These Saints Players Could Ruin Week 1 for the Cardinals

Of course we have to start with the Saints’ quarterback, as it’s the most important position on the field and Rattler will be the one leading New Orleans’ offense. It was a battle at QB for the Saints, as both Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough competed for the starting job, but the second-year signal-caller out of South Carolina won the starting role.

Rattler, a Phoenix native who played his high school ball at Pinnacle, played in seven games in the 2024 season. He threw for 1,317 yards and four touchdowns with a completion percentage of 57%, not quite impressive, but the Saints must have felt like this was enough to elevate him to a starting role in 2025.

Rattler brought a rushing component to his game, but it seems as if that’s gone away in the pros. He rushed just 18 times compared to his 228 passing attempts, virtually eliminating his dual-threat abilities altogether.

While designed runs have been replaced by a pass-first approach, Rattler still moves well in the pocket as a young player. The Cardinals might have a tough time with his elusiveness, but as the stats show, his rushing game isn’t as prevalent, so getting after Rattler is certainly possible.

Don’t allow Rattler to beat you with the big play, but the Cardinals might want to force the Saints’ QB to make difficult throws downfield. For a team that struggled selecting a quarterback it was confident with, the Cardinals should realize this information and use it to their advantage.

As a young quarterback looking to show his ability, Rattler could be dangerous, giving Arizona an interesting challenge for Week 1.

RB Alvin Kamara

The most well-known Saint is who I’ll talk about next, as Kamara has been a productive NFL veteran for several years now, and he’s expected to keep up his production in 2025.

Entering his ninth season in the league, Kamara has been with the Saints his entire career, and he’s been through both good times and bad. While this year is expected to fall into the latter category, he’s a player the Cardinals will certainly have to focus on.

He rushed for 950 yards in 2024, also contributing 543 yards in the receiving game. Kamara has been the poster child for dual-threat running backs for his entire career, as he can beat you with his legs, but he’s sensational at getting open and creating space out of the backfield to catch a pass.

New Orleans’ offense essentially runs through Kamara because of this, meaning Arizona might want to game plan more for him than QB Rattler. This is a bit of a stretch, but the sentiment is still true. Kamara is the motor keeping the Saints running, and it should be no different in Week 1 against the Cardinals.

Arizona might want to take the approach of neutralizing his receiving ability and letting him run the ball instead, but allowing New Orleans to establish a solid rushing attack could be the first step in the Saints pulling off the upset.

Whatever the case, Kamara is clearly a household name, but he’s obviously worth a mention because of how much he contributes to the success New Orleans is looking to have against the Cardinals.

DE Chase Young

On the defensive side of the ball, the Saints have one player who might stand above the rest in terms of who could give the Cardinals the most trouble. That happens to be defensive end Chase Young, as he’s an incredibly skilled rusher who’s found a home in New Orleans.

Fresh off a new contract this offseason, Young looks to develop stronger footing with the Saints, and it all starts against the Cardinals in Week 1. In 2024, Young totaled 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 17 games played. He added 7.5 tackles for loss as well, cementing his role as a productive edge in both passing and rushing situations.

Kyler Murray has been known to get into trouble with a talented edge rusher in the back of his mind, which could give Arizona’s offense issues throughout the ballgame. Because of Murray’s potential situation in dealing with Young, the Cardinals might want to rely on their run game, but Young also excels in that area as well.

In a defense that is talented, but not yet proven across the board, having a five-year veteran like Young gives the Saints a player the Cardinals will have to prepare for.

Some might think New Orleans will be a breeze, and the Saints very well could be the worst team on Arizona’s schedule, but believing they don’t have any impact players is just flat-out wrong.