New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals: What's the Game Plan for New Orleans?
The New Orleans Saints will open their 2015 season Sunday, when they hit the road for a challenging matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.
Head coach Sean Payton’s club will be tested on both sides of the ball by an Arizona squad that rang up 11 wins in 2014.
New Orleans has been hit with a barrage injuries to key players throughout the preseason, and they’ll be entering the game short-handed in the defensive backfield.
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It’s imperative that Payton and his staff come up with a sound game plan for this one. Let's take a look at what they might do come Sunday afternoon.
Offense: Establish a Strong Ground Attack
Quarterback Drew Brees was extremely sharp in his first two preseason games, and he showed no lingering effects from the oblique issues that plagued him last season.
With Brandin Cooks now more polished in his second year, the New Orleans signal-caller will look to get the ball to the explosive wideout as often as possible.
The Saints won’t find it easy, however, against an imposing Arizona secondary. New Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher inherits a feisty group of defensive backs, led by Pro Bowl cover man Patrick Peterson.
In order for Brees to sit back in the pocket and go through his progressions, he’ll need time. While solid pass protection would certainly be welcomed, nothing will keep the aggressive Cardinals pass-rushers on their heels more effectively than a strong running game, and therein lies one of the keys to the game for the Saints.
New Orleans must win the line of scrimmage and establish a consistent ground attack.
The Cardinals fielded the NFL's No. 13-ranked rush defense in 2014. With improvement in mind, they acquired former Atlanta Falcon Corey Peters to man the nose guard position this offseason, but he was injured in camp. Arizona will start rookie Rodney Gunter at that spot Sunday, and while the Cardinal front seven is capable, the secondary is clearly the strength of Bettcher’s defense.
On the New Orleans side, offseason acquisition Max Unger provides the Saints offensive line with an accomplished run-blocker at the center position. He’ll team with Jahri Evans, a true road-grader at the right guard slot, to give the Saints a formidable run-blocking duo.
New Orleans also has a budding star at left tackle in Terron Armstead. Then there’s left guard Tim Lelito and right tackle Zach Strief, neither of whom are averse to a physical brand of football.
With bruising fullback Austin Johnson leading the way, running back Mark Ingram should be able to have some success against the Arizona defensive front, particularly when running through the right A-gap (gap between the center and the right guard).
Look for the Saints to attack the Cardinals with a power running game out of the I formation early on in this one. If the offensive line is able to establish control of the line of scrimmage and grind out four and five yards per pop, that will help open things up for Brees and Co. against the active Arizona secondary.
Defense: Pressure QB Carson Palmer
The Cardinals boast a formidable group of wideouts, including Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and the dangerously explosive John Brown. For all their offensive firepower, they weren’t an effective running team last year, as they finished the season ranked No. 31 in rush offense.
The Saints can’t afford to allow the Cardinals to beat them on the ground, and the visitors' first order of business on defense will be to establish themselves up front. If defensive tackles John Jenkins and Kevin Williams can’t hold their ground and clog up the middle on most occasions, New Orleans will undoubtedly be in trouble.
Look for Jenkins and Williams, who were, for the most part, respectable in their preseason appearances, to adequately fill their roles. This will allow linebackers Stephone Anthony and David Hawthorne to clean up with tackles.
That leads us to the Cardinals passing game, which is the most threatening aspect of their offensive attack. With Palmer zipping the ball to Fitzgerald, Brown and others, the Saints will be facing quite the challenge defensively.
The state of the New Orleans secondary is also a huge concern for the Saints heading into their first game. According to the injury report on the team's official site, NewOrleansSaints.com, the Saints will be without starting corner Keenan Lewis and starting free safety Jairus Byrd.
Meanwhile, the Arizona offense will also be dealing with some noteworthy absences. Starting right tackle Bobby Massie (suspension) and starting guard Mike Iupati (knee injury) are both out for this one, according to the team's official site, AzCardinals.com.
This helps make Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s primary objective all the more obvious: New Orleans must take advantage of the patchwork Arizona line and put the heat on Palmer.
As in most cases with a polished passer, the best way to alter Palmer's rhythm is to get physical with him and force him out of his comfort zone.
The Saints lost their top sack man from a year ago in Junior Galette, but they gained a promising pass-rusher in rookie Hau’oli Kikaha. The former Washington standout and second-round draft pick collected 19 sacks in 2014, and he demonstrated flashes of playmaking ability during the preseason.
One of the keys for New Orleans will be to place Kikaha in advantageous positions along the defensive front. A one-on-one matchup with Cardinals right tackle Earl Watford, Massey’s replacement, could be favorable for Kikaha. Watford is making his first NFL start Sunday.
New Orleans switched from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3 this offseason, but they mixed in plenty of three-man fronts throughout the preseason. This occurred more frequently when Kikaha was in the game, as the Saints allowed the rookie to rush off the edge in a two-point stance.
This alignment enables Kikaha to utilize his extensive pass-rushing skill set. He doesn’t possess elite athleticism, but with his outstanding hand technique and body lean, he’s more polished than most rookie pass-rushers.
Placing Kikaha in the right spot is only half the battle, however, and the Saints will need him to come through and win his one-on-one battles when he has such opportunities.
New Orleans will also need to get pressure on Palmer from the defensive end spot, and that means Cam Jordan and Akiem Hicks must step up and contribute. After ringing up 12.5 sacks in 2013, Jordan took a step back last season, and he’ll be looking to return to form starting Sunday afternoon.
Hicks, meanwhile, was an even bigger disappointment in 2014. While not known as a pure pass-rusher, he’s a versatile lineman with exceptional quickness. Given his explosiveness off the snap, there’s no reason for him to not put some occasional pressure on opposing passers.
Prediction
There’s no denying the Saints injury-depleted secondary will have its hands full with the Cardinals receivers, and it’s downright silly to think New Orleans will come out and turn out the lights on the Arizona offense.
New Orleans must stop the Cardinals from consistently running right up the gut, however, which is not an unreasonable proposition. The Saints also need to keep Palmer on the move with a steady pass rush, which could eventually force some turnovers.
The New Orleans offense will look to get Ingram revved up and rolling early on, which should serve as a nice set-up for Brees, Cooks and the air attack to take flight.
Arizona will certainly score, but a late touchdown from New Orleans will lift the Saints to an opening day win on the road.
Saints 31, Cardinals 27
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