Saints vs Cardinals: reflection
By: Jake Rajala
The New Orleans Saints battled the Arizona Cardinals at home in Week 1. The Cardinals narrowly came out with a victory by a score of 20-13. With that said, I’m going to lay out three studs and three duds from the Saints in the contest.
Stud: Cameron Jordan
I honestly thought that Cam Jordan was washed up. Well, he proved me wrong. He had a pair of sacks and a key pass deflection. He really stepped up with Chase Young injured. Jordan is defying age, as he’s 36!
Dud: Juwan Johnson
If Juwan Johnson caught a perfect pass in the end zone with little time remaining, the Saints would have tied the game and had momentum heading into OT. He brought back memories of fellow tight end Jared Cook, who fumbled in a playoff game against Tom Brady.
Stud: Alvin Kamara
Alvin Kamara has impressive balance. On his touchdown run, he shed a couple of weak tackle attempts. He looks like he is bound to have a Pro Bowl season. I would have liked to see Kamara have more than two catches, however.
Dud: Blake Grupe
Wow, wow, wow. Blake Grupe missed a chip shot field goal. Perhaps it wasn’t wise to ship away Will Lutz and ride with Grupe. I suppose I can give Blake a pass, as it was Week 1. He can still knock 50+ yard field goals quite often.
Stud: Demario Davis
Demario Davis notably blew up a screen late in the fourth quarter. He also had nine tackles. It’s impressive to see him making plays at 36 years old. I believe Davis has room for one more All-Pro season. I suppose Davis and Jordan will ride off into the sunset together.
Dud: Kellen Moore
I didn’t love the lack of aggression from Kellen Moore, who refused to use his timeouts, at the end of the first half. They can’t expect to be cautious against a talented Cardinals team and come out with a victory. They could have done a few screens or even runs to see if they could get into field goal range.
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