NFL: Saints at Cardinals
Posted on August 5, 2008 | 10:52 AM ET Filed under:The New Orleans Saints are looking to rebound from a disappointing 7-9 performance of a year ago. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals are looking to build upon last year’s 8-8 campaign. Thus is the situation as these two NFC playoff hopefuls kick off their 2008 seasons with each team’s exhibition opener Thursday night in Phoenix.
ESPN will air this game live, with coverage beginning at 8 pm Eastern.
OddsMaker.com is listing Arizona as a two-point home favorite for this game, with a total of 36.
New Orleans made that wonderful run to the conference championship game two seasons ago, but started 0-4 last year and never quite recovered. The Saints, led by QB Drew Brees (4,400 passing yards, 28/18 TD/INT last season) and WR Marques Colston (98 catches, 1,200 yards), ranked fourth in the league in total offense with 361 YPG, and third in passing at 270 YPG. But an early-season injury to RB Deuce McAllister and ineffectiveness from Reggie Bush (less than 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 230 touches) doomed the running game to a 28th ranking, at 92 YPG.
The New Orleans defense ranked 26th overall at 348 YPG, and 30th vs. the pass at 245 YPG. Consequently, most of the Saints’ key offseason personnel moves involved that side of the ball, including their top three draft picks and the acquisitions of LBs Jonathan Vilma and Dan Morgan.
In their first season under new head coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Cardinals won their last two games to finish at 8-8. And they lost six games by a TD or less, and three by three or less. QB Matt Leinart was just all right in leading Arizona to a 3-2 start last year but after he went down with a broken collarbone, veteran Kurt Warner put up a 27/17 TD/INT ratio and helped the Cards hit the 30-point mark six times in their last 11 games.
Arizona ranked 12th in total offense last year at 344 YPG, but only 29th in rushing at 90 YPG. RB Edgerrin James rushed for 1,200 yards, but he is simply not what he once was. The WR pairing, though, of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best in the league.
The Cardinals also ranked 17th in total defense at 330 YPG, and ninth vs. the run at 98 YPG, but 28th vs. the pass at 232 YPG and 27th in points allowed at 25 per game.
These two teams met in Week 15 last season, with the Saints coming up with a 31-24 victory as four-point home chalk. New Orleans spotted Arizona an early TD, rallied to take a 28-14 lead in the third quarter, and hung on from there. The Saints outgained the Cards by over 100 yards and held a nearly-four-minute time-of-possession advantage. And even without McAllister and Bush, New Orleans outrushed Arizona 114-103. The game also went over its total of 49 ½ while still in the third quarter.
Brian St. Pierre, a five-year man out of Boston College, follows Leinart and Warner on the Cardinals QB depth chart. On the other sidelines, veteran Mark Brunell and second-year man Tyler Palko follow Brees on the Saints QB chart.
In two preseasons under head coach Sean Payton, New Orleans is 4-5 straight up and 3-5 against the spread, while the totals are 2-4-2.
Last year the Cardinals lost all four of their exhibition games under Whisenhunt, and covered just one spread. Three of their four pre-season games went over the totals, and rather easily.
Meanwhile, Arizona is getting +200 to win the NFC West, +2,000 to win the NFC and +4,000 to win the Super Bowl.
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