After winning their opening preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, the New Orleans Saints turn their attention to the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots. In a lot of ways, the Saints and Patriots mirror each other in offensive mindset and philosophy, both possessing arguably two of the top passing attacks in the league. That familiarity with offensive mindset should make for an interesting matchup throughout the game tonight.
TE Jimmy Graham might sit against New England due to a lower back injury.
PASS OFFENSE
New Orleans should be able to take advantage of a leaky New England pass defense, a unit that allowed an average of 293.9 yards per game a year ago; only the Packers had a harder time stopping opposing passers. New England’s defensive woes from last season were strikingly similar to ones that New Orleans had – a lack of a pass rush led to a low turnover margin, which in turn kept most games shootouts. Both teams want to avoid the same fate this season. The Patriots drafted two potential stud defenders this offseason in Chandler Jones and Donta Hightower, addressing the issue. Jones, a DE from Syracuse, and Hightower, a hybrid OLB/DE from Alabama, should provide an outside rush that New England has been lacking for some time.
Drew Brees, who only threw five passes on Sunday, might get more playing time against New England. Although he was very impressive, Brees will still look to get his timing down with his offensive weapons, some of whom will be absent from the starting lineup.
Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but the much anticipated Jimmy Graham/Rob Gronkowski duel might not even happen. Graham injured his lower back in practice today, and might sit out tonight’s game as a precautionary measure. Although the injury isn’t considered serious, the Saints do not want to take any risks and will sit Graham if he isn’t good to go by kickoff.
Filling in for a possible Graham-less tight end unit will be the job of backups David Thomas and Michael Higgins. Thomas, a veteran player who does everything well, does fine as a secondary pass catching option. Higgins’ development, however, is more interesting. He is expected to make the team, but tomorrow’s game might act as a stage to shine. Higgins is very similar to Thomas in his skill set, but has yet to establish himself as a viable fill-in.
The receiving corps might again be without rookie Nick Toon, who has yet to officially see the field in a game. Toon is still questionable with a foot injury, and, like Graham, will not play if he can’t go at game-time. Joe Morgan, Adrian Arrington, Courtney Roby, and Andy Tanner will all get more snaps and looks in Toon’s absence, and should take every advantage.
RUN OFFENSE
The Saints’ 4 yard per carry mark from a season ago comes as no surprise to those following the team. Although known mostly as a pass-first offense, New Orleans has the ability to dictate a strong running game with a rotation of players that go four deep, all of whom possess different, complimentary skill sets. A healthy dedication to the running game only makes the passing game all the more effective.
New England’s run defense from a year ago ranked near the middle of the pack, as they gave up an average of 117.1 yards per game (17th in the NFL). The 4.6 yard per carry average will need to be lowered if the Patriots want to keep going deep into the postseason. Stopping the run will be a huge point of emphasis for their defense.
From the onset, the method of attack for the Saints on offense last week was a power running game. Expect more of the same tonight, as New Orleans will try to build upon Mark Ingram’s impressive showing against the Cardinals. Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles should have a similar workload as last game, mainly providing relief when needed for Ingram.
Chris Ivory needs to have a better game than he did on Sunday. He was ineffective against Arizona, failing to find many running lanes. I think Saints offensive coaches will try to give Ivory more carries against the Patriots, filling the same role that he had a week ago, basically as a bridge from the sure-fire top rotation backs (Ingram, Thomas, and Sproles) to the bubble players (Cadet and Banyard).
After putting the opposing defense on notice by catching the ball particularly well, undrafted rookie Travaris Cadet might see more action as a runner. Coaches will definitely try to evaluate Cadet’s value as a more traditional running option, warranting more preseason carries.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
WR Joe Morgan
With Nick Toon still sidelined, Morgan must step up in order to both impress coaches and move up the depth chart. His inconsistency as a receiver is sometimes baffling, but he clearly has the tools and athleticism to flourish in this offense. Putting it all together, however, has been a challenge for Morgan throughout his short career. Tonight’s game provides him a solid opportunity to take the next step. Nonetheless, the question still remains: can he finally have the game coaches have been waiting for?
QB Chase Daniel
Although he had a very nice game last week on the stat sheet (15 of 20 for 203 yards, one touchdown, and one interception), backup QB Chase Daniel looked uncomfortable at times running the offense. He ran around with the ball too often; he was actually the team’s second leading rusher. Daniel also missed on some easy, short throws, and took some sacks on third downs, effectively killing drives. Daniel’s performance tonight, whether brilliant or disastrous, won’t change the quarterback pecking order. But his overall development as a player is crafted from preseason games such as these, and his progression (or lack thereof) should be noted by coaches and fans alike.
