METAIRIE, La. – The New Orleans Saints will be looking to reverse one trend but keep another going as they open the season on the road against their biggest rival.
The Saints need to be better on the road, where they’ve gone 3-5 in each of the past two years. But they want to continue their dominance over the Atlanta Falcons, whom they’ve beaten 13 out of the past 16 times, including a sweep last year.
Sunday’s game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff in the Georgia Dome. Here’s what to watch for:
Dynamic receivers? Get used to it: The Saints’ secondary has become one their greatest strengths over the past two years, with breakout performances by cornerback Keenan Lewis and safety Kenny Vaccaro in 2013 and the arrival of free agent safety Jairus Byrd in 2014. But they will be tested – early and often.
The Falcons feature one of the most dynamic receiving duos in the NFL in Julio Jones and Roddy White (not to mention the depth they have with Harry Douglas and Devin Hester). But this will become an almost weekly ritual as the Saints are scheduled to face eight of the top 10 receivers on ESPN’s preseason fantasy football rankings (Calvin Johnson, A.J. Green, Dez Bryant, Brandon Marshall, Jones, Jordy Nelson, Alshon Jeffery and Randall Cobb).
When asked about that, Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan playfully pretended to throw up. But then he said, “They’re all great in this league. … Every team has one. They all have great quarterbacks. You just have to be prepared.”
And many players said they relish the challenge.
“I look at all of it,” Vaccaro said, rattling off a list of names. “I’ve been looking ahead a little bit. You can’t hide in this league. It’s a challenge and it shows the type of player you are. You compete with those guys, you’ll get the recognition you want.”
Bringing the heat: The matchup that most clearly favors the Saints is their loaded defensive front (Cameron Jordan, Junior Galette and Akiem Hicks) against Atlanta's unproven offensive line. The Falcons' line was a question mark even before they lost veteran left tackle Sam Baker to injury this summer. Afterward, they moved rookie first-round draft pick Jake Matthews to left tackle and re-inserted Lamar Holmes into the starting lineup at right tackle.
Earlier this offseason, the Saints’ Jordan took some shots at Atlanta’s offensive line, saying, "I don’t know if you could call that an O-line last year. Road blocks. Speed bumps.” Jordan was much more diplomatic, however, when discussing the matchup Friday.
“I’m sort of looking forward to this game, just because it’s the first game of the season and also because anytime you see some newer names at tackle, you get a little excited,” Jordan said. “I’ll let Junior talk about what he wants to do to tackles. I’m here to say our D-line has to penetrate their offensive line and put pressure on (quarterback Matt) Ryan and make him uncomfortable."
Saints' new weapons: I’m very excited to see what the Saints’ offense looks like now that they’ve added even more dynamic weapons to their group of receivers with the arrival of rookie Brandin Cooks and Joe Morgan’s return from injury. Combine them with a healthy Drew Brees, a healthy Jimmy Graham, a healthy Marques Colston, a healthy Mark Ingram and a running game that looks much improved – and this Saints offense could be as loaded as ever.
I’m not the only one fired up to see how it all fits together. Graham talked about it Friday, as did Cooks.
“I’m excited just to see how our offense works, period, in the game,” Cooks said. “To see how special this offense can be, like I’ve seen in years past.”