3 Things We Learned From Saints’ Preseason Opener

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While it is an exhibition game, there were plenty of things to take away from the New Orleans Saints in its first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Saints did lose after allowing18 unanswered points to lose 24-20. New Orleans held a 20-6 lead at halftime, but it subbed out most of the second-team defense that played the entire first half.

See four important quotes from head coach Kellen Moore after the game.

There were a lot of good things to take away from the game as we get deeper and deeper into the preseason.

Here are our three takeaways.

Zach Wilson’s Performance Could Shakeup Backup QB Battle

Aug 15, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Zach Wilson (4) looks to throw against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The battle for the backup role under Tyler Shough changed its course a little bit after today’s game.

Zach Wilson put on a show, completing 11 of his 16 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. He had three throws of 20 yards or more with a 28-yard and 37-yard pass to Bub Means and a 28-yard pass to Barion Brown.

HELLO BARION BROWN.@LSUfootball | 📺 : FOX-8 pic.twitter.com/ohSoQEJxEG
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 15, 2026

Wilson outperformed last year’s original-starter-then-backup, Spencer Rattler. The third-year quarterback was accurate, completing eight of his 11 passes, but he only threw for 42 yards, the lowest of the three quarterbacks that played Saturday. He also lost a fumble that was recovered by Jacksonville deep into Saints’ territory.

Moore was mum about whether or not Wilson will get more reps with the second-team offense and that he was proud of the quarterback’s room performance as a whole.

“We’ll continue to get these guys all these different reps, Moore said. “I think the world of our quarterback room, at the end of the day, I think it's as talented a group as ever been around. I thought Spencer did some good things. He's continued a really good training camp. I think what Zach did today, but also through training camp, he's just been getting better. And so I feel really good about this whole entire group.”

Second-Team Defense

One of the things we were going to watch out for was how the second-team defense would perform. It overperformed.

The second-team defense of the Saints held the Jaguars to 82 total yards in the first half. It made the biggest impact in the passing game. New Orleans allowed only six completions on 15 pass attempts (40%), recorded three sacks and forced two interceptions, one from linebacker Jaylan Ford and one from defensive back Jayden Price.

JAYLAN FORD INT!#Saints | 📺: FOX-8 pic.twitter.com/PwzJhQKFki
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 15, 2026

Ford finished with seven tackles and a pass deflection, while Price broke up two passes as well.

JAYDEN PRICE INT 🙌

📺: FOX-8 pic.twitter.com/KG3YvuRUNg
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 15, 2026

Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. has continued his strong week, breaking up a team-high three passes and could have had an interception himself.

The standout player was undrafted rookie Michael Heldman. The 6-3, 268-pound defensive end from Central Michigan had two sacks and two quarterback hits.

Kicking Battle Rages On

Another thing we watched Saturday was the kicking battle between incumbent Charlie Smyth and newcomer Tanner Brown.

Coming into the game, Brown had been kicking slightly better, making 33 of his 38 attempts (86.8%), while Smyth was 33-of-41, good for 80.5%, according to NewOrleans.Football.

Brown may have gained a bigger lead after today’s game, as he made both of his field goal attempts from 29 and 49 yards. However, Smyth missed his only kick from 52 yards out in the second half.

After today, Brown has made 35 of 40 field goal attempts (87.5%), while Smyth is now making just under 80% of his field goals, at 78.5%.

Winners and Losers

Who were the biggest winners for the Saints in Saturday's first preseason game? Who were the biggest losers? Check out our thoughts here.

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Wednesdays, On SI Saints will answer your questions about what we see from our vantage point. To submit your thoughts or inquiries click here.

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