Saints vs. Ravens: What to Watch For

There's a lot to pay attention to when the Saints take the field on Saturday against the Ravens, and here's some of the areas we should be dialed in on.

John Hendrix | Aug 13, 2021

It may be preseason, but we're pretty hyped to see it come back this year. In particular, we're anxious to see what the first game produces for the Saints. They'll travel up to Baltimore to take on the Ravens for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday.

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There's undoubtedly a ton of areas everyone will be paying attention to, but the main things are seeing if what we've witnessed in practice translates into game action. Here's several of many areas we'll have more emphasis on than the others.

The Quarterback Duel

Let's not be mistaken, whoever starts we can't read into that much. If the Saints go by the rotation they've been on, then it is most likely to be Taysom Hill over Jameis Winston at first.

"They'll both play in this first game and they'll both play the following week, and we'll flip them and go from there," Sean Payton said on Thursday afternoon.

Payton later added, "We typically divide it into three phases. In phase one, it'll be 18-22 snaps. In phase two, it may be a similar amount. Somewhere in that third quarter is when we'll go to phase three. We're not one hundred percent sure relative to the roster, so there will be some guys that play more than 18 snaps, but I do not want guys to see anywhere north of 29 snaps."

Nothing will be decided after one preseason game, but maybe we'll finally see one of the quarterbacks distance themselves from the other. It's been neck and neck at practice, with Winston having more of the better practice days between the two. However, it's going to be a marathon, not a sprint.

This will be the top area that fans will want to see the most from.

Defensive Line: Buy or Sell?

New Orleans will be without David Onyemata on the interior for the first six games of the season, which led many to be very concerned about the interior defensive line. After all, there's no more Sheldon Rankins or Malcom Brown there. However, what we've seen from the players on the inside has been encouraging in training camp. Look for players like Christian Ringo, Jalen Dalton, and Albert Huggins to make their marks along with Shy Tuttle and Malcolm Roach.

As far as the pass rushing specialists, they have been active all camp in getting after the Saints quarterbacks. No matter who has played, each edge rusher has stood out in their own way. Anchored by Cam Jordan, Marcus Davenport, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Carl Granderson, Payton Turner, and Noah Spence are all getting the job done at defensive end. This could be huge for New Orleans given the hand they've been dealt in their first several games of the year.

Marquez Callaway looks to put it all together in the opening preseason game / New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Callaway, #1, at Saints Training Camp on Day 3. Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, Saints News Network; July 31, 2021; Metairie, LA

Growth or Hype?

It's been encouraging seeing so many players stand out in Saints camp, and now is a perfect time for them to make believers out of everyone else. In addition to Davenport, players like Cesar Ruiz, Marquez Callaway, Adam Trautman, Zack Baun, Kaden Ellis, and several others have done some major growing from last season. It would be great seeing them make some plays on Saturday.

In addition to growth, the hype train is real with some veterans, rookies, and younger, lesser-known Saints. For the offense, keep tabs on Dwayne Washington, Tony Jones Jr., Chris Hogan, Ty Montgomery, Juwan Johnson, Easop Winston Jr. For the defensive side, pay attention to players like Andrew Dowell, Bryce Thompson, Paulson Adebo, Ken Crawley, and some of the aforementioned defensive linemen.

Special Teams

This is the bread and butter for some players to make it onto the final 53-man roster. These reps matter, and there's plenty to sort out in the kicking game. Whether it be the punter battle between Blake Gillikin and Nolan Cooney, or the gunner and jammer spots open opposite of J.T. Gray, or the uncertainty at kicker with Brett Maher from Wil Lutz being out, there's so many things to keep a watchful eye on.

Availability

There's several Saints we haven't seen at practice, whether it's been an extended period of time or just recently. Of the notable absences, the ones we would be most concerned with are Payton Turner, Pete Werner, Marcus Williams, and Tre'Quan Smith. Tomorrow will be a big day for Turner and Werner regarding their status, and we'll see how it plays out when New Orleans takes the field in warmups.

The Ebb and Flow

Payton made it pretty clear that he expects his players to be fully engaged from kickoff to when the clock hits zero. He's put the emphasis of change on the players.

"I don't want players sitting on their helmet with both ear pads sticking out the ear holes. I don't want players sitting on their helmets. I don't want players giving in-game interviews while someone else is playing. So, there's some attention to detail and it has been consistent going all the way back to 2006. That does not mean it is necessarily right for every club, but that is what we believe. These snaps are important. They may not be as important for a more veteran player, but they are very important for someone else. You want your team into the game, paying attention and staying focused. In every game there are learning moments. There's certain things we expect."

From a fundamentals standpoint, the Saints are looking for clean execution. That means lack of penalties or overall sloppy play. Things like taking too long in the huddle and having to burn timeouts from poor play clock management drive people crazy.

"You want to see the basic fundamentals of the game like having pad levels where they should be. Typically, in the first preseason game at times that can be an alert. You want to see the blocking and tackling we've been coaching. So, really, the fundamentals necessary to play this game well, in my mind."

With a smaller sample size of three preseason games, anything and everything will be important for the Saints in their quest to piece together a contender for 2021.