Tennessee Titans vs. New Orleans Saints: 3 Things To Watch in Preseason Finale

The New Orleans Saints have looked great at times this preseason, and they’ve looked rather stagnant at times, also. But going into their final preseason game, they are three things for Saints fans to keep an eye on.

The Saints looked fantastic on defense in the opening game against the San Francisco 49ers, but looked lackluster against the Houston Texans in Week 2. Sunday, the Saints offense looked outstanding against the Oakland Raiders, but their run defense didn’t impress.

Here are three things for Saints fans to watch out for in the Saints final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

The Run Defense Has to Improve

For two weeks in a row, stopping the run has been a problem for this defense.

Shaun Rogers looked better against the Raiders than he did against the Texans, as he was getting solid penetration. He needs to take the next step this week by making tackles after getting penetration.

Look for the Saints to really key on improving their run-stop ability, because it is the only glaring weakness on this team right now. Rogers, Sedrick Ellis, Swanson Miller, Mitch King and Dexter Larimore need to have good performances this Thursday.

The defense’s tackling ability has been another weakness of the team this preseason. But, hey, this is what preseason is for. Preseason is here so teams can fix the problems that they have before the season starts.

The Saints still didn’t look all that great when it came to tackling the Raiders, but it was much improved from the previous week. Expect the Saints to focus on stopping the run against the Titans and to improve in the tackling department.

Will the Offense Continue To Flow?

You could really tell that this team worked hard together over the summer. They showed the kind of chemistry that Saints fans expect from a Sean Payton and Drew Brees-led offense when they played the Oakland Raiders.

The Saints produced 514 yards of total offense with 388 of those yards coming through the air. Brees had a stellar day as he completed 15-of-23 passes for 189 yards and led the team to a score all three drives that he played.

This looked like the 2009 Saints marching up and down the field. This was a well-balanced offense, as Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas would pick up the tough yards on the ground, while Brees would dissect the defense with his aerial assault. Ten different Saints had receptions in the 40-20 victory.

This offense has a lot of weapons at hand, going into the season. It’ll be interesting to see if this team will continue to mesh and have good chemistry heading into the fourth preseason game.

Will Joique Bell Make the Team?

For the guys that are fighting for roster spots, this will be one of the most important games of their life, as they try to impress the coaches and make the team.

One of those guys trying to make the team is Joique Bell, who has been more than impressive. The only problem for Bell is the Saints have so many running backs at hand. They have Ingram, Thomas, Darren Sproles and Chris Ivory, who all can be game changers.

But rest assured, Bell’s not going to get cut without a fight. In the game against the Raiders, Bell had his most impressive performance to date. Bell had six carries for 50 yards including a touchdown rush and two receptions for 92 yards.

Bell was also responsible for the longest play from scrimmage in the preseason by the Saints, as he took a screen pass from Chase Daniel 60 yards down the field while breaking tackles.

Personally, I’m rooting for Bell, and I think the Saints should have an ample amount of backs after what happened to them in the playoffs last year against Seattle.

I don’t know if the Saints will make room for that many running backs, but it all comes down to how impressive Bell looks against the Titans.