What to Watch For: Rams vs. Saints

Can the Saints dig down deep and piece together a win on Sunday? That's easier said than done, but they're going to have to try against the Rams.

Author:
John Hendrix
Publish date:
Nov 18, 2022 2:06 PM EST

In this story:

New Orleans Saints

The Saints season hangs in the balance, as they march into Week 11 to take on the Rams at home. After 10 games this season, no one would have saw this coming. On one hand, we're seeing if New Orleans can put up an effort to try to climb out of this massive hole. On the other hand, we're also waiting to see how much worse it could get. Here's a look at some things we're paying close attention to going into Sunday.

What to Watch For

SEASON ON THE BRINK: The Saints desperately need to put together a win, and it certainly won't save their season, but a loss to the Rams on Sunday may effectively sink them. We're hearing the right things from the locker room and coaching staff, and the reality is that this team just isn't as good as they thought they were going to be. Yes, they're still in it, but if they can't beat a battered Los Angeles Rams team without Cooper Kupp, then it's going to be time to think about next season.

DALTON AT THE BAT: The offense has had a major regression, and the Saints offense has not been able to run the ball effectively or do much of anything that would help support the defense and help get a win. Dennis Allen said on Wednesday that they're sticking with Andy Dalton as their quarterback, as Jameis Winston is not healthy. New Orleans is going to simply have to figure out something, and honestly maybe the element of surprise with a Taysom Hill start could be something to watch.

OFFENSIVE LINE SHUFFLE: That's going to be a challenge with the team potentially being without Andrus Peat (triceps) and James Hurst (concussion) this weekend. Last week, we saw Lewis Kidd and Calvin Throckmorton rotate at left guard with veteran Josh Andrews at center. They're going to find a way to have success against the Aaron Donald. Something has to give.

DEFENSIVE QUESTION MARKS: Health and availability continues to be one of the biggest storylines of the season, and along the defensive line creates a little bit of mystery going into Sunday. Cam Jordan (eye) and Marcus Davenport (calf) haven't practiced this week, which means the Saints are down to three healthy edge rushers. They'll undoubtedly look at the practice squad, but it's going to be interesting to see how they tackle this with them only being able to elevate two players. We're also not sure whether or not Marcus Maye (abdomen) will be back.