A 0-2 New Orleans Saints squad tries to notch their first victory of the 2025 season when they face the Seattle Seahawks on the road. The Seahawks counter with a 1-1 record and a road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both squads come into this game with extensive injury issues, with most of those issues being on units that will directly face each other.
New Orleans ruled out guard Dillon Radunz (toe) by midweek. Tackle Taliese Fuaga (back, knee) hasn’t practiced all week and is considered a game-time decision. Guard Trevor Penning (toe) returned to practice and may see his first action of the season. Seahawks defensive backs Devon Witherspoon, Nick Emmanwori, and Julian Love are all listed as doubtful to play because of their respective injuries.
Saints coach Kellen Moore will still want and need to run the ball to establish balance and protect quarterback Spencer Rattler. However, injuries in an already vulnerable Seahawks secondary may give the Saints an opportunity to make plays through the air — if they can protect their quarterback. Here’s how this phase of today’s game looks for each squad.
Seahawks Pass Defense
- 230 yards per game
- 65.7% completion percentage
- 3 touchdowns
- 4 interceptions
- 4 sacks
- 16 QB hits
2024 Rankings
- 211.9 yards per game (11th)
- 65.2% completion percentage
- 26 touchdowns (17th)
- 13 interceptions (12th)
- 44 sacks
- 112 QB hits
Seattle’s pre-game inactive list and the status of Witherspoon, Love, and Emmanwori bear close monitoring. Witherspoon is probably their best defensive back, but Coby Bryant is a ball hawk at strong safety and Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe are underrated physical corners. After giving up over 100 yards to San Francisco’s Ricky Pearsall in the opener, the Seahawks bottled up the Steelers wideouts last week.
The strength of the Seahawks defense is in their front seven, particularly with a pass rushing duo of Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence. Williams has a half sack and 3 hits so far, but Lawrence is off to a slow start. Opposing attention on him has allowed Jarran Reed and Byron Murphy to flourish, as those two have a combined 2.5 sacks and 8 QB hits. Factor is the speed of Boye Mafe and Derick Hall on the edge, the Seahawks bring pressure in waves. At off-ball linebacker, Seattle has a rugged duo in Earnest Jones IV and Tyrice Knight, but they’ve had some issues in coverage against opposing backs and tight ends over the middle.
Saints Passing Attack
- 197 yards per game
- 65% completion percentage
- 3 touchdowns
- 0 interceptions
- 4 sacks
2024 Rankings
- ▪︎ 205.2 yards per game (23rd)
- ▪︎ 61.7% completion percentage
- ▪︎ 21 touchdowns (20th)
- ▪︎ 12 interceptions (16th)
- ▪︎ 37 sacks
Rattler’s numbers, poise, comfort level, and especially pocket presence are all vastly improved so far from his rookie year. He’ll still need to do a better job at going through progressions decisively, reading defenses, and finishing off drives. The athleticism of Rattler may be put to the test with the combination of the Seattle pass rush and his own injury-riddled offensive line. Among that group, rookie first round choice Kelvin Banks Jr. looks like a potential star at left tackle. The interior protection might be the biggest issue, however.
New Orleans has tons of speed but little size at wideout. Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks will take the top off any defense. Moore and Rattler must do a better job at getting these three the ball on the move on shorter routes to take advantage of their athleticism. Olave has a team-high 23 targets, catching 13 balls but for only 108 yards. Shaheed has caught 10 of his 14 targets, resulting in just 85 yards. The average per catch of both must be significantly higher. Cooks, who has 5 catches and 52 yards, may see more action with injuries sidelining Devaughn Vele and Trey Palmer.
Rattler’s favorite target in key moments has been tight end Juwan Johnson, who has 13 catches on 20 targets for 125 yards. Johnson could be a nightmare matchup for the Seahawks, especially with their injury issues at safety. Running back Alvin Kamara figures to be a bigger part of today’s attack as a receiver. Kamara caught 6 passes against the 49ers last week, but the game plan must be designed better to get more than the resulting 21 yards from those receptions.
If Witherspoon doesn’t play, Seattle may have a hard time matching up with three receiver sets against Olave, Shaheed, and Cooks. The Seahawks may have an even bigger task dealing with Johnson. Over the first two games, opposing tight ends have caught 16 of their 18 targets for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns. Opposing backs have also had a great deal of success against Seattle coverage, pulling in a combined 20 receptions for 210 yards. This could be set up for a career day for Spencer Rattler, as long as the Saints are up to the task of protecting him to find open targets.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints may lean on Spencer Rattler and passing game to defeat Seahawks
