New Orleans Saints first MNF showdown could be one for the ages
By Jake Rajala
Saints passing offense versus Raiders passing offense
The New Orleans Saints passing offense ranked 7th in the NFL last year.
Michael Thomas, the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year, will be joined by wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders who was added in the off-season. Drew Brees will look to be fully healthy as he missed five games last season.
The Saints also looked to upgrade their pass protection by adding Cesar Ruiz in the first round, who should step in and start at center. Expect the Saints passing offense to be red hot when they start healthy and take the turf in week 2.
More from Who Dat Dish
- 4 Saints who will prove fans wrong during the 2022 season
- Only one player has better odds to win CPOTY over Jameis Winston
- 3 teams that Jameis Winston can torch with his arm in 2022
- Bradley Roby sees Super Bowl comparisons in New Orleans Saints
- Saints Training Camp: 5 players who had us talking after Day 9
The Oakland Raiders surprisingly ranked 9th in passing offense last season. Derek Carr was proficient with few weapons to work with. Tight end, Darren Waller was their most productive receiver with 1,145 receiving yards.
That should change this year as the Raiders added one of the fastest receivers in the whole league through the draft. Henry Ruggs ran a 4.27 at the combine, and he will be able to open things up for the offense. Expect the Raiders to take big shot plays down and have a dangerous play-action game next season.
The Raiders pass protection is the underrated strength of the passing offense, and all of their starters returning is the key reason that PFF ranked the Raiders offensive line No.1 entering this year.
The Saints and Raiders will boast high powered passing attacks. The Saints passing offense may be damaged by their inability to stretch the field with Brees weaker arm, while the Raiders have all the design to hit big plays.
The teams may be matching points on the scoreboard, as they did in 2016.
Let’s see the more significant matchups in their week two showdown.