Week 1 Preview: Cardinals at Saints - Opportunity Knocks in New Orleans
It’s Year 3 of the Kyler Murray reboot, and the Cardinals finally look like a team with structure, purpose, and expectations. Week 1 sends them to the Superdome to face a Saints team in transition: new head coach (Kellen Moore), rookie quarterback (Spencer Rattler), and a roster still trying to figure out what it is.
For Arizona, this game isn’t about proving they’re contenders. It’s about not wasting a great opportunity.
Let’s break it down.
Keys to the Game
1. Make Spencer Rattler play fast
The Cardinals’ defense isn’t elite yet, but it’s fast and physical—and it’s facing a rookie quarterback in his first NFL start. Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis should bring pressure early and often. Don’t give Rattler clean looks. Don’t let him settle. Josh Sweat and Zaven Collins have to set the edge, and rookie Walter Nolen will get chances to collapse the pocket. Force mistakes, then capitalize.
2. Kyler needs to keep it boring (in a good way)
We know Kyler Murray can make magic outside the pocket—but this game calls for something simpler. Take what the defense gives you. Run when it’s smart, not just flashy. Murray had 9 TDs to 2 INTs over his final five starts last year, and he looked far more comfortable working within the system. This Saints defense isn’t the same without Cam Jordan or Tyrann Mathieu—there will be holes. Just don’t force it.
3. Feed Marvin. Feed McBride. Repeat.
Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. are going to be the focal point of this offense, and they should be. The Saints’ back seven is unproven, and Arizona has the chemistry advantage here. McBride is a matchup nightmare in the middle of the field, and Marvin’s route running is NFL-ready. Keep them involved early and often, especially on third downs.
Prediction
This game feels like a classic early-season test: one team figuring it out, the other looking to take a step forward. The Cardinals aren’t perfect, but they have stability where it matters—at quarterback, head coach, and offensive scheme. That’s more than you can say for the Saints right now.
Unless Arizona gets sloppy with turnovers or lets the crowd dictate tempo, this should be a win.
Murray throws for two scores, McBride finds the end zone, and the defense forces a pair of second-half mistakes to seal it. It won’t be pretty, but it’ll be enough.
And for a franchise that’s been stuck in neutral for too long, starting 1-0 on the road, no less, is the kind of step forward this team (and this fanbase) needs.
Cardinals 27, Saints 20