3 Things We Learned From Saints’ Preseason Opener

The battle for the backup role under Tyler Shough changed its course a little bit after today’s game.

Zach Wilson put on a show, completing 11 of his 16 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. He had three throws of 20 yards or more with a 28-yard and 37-yard pass to Bub Means and a 28-yard pass to Barion Brown.

Wilson outperformed last year’s original-starter-then-backup, Spencer Rattler. The third-year quarterback was accurate, completing eight of his 11 passes, but he only threw for 42 yards, the lowest of the three quarterbacks that played Saturday. He also lost a fumble that was recovered by Jacksonville deep into Saints’ territory.

Moore was mum about whether or not Wilson will get more reps with the second-team offense and that he was proud of the quarterback’s room performance as a whole.

“We’ll continue to get these guys all these different reps, Moore said. “I think the world of our quarterback room, at the end of the day, I think it's as talented a group as ever been around. I thought Spencer did some good things. He's continued a really good training camp. I think what Zach did today, but also through training camp, he's just been getting better. And so I feel really good about this whole entire group.”

Second-Team Defense

One of the things we were going to watch out for was how the second-team defense would perform. It overperformed.

The second-team defense of the Saints held the Jaguars to 82 total yards in the first half. It made the biggest impact in the passing game. New Orleans allowed only six completions on 15 pass attempts (40%), recorded three sacks and forced two interceptions, one from linebacker Jaylan Ford and one from defensive back Jayden Price .

Ford finished with seven tackles and a pass deflection, while Price broke up two passes as well.

Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. has continued his strong week, breaking up a team-high three passes and could have had an interception himself.

The standout player was undrafted rookie Michael Heldman. The 6-3, 268-pound defensive end from Central Michigan had two sacks and two quarterback hits.

Kicking Battle Rages On

Another thing we watched Saturday was the kicking battle between incumbent Charlie Smyth and newcomer Tanner Brown.

Coming into the game, Brown had been kicking slightly better, making 33 of his 38 attempts (86.8%), while Smyth was 33-of-41, good for 80.5%, according to NewOrleans.Football.

Brown may have gained a bigger lead after today’s game, as he made both of his field goal attempts from 29 and 49 yards. However, Smyth missed his only kick from 52 yards out in the second half.

After today, Brown has made 35 of 40 field goal attempts (87.5%), while Smyth is now making just under 80% of his field goals, at 78.5%.

Winners and Losers

Who were the biggest winners for the Saints in Saturday's first preseason game? Who were the biggest losers? Check out our thoughts here.

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Wednesdays, On SI Saints will answer your questions about what we see from our vantage point. To submit your thoughts or inquiries click here.