Saints open the Kellen Moore era at home against the favored, Murray-led Cardinals

BetMGM NFL Odds: Cardinals by 6 1/2

Series record: Tied 16-16.

Last meeting: Cardinals beat the Saints 42-34 in Arizona on Oct. 20, 2022.

Cardinals offense in 2024: overall (11), rush (7), pass (18), scoring (12).

Cardinals defense in 2024: overall (21), rush (20), pass (14), scoring (15).

Saints offense in 2024: overall (21), rush (14), pass (23), scoring (24t).

Saints defense in 2024: overall (30), rush (31), pass (27), scoring (19).

Turnover differential in 2024: Cardinals minus-3; Saints minus-2.

Cardinals player to watch

WR Marvin Harrison Jr. enters his second season with huge expectations after a promising rookie season. The No. 4 overall draft pick in 2024 had 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. As good as those numbers were, the 6-foot-3 receiver didn't consistently come down with 50-50 balls. Harrison hopes that changes after he bulked up during the offseason to give him a sturdier frame and more leverage on contested throws.

Saints player to watch

WR Chris Olave is New Orleans' best receiver but it remains to be seen how confident he is catching balls over the middle or in tight coverage after repeated struggles with concussions early in his career, including one that premature ended last season. In 2023, Olave caught 87 passes for 1,123 yards and five TDs, showing how productive he can be when confident and healthy.

Key matchup

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, who passed for 3,851 yards and 21 TDs, and rushed for 572 yards and five TDs last season, against a new Saints defensive scheme designed by new coordinator Brandon Staley.

Key injuries

Cardinals: Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Walter Nolen III (calf), linebacker BJ Ojulari (knee) and defensive lineman Bilal Nichols (neck) begin the season on the physically unable to perform list.

Saints: Projected starting guard Trevor Penning, who injured his toe in the preseason opener a month ago, continued to miss practices this week. Starting defensive end Chase Young was limited in practice early in the week, as were safety Jordan Howden (oblique), cornerback Alontae Taylor (groin) and reserve defensive tackle Khristian Boyd (hand). Tight ends Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau are starting the season on the club's physically unable to perform list.

Series notes

The Saints have won the previous four times this matchup took place in the Superdome in the regular season, going back to 1997. The Saints also won the only postseason meeting in New Orleans in 2010 en ruote to New Orleans' lone Super Bowl triumph. These teams last met in New Orleans in 2019, when Sean Payton was the Saints' coach and Drew Brees their QB. The Saints won that contest by 22 points. Arizona has not won in New Orleans since 1996.

Stats and stuff

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon enters his third season as the team’s head coach. He helped the franchise improve to 8-9 last season, which was a four-win improvement over 2023. … It’s the third straight season and fourth time in five years that the Cardinals have started on the road. … Both of the Saints’ main QBs — Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough — are Arizona natives and former prep stars in the Phoenix metro area. … DL Calais Campbell enters his 18th NFL season and his second stint with the Cardinals. It’s been nearly nine years since the veteran suited up for the franchise. Campbell recently celebrated his 39th birthday … QB Kyler Murray is 502 passing yards shy of 20,000 for his career. He’s already the third-most prolific quarterback in the team’s history behind Jim Hart (34,639) and Neil Lomax (22,771). ... The game marks the regular-season debut for Saints rookie coach Kellen Moore, who won a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator with Philadelphia last season. ... Second-year QB Spencer Rattler, who started six games as a rookie for an injured Derek Carr last season, and is scheduled to make his seventh start Sunday after winning the job in training camp after a tight competition with 2025 second-round draft choice Tyler Shough. ... Rattler passed for 1,317 yards and four TDs last season but the Saints lost all of his previous starts. ... The Saints do not have an active QB with a single NFL win as a starter. ... Olave had 70-plus receptions and more than 1,000 yards receiving in two of his previous three seasons. ... WR Brandin Cooks is set to play in his first game for New Orleans since 2016. The Saints drafted Cooks 20th overall in 2014 and he spent his first three NFL seasons with the club, during which he had 215 catches for 2,861 yards and 20 TDs in 42 games. ... Saints DE Cameron Jordan takes a franchise-record 121 1/2 sacks in his 15th season. His sack total is the second most among active NFL players. ... LB Demario Davis led New Orleans with 136 tackles in 2024 and is one of three players with at least 100 tackles in each of his past eight seasons. ... Safety Justin Reid, a Louisiana native, makes his Saints debut. Reid has 565 tackles, 46 passes defensed, 23 TFL and 10 INTs in 106 games.

Fantasy tip

RB Alvin Kamara ranks second among active RBs in scrimmage yards with 11,541 and scrimmage TDs with 85. He is the only player with more than 1,100 scrimmage yards in each of the past eight seasons. His 573 receptions have him on the cusp of becoming the fifth RB in NFL history with 600 catches.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl