First Look: Seahawks at Saints
The New Orleans Saints (1-3) are looking to kick off the second quarter of their season on a positive note, and they'll have a pretty good opportunity to do that on Sunday. Of course, the Seahawks (2-2) are no easy opponent, but we expect the team to build off some of the positives from last week's loss to the Vikings in London. Here's some of things we're paying attention to as this week unfolds.
What to Watch For
Oct 2, 2022; London, United Kingdom; New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Saints 28-25. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
WHO PLAYS QUARTERBACK: We'll get our first look at practice on Wednesday, as all eyes look to where Jameis Winston will be at to start the week. Dennis Allen said that he was still dealing with some lingering effects from training camp with his ankle in addition to his back. This could be another week we see Andy Dalton play to help Winston get as close to 100 percent as possible. The offense looked fairly efficient with him leading things, and that was without Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. We'll see how this unfolds.
HEALTH: It's becoming a focal point of the Saints in the early part of the season, and Dennis Allen said that some of the players sitting like Alvin Kamara (rib) are due to the long-term outlook of the season. There's no specific updates on Michael Thomas (toe) other than he's working on getting back onto the field. Andrus Peat (concussion) should be back, which would help the offensive line, and we'll have to see how things play out with Marcus Maye, who has missed the past two games due to a rib injury.
GETTING BACK HOME MOJO: The Saints have struggled heavily at home, as they were just 3-5 last season and are 0-1 (not counting the Vikings game) at the Superdome. New Orleans is going to play four of their next five games at home, and they're going to need the crowd to be able to help turn their season around.
PLAN OF ATTACK: After seeing how the game went last week between the Seahawks and Lions, there's obviously some focal points for the Saints defense and offense. Geno Smith looked pretty comfortable overall, Rashaad Penny had a ton of success on the ground, and the duo D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett were big factors in the passing game. On the flip side, the Lions had success on the ground and also were carving up the Seattle defense with the tight end (T.J. Hockenson, 8-179-2 TDs). It'll be interesting to see how the Saints coaches use that film and attack this week.
