The New Orleans Saints are getting ready to take on the Tennessee Titans in both teams’ final preseason game before the regular season. The Saints are 1-1 coming into this matchup but still have some questions that have been left unanswered by the first two. Hopefully, we’ll get more clarity on some positional battles moving forward after this game.
Starters Won’t Play
One thing to note right off the bat is that the Saints will likely NOT be showcasing any of their starters for this matchup. It was reported in the middle of the week that the Saints will be sitting a “significant” amount of their starters which does include quarterback Derek Carr. I would imagine that the majority of the starters simply don’t show up at any point here. Maybe Chase Young plays a few snaps with him trying to get into rhythm following an injury, but not many more. The majority of the excitement here will be from the backups.
New Orleans Saints Have Huge Quarterback Competition
Particularly the quarterback position. The Saints revealed their plan against the Titans, stating that Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler will both play an entire half to decide who the backup quarterback is on this depth chart. Both of these young gunslingers were able to put up solid performances in the opening preseason game but fared much worse in the second game against the San Francisco 49ers. Here in the third and final preseason battle, one of them has to gain an edge, or else the coaching staff will be forced into making a very difficult decision.
Titans WILL Play Their Starters
Flipping over to the Titans for a little bit now. Tennessee has mentioned that they do plan on sending out their starters for “a few series” and this was said for both sides. Meaning we’re going to be seeing the Titans starters both offensively and defensively for a good bit to start the game. However, the fact that they are doing this means they’re probably not too happy to hear that the Saints will not be sending their starters on the field. Tennessee, like many other teams, probably wanted to see how their starters fared against other team’s starters before the regular season officially began. It would have given them some tough reps against a first-team unit before they will face the Chicago Bears in the opener. Unfortunately, they’re not going to get those reps. One of the few starters that won’t appear for the Titans is receiver DeAndre Hopkins, not because he’s being rested, but because he suffered a knee injury in training camp and the team isn’t going to risk anything.
I believe that the Saints will have a few key players make big names for themselves in this matchup. Not only will their quarterbacks get a full half each, but the rest of their deep players who are fighting for a roster spot will get some great competition. Some will face the Titans starters to showcase how they square up against a first-team offense, which will be telling to watch. All in all, I believe that the Saints’ depth has played some surprisingly good football in the preseason, and if one of either Rattler or Haener has a good night, this team will probably beat the Titans.