The New Orleans Saints are in Arizona tonight to take on Kyler Murray and the Cardinals! For two teams at 2-4, tonight’s game is almost a must win to keep playoff hopes alive. The NFC is still open for any team to make a run, but starting one at 2-5 certainly isn’t ideal, and that’s the mountain that the loser of this game will have to climb.
The Teams
Arizona comes into the contest following a 19-9 loss last weekend in Seattle. The offence scored just three points against a previously struggling defence, and Kyler Murray was sacked six times and turned the ball over twice. Plainly, it was a game where nothing went right on the offensive side of the ball. Thankfully for Murray, tonight will mark the return of star WR DeAndre Hopkins. Although Hopkins wasn’t making ten catches a game last year when he was healthy, his presence in the redzone is one of the largest in the league. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him jump right back into things tonight with at least a few redzone targets. The Cardinals will also have newcomer Robby Anderson at their disposal, although he may be on a limited snap count due to him still being so new to the team.
For the Saints, it looks like Andy Dalton will be healthy enough to start at quarterback. Dalton has been serviceable for New Orleans so far this season, and if the Saints defence can stall Arizona’s struggling offence, that may be all they need from him tonight. If Arizona is scoring, however, the Saints may need to bring out the talents of Taysom Hill. Hill has his fair share of terrific moments, but doesn’t always see a ton of the field, and moving him into a more central role like they did against Seattle may be the key to keeping this offence explosive. However, in a best-case scenario for New Orleans, it’s the defence that wins them this game. Let Dalton manage the game and let Hill remain a specialty player that keeps the opposition on its toes.
The Pick
This week’s battle between the Saints and Cardinals should be a close one between two teams desperate for a win. If I had to pick, I’ll take the home team Cards in a one score game.
