The New Orleans Saints have their first game of the season in just three days against the Arizona Cardinals. Not many days to count down until kickoff is here, so we're beginning to look at the upcoming game.
We continue the countdown to kickoff with the three players who need to have a big game for the Saints to come out of Week 1 victorious. There's a lot of eyes on the offense due to a new starting quarterback and an offensive minded head coach.
Don't skip over the defense, though. The Arizona offense provides the Saints defense with some challenges. The biggest challenge is dealing with Kyler Murray. That's where we start our players to watch in Week 1.
3 Saints who need a good game to beat the Cardinals
Carl Granderson/ Chase Young
The answer here is both Chase Young or Carl Granderson or Young and Granderson. Young missed Thursday’s practice, and it feels like his Week 1 outlook is growing more bleak. With or without Young, containing Murray is the primary concern defensively. He struggles against pressure, and the conversation naturally drifts towards edge rushers when pressures are brought up. Even if it’s just Granderson, the necessity to get to and bring down Murray can’t be overstated.
Spencer Rattler
At some point, Spencer Rattler is going to have to make a play if the Saints want to win. While many expected Tyler Shough to be the Week 1 starter due to being Kellen Moore's draft pick. That wasn't the case, and this is Rattler's first chance to solidify that position. The safeties will provide some tricky looks for the young quarterback. If Rattler can make a few critical plays on third downs, in the red zone and in the fourth quarter, it will increase the Saints odds of winning.
Alvin Kamara
Want Rattler to have to make less plays? Alvin Kamara will have to have a big game. The run game will be the part of the game that drives the offense forward. Kamara is the key to stabalizing the offense. Coach Moore already made it clear the plan is to let Kamara carry the workload. A good game from Kamara means staying ahead of the chains and opening up the pass for the young quarterback.