New Orleans Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry is coming off of his best game of the 2025 season, and it looks like he'll need to ride that wave of momentum, because his next opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, has some of the most fearsome wide receivers in the National Football League this year.
The top receivers for the Sean McVay-led offense are Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, who together have a combined seven Pro Bowl appearances and four All-Pro selections. Adams has been the league's leader in receiving touchdowns twice, once in 2020 and once in 2022. Nacua, while yet to lead the league in that particular category, has some records of his own: most receiving yards in a rookie season (1,486) and most receptions by a rookie in one game (15).
All McKinstry has going into this game is the name on the back of his jersey. Yet to make a pro-bowl or all-pro team, 2025 has been his first season in the NFL as a starting cornerback, and as the Saints' top CB, he's bound to see the ball thrown his way a couple of times. A ball thrown by quarterback Matthew Stafford, who's likely to be seen in the Hall Of Fame at some point whenever he retires.
Saints CB Kool-Aid McKinstry will need to have another career-best performance against the Rams
Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry has had an up-and-down sophomore season, to say the least. However, over the past few weeks, he's seemed to come into his own just a tad, averaging around four tackles a game since week five, while also gathering two interceptions and six passes defended in that span.
Included in that group of games is his performance against the New England Patriots, which is the worst he's played in his career. That's there because it makes his bounce back in the weeks after that much more impressive. It shows that McKinstry won't panic and start flailing but instead will take a breather and get right back on the saddle.
His coaches certainly have faith in him. "I just think he's knocking them (opportunities) down," defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said to the media. "I think he's playing with the right technique, the right leverage; at that catch point he's just being really physical."