Three Things For Rams to Look Out for Against the Saints

The Los Angeles Rams will be facing the New Orleans Saints, exiting their bye week. What are some key matchups to look out for?

Sep 28, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay on the sidelines in the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams were blessed by the schedule makers of the NFL when they pitted them against the New Orleans Saints after their bye week. Before the season had started, the expectation was that the Saints were going to be bad. 1 - 7 is a good indication of that, with the Rams severely overpowering them in the talent department.

The Rams have a golden opportunity to continue to stay in stride with the Seattle Seahawks for the early-season lead over the NFC West. This is a game the Rams absolutely must not lose, and there are a lot of matchups to look out for for them to ensure they avoid the trap game.

Three Things To Look Out For

Oct 26, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) runs for a gain during the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Inexperienced Playcaller

First and foremost, one of the most glaring things about this matchup is that the Saints are on the cusp of a quarterback change, opting to start the rookie Tyler Shough over Spencer Rattler. This will be the second time this season the Rams have faced a rookie quarterback, after previously facing Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans in week two of the NFL season.

Unlike that game against the Titans, this will be Shough's first-ever start in the NFL, as he only saw a couple of drives against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In those limited minutes, he managed to throw an interception as well as get sacked twice. Safe to say that the Rams' defense is expected to put in work against an inexperienced play caller.

Just buzzed the Tyler Shough clips, and was pleasantly surprised. The box score was nothing to write home about, but he displayed nice zip and anticipation in his Saints debut. pic.twitter.com/jVSNAqXTpy

— Ethan Young (@EthanYoungFB) October 27, 2025

However, they can't afford to underestimate him either. The last thing the Rams want to do is leave the door open for any kind of miraculous upset. The Rams' defense is excellent at sending pressure to the quarterback; they should be blitzing a lot and forcing Shough to burn them through the air before they respect their pass game.

The Saints are dealing with a copious amount of injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Shough will have to create with less, and the Rams' defense has to make sure he isn't able to find his top targets like Chris Olave or Juwan Johnson.

Glorious Reunion

Oct 12, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) celebrates after a play against the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter of the game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Another thing to look out for in this game will be the return of Puka Nacua after being out with an injury for the past three weeks. He'll be playing, but how involved he'll be in their offense is yet to be determined.

After all, it isn't as if the Saints are some defensive juggernaut that would require a performance like the ones Macua has repeatedly had at the beginning of the season. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Rams proved that they don't need the offense to go through Nacua for it to flow. They used more tight ends than ever this season in London; perhaps that continues against a team not equipped to handle the Rams' offensive personnel.

Sep 28, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) leaves the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Matthew Stafford and Nacua were on a historic pace to begin the season, and even if, in his return, he isn't as involved as he was previously, the fact that he's available moving forward is a huge win for their offense.

If there are no complications with his health, and the Rams look to use him as their main power engine, his return will be explosive. The Saints' secondary isn't particularly good, and the Rams have the pass catchers to stretch the floor and make them think twice about double-teaming Nacua in his first game back from injury.

Rams Debut

Sep 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans cornerback Roger McCreary (21) takes the field before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Finally, this game will be the debut of Roger McCreary in a Rams uniform, as they traded for him from the Tennessee Titans a little less than a week ago. The Rams needed some help in their secondary, and snatching McCreary from a team in the middle of a rebuild in exchange for their regional pick back is a worthy gamble. They'll have to wait and see if it works out, and his first game against the Saints is a good opportunity for them to see what they have in him.

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