The New Orleans Saints will play the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game will take place on Thursday, August 31, at 7:00 pm.
Here are some key thinks to watch during this game.
1. The Defense
The Saints have most likely the best offense in the league. Drew Brees, future Hall of Famer and arguably the best quarterback in the league, has shown no signs of slowing down. Mark Ingram II, the starting running back, is coming of the best year of his career. In addition to Ingram II, Adrian Peterson signed with the Saints during the offseason. Also, the wide receivers, led by Willie Snead IV and Michael Thomas, are strong and very productive. With my description, the Saints sound like a powerful and strong team. However, they have gone 7-9 the past three years. This is mostly because of the defense. The Saints had, for the past few years, an inconsistent defense. However, last year the defense showed significant improvement. This year, the Saints defense looks even stronger. In fact, the defense led the Saints to a 13-7 preseason win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the preseason week two. Last week, the Saints beat the Houston Texans 13-0 in their first preseason shutout since 2008. If the defense can play like this in the season, the Saints will be strong contenders not just for the NFC South, but for the Super Bowl.
2. Linebacker Position Battle
The linebackers have been really impressive this preseason. The New Orleans Saints have a number of linebackers. However, some of them will have to be cut. New additions AJ Klein and Manti Te’o are two of the linebackers that are most likely to make the team. Both have played strongly.
3. The Cornerback Position Battle
The decision of who to keep and who to release won’t be easy. The Saints have had many corners step up and show that they deserve to be on an NFL team. Rookie Marshon Lattimore, who the Saints picked up with the eleventh pick in the draft, will make the team. I also think that Sterling Moore will make the team. Kenny Vaccaro, the Saints defensive back leader, said that Moore should be a starter.
4. The Quarterback Battle
Unlike other teams, the Saints don’t have a real quarterback battle. Drew Brees, the starting quarterback, is a legend. This battle is not even for the backup spot. Chase Daniel, who resigned with the Saints this offseason after playing for the past few with the Philadelphia Eagles, will be Brees’ backup. The battle is between Garret Grayson and Ryan Nassib. Grayson was drafted by the Saints in third round of the 2015 NFL draft. He has been the third string quarterback since he was drafted. Now, Nassib, previously the backup for Eli Manning on the New York Giants, challenges Grayson for the last roster spot. They have both played about equally well. I’m not sure who will make the team. Also, it is possible that neither one could make the team. Head Coach Sean Payton earlier had said that they will keep a third quarterback only if they feel that a third QB has earned the spot. On Thursday night, expect to see Grayson and Nassib both get plenty of playing time.
5. The Win
Prior to their 13-7 win against the Los Angeles Chargers, the New Orleans Saints had lost ten straight preseason games. Now, after two consecutive preseason victories, the Saints could actually have a winning record this year in preseason. I think that a winning record would be very good for the Saints. A 3-1 preseason record gets the Saints on the right track they’ll need to be on to have success early in the season. In the first four weeks of the season, the Saints only play one home game. That game is against the New England Patriots. As you can see, the Saints first weeks will be tough. That is why I think it would be good to have a winning record coming out of the preseason. It would put the Saints on the right track for the season.
