The New Orleans Saints couldn't record two consecutive preseason victories, falling 16-10 to the San Francisco 49ers after a 16-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the first game.

The Saints were underwhelming on offense largely in what was a low-coring, but entertaining contest that still managed to come down to the last minutes. While Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener managed the game well for the most part, both made some key mistakes that had Josh Dobbs, Brandon Allen and Tanner Mordecai looking better from a backup quarterback perspective.

The game essentially came to its end as Haener attempted to lead a game-winning drive in the last five minutes that resulted in a turnover on down after an incompletion on 4th & 7 intended for wide receiver AT Perry, who was among the standouts in the previous week's win.

The Saints will look to get back to the right side of the win column as they host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

But it's important to remember the preseason isn't much about wins at all -- it's largely about finding out what depth pieces within the roster stand out, making the best decisions when it comes to position battles and figuring out which diamonds in the rough may reveal themselves within the fold.

Here's a look at who stood out the most for New Orleans, despite the loss:

1. DT Bryan Bresee

One thing that we've all been expecting to see at some point is Bresee starting over Khalen Saunders aside Nathan Shepherd. Bresee didn't put up any numbers on the stat sheet, which only so much stock can be put into during a preseason game, but he did bring the pressure as he knocked 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy off of his rhythm. He had two hits on Purdy in the first drive alone, quickly forcing a 49ers punt. Bresee will be a player to continue to watch as the preseason goes on.

2. RB Jordan Mims

Mims is known for being a former teammate of Jake Haener's back at Fresno State, but he's taking advantage of the opportunity to show he can be much more than that. Mims' showings throughout camp and the first two preseason games have highlighted the value he has on special teams, with some now reasonably predicting that he may take the job away from Kendre Miller in what's been a position battle to watch. Despite the Saints not exactly making any noise on the stat sheet where rushing or receiving yards are concerned, Mims finished out the game as the team's leading rusher with 10 carries for 37 yards, also with a touchdown on a 3rd & 5 play near the goal early in the game that was controversially called short. He returned the ball twice for 44 yards total.

3. QB Taysom Hill

Sure, the Taysom Hill experiment at quarterback didn't work out and is a trend no longer followed around the league, but there's no question that players like Hill serve an important purpose. The jack-of-all-trades fulfilled that as the lone Saints player to score a touchdown for the entirety of the game, powering through on a 1-yard rushing touchdown to give the Saints a 7-0 lead over the 49ers on a 4th & goal play less than two minutes into the second quarter.

4. LB Anfernee Orji

One of the Saints' strongest areas over recent history has been at the linebacker position and Anfernee Orji only further backed that up with the number of solid reps he had on the field on Sunday night. On top of a strong performance throughout camp that has caught attention, Mims led the stat sheet on the defensive side of the ball, finishing out the close loss with 8 combined tackles (7 solo). The player directly behind him statistically was cornerback Rezjohn Wright, who had 5 combined tackles (4 solo).

5. QB Derek Carr

Carr isn't a player on the Saints roster currently fighting to make the team or win a starting job, like multiple other players taking the field for New Orleans this preseason. But there has been a lot of talk of Carr being a lackluster bridge quarterback, with the hope that Haener or Rattler will impress enough to surpass him before he ultimately retires. For now, that doesn't seem to be a thought at all. While both backup quarterbacks largely did a good job of taking care of the football and executing the offense looking at the game overall, both had their fair shares of blunders and missed opportunities between under thrown passes and moments of ill decision-making. Carr finished out the evening 7-of-9 passing for 47 yards.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 5 Saints players who helped their case against the 49ers