers to back them up, so it could just be a matter of getting a lucky break one of these weeks and building momentum.
That said, Etienne only has 71 total yards so far, but a lack of carries with only 17 can explain that. With the Saints trailing early in both contests, that could explain the necessity to have Tyler Shough throw the ball a whopping 90 times in these first two games.
Can the pass rush build off a strong Week 2?
Week 1 was not so kind to the Saints' pass rush, but Week 2 was the polar opposite, with not only pressures raining down against Lamar Jackson, but also multiple sacks. Getting any quarterback on the ground can be difficult; getting Jackson down is a near-impossible task at times for teams due to his mobility, but Chase Young really found his footing once again after a hot second-half to 2025.
With three sacks split between Chase Young, Pete Werner, and Nathan Shepherd in Week 2, building that momentum into a home Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders will be critical. Especially when the run defense has been so shaky early, getting the pressure on pass reps becomes that much more important.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 3 questions we have after Saints' stunning Week 2 win vs. Ravens
