The New Orleans Saints are coming off a Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, a game that ultimately felt within reach until the very end. The defeat doesn’t drastically change how they stack up across the league, but there’s a sense of optimism in how they competed.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler turned in what most would call a “solid” debut performance. While he didn’t light up the stat sheet, he played with poise, made decisive throws, and put the Saints in position to potentially tie the game late.
On the defensive side, the pass rush stood out as a major positive, recording six sacks against one of the NFL’s most elusive quarterbacks in Kyler Murray. The consistent pressure kept New Orleans within striking distance throughout the afternoon.
It wasn’t a perfect showing, but the Saints demonstrated resilience, fought until the final whistle, and showed enough flashes to believe they’ll continue to improve as the season unfolds.
Here’s a breakdown of where the team landed among top expert power rankings heading into Week 2:
“I don’t think Spencer Rattler did anything to lose the starting job, putting his team in a position to tie the game or take a late lead before coming up just short versus Arizona. But Rattler also had 16 second-half incompletions against a less-than-fearsome pass rush from the Cardinals. Kellen Moore’s coaching debut was marred by 13 penalties, some curious clock management at the ends of both halves and a rare field-goal miss by Blake Grupe from just 37 yards out. The Saints’ defense gave a pretty good effort, especially in terms of pressure, but the tackling and gap control were issues in defending the run game and Kyler Murray as a scrambler. Was it worst-team-in-the-league bad? No, but someone has to be listed last.”
“They showed some fight against the Cardinals and had their chances at the end. Playing close in games has to be what this season is about for this team.”
“Banks, the No. 9 pick, quietly had a solid debut at left tackle, giving up two pressures and no sacks in 46 pass-blocking snaps, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He also had no penalties in a game riddled with them — every other Saints offensive lineman had a penalty. With right tackle Taliese Fuaga leaving the game in the second half and guard Trevor Penning unable to play due to injury, the rookie’s debut was an encouraging sign.”
“Like the Browns, the Saints have muted expectations in 2025, but they absolutely played their role in Week 1 — even in a losing effort to the Cardinals. The road ahead looks bumpy, but there were positives. Veteran linebacker Demario Davis earned a 90.7 PFF overall grade in the loss, still playing at an elite level at 36 years old.”
“They’re starting a quarterback who’s never won an NFL game. They committed 13 penalties Sunday. But they somehow managed to hang with a decidedly superior team before succumbing. Better days should lie ahead.”
“The Saints marched to little offense beyond Alvin Kamara against a tough Cardinals defense at home. They’re stuck with a limited passing game as long as Spencer Rattler starts. Also they can’t stop the run.”
“The New Orleans Saints provided pretty much what everyone expected in Week 1.
The defense had some bright moments—its pass rush was particularly impressive—but it too often struggled to stop the Arizona Cardinals in key situations.
Alvin Kamara, Juwan Johnson, Chris Olave, and Rashid Shaheed made impact plays, but the offense, as a unit, was limited by inexperienced quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Yet, there are reasons to believe the Saints can grow from here. They have enough veteran difference-makers to keep games close. If they can get more consistent play out of Rattler—or, eventually, second-round rookie Tyler Shough—the Saints will have chances to string together some wins in 2025.”
“The calls for rookie QB Tyler Shough have already begun in New Orleans, which isn’t surprising. But how bad did he have to be to not beat out Spencer Rattler, who was 27 of 46 for just 214 yards and no touchdown passes in the opener? The Saints are in Quarterback Hell.”