The New Orleans Saints are gearing up for their second matchup of the preseason, this time going against the San Francisco 49ers. Last week, we saw the starters get out for more action than anticipated early on in the game. Unfortunately, despite going up against the Arizona Cardinals’ backups, the starting offense looked miserable. This is another opportunity to change that and provide some hope for the fan base.
New Orleans Saints Will Play The Starters
Looking at this game, there are a few things that stand out. The first is that the Saints will be going with their starters again. Head coach Dennis Allen didn’t mention how long the starters will be out there, though I imagine they see a couple of drives. Had the starting offense not had a terrible showing in their preseason action last week, we might not be seeing them at all. Instead, they’re going to have to prove that they’re the reason for the season against this 49ers defense.
49ers Struggling With Injuries
The second thing that stands out is the 49ers’ health. Likely, San Francisco doesn’t roll their starters out for very long, if at all. Quarterback Brock Purdy might see a drive or two, though he certainly won’t be out there longer than Derek Carr. The 49ers are missing six of their offense starters due to injuries and holdouts and are well over 20 injuries at this point in the offseason already. Even if they wanted to, it is probably for the best that they let their guys rest up and prepare for the start of the season.
The Future At Quarterback
And finally, the third and most important thing for Saints fans is the future at quarterback. Yes, Carr will play a few drives to try and get a rhythm for the regular season. However, most fans will be tuning in to see how their backups look. Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler both looked good against the Cardinals, so it’ll be interesting to note how they back that performance up. When Carr exits, Haener and Rattler will split the time remaining. The hope is that one of these two guys can stand out for a second straight week and provide some hope for the future at the position if Carr winds up not being the answer that they were looking for.
Overall, looking at this upcoming matchup, I would say that the Saints are in a better position to win this game. They’re going to be putting their starters out there for a bit longer than San Francisco, and their depth is overall significantly healthier than the 49ers. Given that massive difference, we should see the Saints pick up their second preseason victory. However, nothing is guaranteed in the preseason, with every player out there fighting for their future in the NFL. San Francisco is going to be happy if they just get out of this matchup with a healthy roster, and the Saints AREN’T going to be satisfied unless they see something out of the starters and come out with a second straight victory.