New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals: New Orleans Grades, Notes and Quotes
The visiting New Orleans Saints came up short in their 2015 season opener Sunday, as they fell to the Arizona Cardinals 31-19.
New Orleans, which has now dropped two straight season-opening contests, fell behind early, as Carson Palmer and the Arizona offense came out with guns blazing. The Cardinals reached the end zone on their first possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead, as the Saints had issues generating a pass rush.
Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense answered with a field goal, although it became evident early on that Saints wideout Brandin Cooks would have a tough time shaking the tight coverage of Cardinals corner Patrick Peterson.
The Cardinals got rolling again early in the second quarter with another scoring drive, but the Saints would answer with a Brees-to-Brandon Coleman touchdown strike. New Orleans wouldn’t reach the end zone again in the contest, as coach Sean Payton’s squad was held to just one touchdown in four trips inside the red zone.
Down 14-10 at the break, the Saints added a second field goal on their opening drive of the third quarter. The Zach Hocker kick trimmed the Arizona lead to one, and the New Orleans defense responded with spirited play for the better part of the second half.
The Cardinals eventually wore down the Saints in the fourth quarter, however, and they delivered the knockout blow with a 55-yard touchdown pass to rookie David Johnson with less than two minutes to play.
Read on for a closer look at the Saints’ opening day loss, as we provide postgame grades, notes and quotes.
Grades
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| QB | B- |
| RB | B |
| WR/TE | F |
| OL | D |
| DL | C |
| LB | C |
| DB | B |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | D |
Offense
Drew Brees finished the game with 355 passing yards, but much of the yardage was gained via screens, swing passes, and short dump-offs to third and fourth options.
Brees frequently looked downfield for top target Brandin Cooks, but the second-year wideout was often blanketed by Patrick Peterson, and the other Saints receivers were also well-covered for much of the game.
The short passing game has long been a staple of the New Orleans offense, but without the threat of the big play, the unit was forced to put together long drives that ended short of the goal line far too often.
Brees faced some scattered pressure from the Arizona pass-rushers, but the Saints offensive line afforded him adequate protection on numerous snaps.
The area where the line struggled was in the run-blocking department. Establishing a strong rushing attack was critical for the New Orleans offense in this one, but the Saints blockers failed to win their individual battles and provide the backs with adequate running room. New Orleans finished with just 54 rushing yards on 20 carries, which made for a lackluster average of 2.7 yards per carry.
Although they were unable to get anything going on the ground, the Saints running backs carried the load in the passing game.
Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson combined for 13 receptions and 149 yards, but outside of a 59-yard gain from Ingram, big plays were few and far between.
Defense
The Saints got off to a rough start defensively, but the unit weathered the storm and competed well in the game from the second quarter through the latter stages of the fourth.
Up front, defensive end Cam Jordan applied pressure, from time to time, on Carson Palmer, and the 2013 Pro Bowler finished with two tackles for a loss and a hit on the quarterback. With Cardinals right tackle Bobby Massie out, however, New Orleans needed more from Jordan against Arizona backup Earl Watford.
Rookie outside ‘backer Hau’oli Kikaha’s name was called frequently throughout the contest. He was especially outstanding on one third-quarter series, and he ended the Arizona drive by punching the ball out of Cardinal ball-carrier Andre Ellington’s arm. Fellow rookie Delvin Breaux scooped up the fumble to collect the New Orleans defense’s only takeaway of the game.
As for Breaux, the former CFL star had a tough time with penalties in this one, although he was able to hold his own with the talented Arizona wideouts on multiple occasions.
Cornerback Damian Swann, another rookie who saw lots of playing time, led the Saints with six tackles on the day. With starting corner Keenan Lewis out, the Georgia product rang up a team-high six tackles, and, like Breaux, he went toe-to-toe with the Cardinals receivers several times throughout the game.
Youth was the overriding theme of the day for the Saints defense. Coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit was littered with young players Sunday, as rookies saw significant snaps at all three levels.
On the whole, the New Orleans defense demonstrated considerable improvement from a year ago. In the end, however, the group was worn down and overwhelmed by the explosive Cardinals offense. There’s still lots of work to be done before this group can achieve its full potential.
Special Teams/Coaching
Kicker Zach Hocker was a bright spot for the Saints in the special teams department, and he nailed all four of his field-goal attempts.
Thomas Morstead boomed numerous kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks, but David Johnson broke through for 43 yards on the Cardinals’ only kickoff return.
As for coaching, there was one late-game decision by Sean Payton that will likely be heavily debated for the next week.
With the Saints down 24-19 at the 2:00 mark, Payton elected to punt with the Saints facing 4th-and-6 deep in their own territory. Arizona scored just two plays later.
When considering the youth of the Saints defense, combined with the fact that his team needed only six yards to get the first down, Payton’s decision to punt the ball back to the potent Cardinals offense must be called into question.
A six-yard gain is certainly a doable feat for Brees and the New Orleans offense, and to place the Saints’ chances on the shoulders of the defense was highly questionable in this instance.
Saints Offense Goes 1-of-4 Inside Red Zone
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There's been no lack of discussion about the Saints’ trade of star tight end Jimmy Graham this offseason, and their substandard red-zone efficiency against the Cardinals certainly won’t help silence the critics of the blockbuster deal.
New Orleans reached paydirt just once in four trips inside the Arizona 20-yard line. With Cooks and the New Orleans wideouts handcuffed by the Cardinals defensive backs, the Saints needed someone to establish a presence as a true scoring threat.
Brandon Coleman showed potential with his athletic catch-and-run for a second-quarter touchdown, but the scoring play was a rare bright spot in what proved to be a long day for the New Orleans wide receivers and tight ends.
Payton will undoubtedly be taking a hard look at his squad’s red-zone struggles as the Saints strive to improve in the coming weeks.
Hocker Hits All 4 Field Goal Attempts in Debut
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New Orleans held a lengthy battle for the team’s kicking duties during training camp and the preseason, and former Arkansas standout Zach Hocker emerged as the victor.
Hocker entered Sunday's contest having never made a kick in an NFL game, but that quickly changed in the first quarter. Hocker made his first attempt, a 37-yard kick, and he subsequently nailed three more.
New Orleans has had its share of inconsistency at the kicker spot in recent seasons, and by going with a player who had never kicked in a regular-season game, the Saints took a bit of a risk.
If Hocker’s first performance is any indication, that risk could end up paying off for New Orleans in a big way.
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Damian Swann on the Saints' Defensive Performance
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Despite the tough loss, cornerback Damian Swann remained optimistic about the New Orleans defense, and he was quoted as follows by the Saints' official site, NewOrleansSaints.com:
"It’s never as good as you think it is, and it’s never as bad as you think it is. We just have to watch the tape and get ready to play football. We have Tampa coming in to our building next week so we have to get at it and look at the tape. We have to move on from it, get things corrected and get ready for next Sunday.
"
Swann is just one of many rookie defenders who received major playing time for the Saints on Sunday. Rookie defensive linemen Tyeler Davison, Bobby Richardson and Tavaris Barnes all saw action, while linebackers Hau’oli Kikaha and Stephone Anthony, along with corners Swann and Delvin Breaux, all played key roles.
Arizona wore down the young New Orleans defense over the course of the game, but with a matchup against a divisional foe coming in Week 2, it’s important that the young Saints defenders take cue from Swann and remain confident.
Drew Brees on Mark Ingram as a Receiver
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With the New Orleans receiving corps bottled up, Brees had to turn to the Saints running backs for the bulk of the work in the passing game. Mark Ingram led the way with eight receptions for 98 yards, and Brees' comments on the fifth-year back were posted as follows on NewOrleansSaints.com: "I have a lot of trust in Mark. I think a lot more opportunities will come his way in the passing game as well, as we kind of diversify everything that we're doing."
The Saints have relied on their running backs for production in the passing game quite often in the past several years. Former New Orleans backs Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas have all played key roles in the Saints' pass offense, and it seems as though Brees will once again utilize the backs this season.
Ingram and Khiry Robinson (five receptions for 51 yards) both had their share of opportunities against the Cardinals, and both enjoyed some success.
Involving running backs in the passing game is always nice, but in the coming weeks, the New Orleans offense will need its wide receivers and tight ends to step up and play much bigger roles than they did Sunday.
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