It took until the last day of the preseason, but the New Orleans Saints defense is no longer a theory.
After resting the overwhelming majority of their defensive starters for the first two weeks of the preseason, the Saints turned them loose for three defensive series against the Denver Broncos starters in Saturday’s 28-19 loss.
It wasn’t perfect, and the box score wasn’t especially impressive — Denver scored 10 points in three possessions against the Saints starters — but that side of the ball offered a glimpse of hope for a team many are considering an afterthought before the 2025 season even begins.
Denver’s starting offense ran 19 plays against the Saints defense. Twelve of them gained 2 or fewer yards, including six run stuffs.
“Love the energy, love the effort, love the physicality,” said head coach Kellen Moore. “... I feel like our guys were in position to compete each and every play.”
The only projected starter not to play Saturday was Alontae Taylor, who is expected to play a crucial role as the “star” position in defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s scheme once he returns from a groin injury. The rest were on the field making things challenging for a talented Denver offense.
The Saints forced the Broncos to go three-and-out on their opening possession — with key offseason acquisition Davon Godchaux doing the thing he was brought in for, stuffing a run. Denver was set up for success on their next drive after a 47-yard kick return, but found the going tough again.
The Broncos had to convert a third-and-9 and a fourth-and-5 to keep that drive going, with the latter being converted by an expertly-placed Bo Nix throw to Courtland Sutton for 14 yards. No other play on that 11-play drive went for more than 3 yards, and the Broncos had to settle for a short field goal.
Even Denver’s touchdown drive probably should have been a three-and-out.
Linebacker Demario Davis showed he hadn’t lost a step at 36 years old, chasing receiver Marvin Mims sideline to sideline on a jet sweep to make a tackle for no gain. An incompletion on the ensuing play set up a third and 20 from deep inside Denver territory, but the referees issued a questionable penalty on Davis for unsportsmanlike conduct, gifting Denver a new set of downs.
Two plays after the penalty, Sutton lost Kool-Aid McKinstry with a corner route, and Nix hit him for a gain of 43 yards to flip the field. Three plays after that, Sutton beat safety Julian Blackmon on a contested catch for a 19-yard score.
It was an imperfect debut, but one that left the players and coaches pleased, especially because this was their first time to play in live game action together.
“It was very exciting to get out there and see how prepared we were to go against a Denver team that .. some headlines say is going to be in the Super Bowl,” Davis said. “To be that ready to go is very exciting.”
The main goal is to get as many of those starters to Week 1 as possible, but those players don’t just have to be available, they have to be ready.
“You have to be careful with your older guys and your starters, because you do want them to get those live reps, but you really don’t want to lose anybody with bullets that don’t count,” Davis said. “So there’s a lot that has to go into the management of it, and I think they’ve done a good job of making us as prepared as we can be for Week 1.”
Barring something unforeseen in the next week, the Saints appear on track to have most everybody they’re going to be counting on available against the Cardinals on Sept. 7. Based on the small sample size against the Broncos, they might also be ready.
“We’ve warmed the water,” said defensive end Cam Jordan. “Hopefully it’ll be boiling in 15 days.”