Sep 7, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (92) chases Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) out the pocket during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Two Biggest Weaknesses From Saints' Week 1 Loss Vs. Cardinals

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 6:38 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints took on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon and saw its league-leading home-opener winning streak to begin a season snapped.

The Saints entered Sunday's contest with six straight wins in home openers. Things didn't work out in the Saints' favor on Sunday, though, despite a late push. The Saints ended up losing 20-13 against the Cardinals. On the afternoon, Spencer Rattler went 27-of-46 passing for 214 passing yards. Juwan Johnson was the key cog in the passing game with a team-leading eight catches and 76 yards. Chris Olave was behind him with seven catches and 54 yards.

Alvin Kamara had 11 carries, 45 rushing yards, and the team's lone touchdown on the day.

Although the game will go as a loss in the standings, there were things to be happy about. Rattler gave the Saints a chance to win. New Orleans showed a lot of grit late and came close, but just short. The second quarter was rough, but the Saints allowed six points total outside of the second quarter.

There were things to like, obviously, but also things to fix.

Here were the Saints' two most-glaring issues on Sunday against the Cardinals:

The Saints lost against the Cardinals on Sunday

Penalties:

New Orleans had 13 penalties accepted against them for 89 yards. There were also three penalties that were declined. Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com noted that 11 were on the offense.

"Of the Saints' 16 penalties (13 enforced, 3 declined), 11 were whistled on the offense, including 8 of the pre-snap variety; three false starts; two illegal formations; two illegal shifts; and one offsides," Duncan said.

3rd Down Defense:

The Saints' defense arguably was solid overall on Sunday. Kyler Murray had just 163 passing yards and was sacked five times for 33 yards. The Saints also only allowed 146 rushing yards. Overall, the Saints managed what is supposed to be a solid offense, but they just weren't timely. Arizona was 6-for-13 on third downs. Arizona was 2-for-3 in the red zone in general and just was more timely in general.

These are things that can be cleaned up somewhat quickly. If so, the Saints showed that they can do some positive things on Sunday.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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