The Arizona Cardinals face a depleted and different New Orleans Saints team Thursday night at State Farm Stadium. Drew Brees is no longer the quarterback and Sean Payton no longer coaches them.
The Cardinals have not faced the Saints since 2019.
Both teams are struggling and disappointing thus far at 2-4.
To give us some insight into the team the Cardinals play this week, Saints Wire managing editor John Sigler takes us behind enemy lines and fills us in on what we can expect tonight.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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HC Dennis Allen
Tell us about Dennis Allen. How is he different than Sean Payton and how do you think he is doing?
I’ve been very disappointed in Allen’s performance so far. He was hired to maintain the continuity of elite defense the team hung its hat on the last few years but he’s hemorrhaged talent, and the secondary he was chiefly responsible for has been a liability through the first six weeks. They’re playing sloppy football with too many missed tackles, penalties, and turnovers. Sean Payton’s eye for an attention to detail has been badly missed.
Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston
How has the quarterback situation been with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton?
To be honest, neither of them have been very impressive. Winston has shown more upside but his style of play leads to more sacks and turnovers, and most worryingly he hasn’t been able to weaponize Alvin Kamara. Dalton navigates pressure better and doesn’t turn the ball over nearly as often, and his more-conservative play style is better suited to the offense as it’s constructed. I’d like to see a healthy Winston with all of his weapons, but I’d like to see Dalton with Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry at his disposal, too.
Injuries
Injuries seem to have been the theme for the Saints on offense. What sort of impact have the injuries had and who are players who have stepped up?
They’ve been hit hardest at wide receiver, where career backups like Tre’Quan Smith, Marquez Callaway, and Keith Kirkwood have had to play heavy minutes. But the offensive line is banged up too. Left guard Andrus Peat isn’t expected to play this week so it’ll mean more snaps for his backup Calvin Throckmorton. With tight end Adam Trautman also down look for Juwan Johnson to get more targets. He’s been effective in a limited role, but must execute more blocking assignments to fully weaponize Taysom Hill’s package of plays.
The defense
What is going well and what is not going well defensively?
Pete Werner has really stepped up at linebacker and is defending the second level very well. He and Demario Davis are almost always in the right spot at the right time. But that’s about it. The run defense has been leaky and the pass defense is playing highly variable football. They’re allowing too many big plays and badly miss top cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Paulson Adebo has experienced a really difficult sophomore slump and he can be picked on, but so can his backup Bradley Roby.
Unheralded contributors
Who are lesser-known contributors Cardinals fans should know?
Defensive tackle Malcolm Roach adds some pop to the interior line rotation, particularly against the run. Look for him to cause some problems with Justin Pugh out with an injury. On offense, I really like rookie receiver Rashid Shaheed. The Saints only had a couple of plays ready for him last week, his first game in the NFL, but he has rare speed and took a jet sweep 44 yards for a rushing touchdown. Watch out for his wheels.
Prediction
Who wins, what’s the score, how does it go down?
I’m not very high on this iteration of the Saints, especially considering their injuries, but I like them in this matchup. I think Dennis Allen will do a good job outfoxing Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. They smothered out Kyler Murray’s threat to run in their last matchup. Free safety Marcus Maye is back from injury and should do a lot to limit DeAndre Hopkins’ damage. I just wonder if the Saints offense can get it done without so many starters. Look for Alvin Kamara to catch a lot of passes and score his first TD of the season. I like New Orleans to win on the road 21-17.
