The New Orleans Saints started the preseason off relatively well, taking home a 16-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals after a game-winning drive from rookies Spencer Rattler and Charlie Smyth. While the victory is securely in hand, there were most definitely some studs and duds in this game that need to be covered.

With that said, here are our studs and duds from the first week of preseason for the Saints:

Stud: A.T. Perry

A.T. Perry had an absolutely phenomenal night for the Saints, racking up 4 receptions on 4 targets for 85 yards, as well as a drawn defensive pass interference that got the Saints down the field late in the first half. 58 of his 85 yards came on an absolute missile from Jake Haener which landed right in the bread basket of the second year receiver. An impressive showing from Perry no doubt, and a promising show of potential for his future in the 2024 season and beyond.

Dud: Offensive line depth

The offensive line struggled mightily throughout the night, but it got especially bad when Taliese Fuaga was taken off the field along with a few other starters. Penalties galore rained down throughout the game, hitting Trevor Penning, Oli Udoh, Landon Young, and Jesse Davis, all of whom are presumed depth at this time aside from Penning and potentially Udoh. On top of that, they allowed five QB hits and a sack, as well as an immense amount of pressure all night, forcing all three quarterbacks to move around or outside the pocket.

Stud: Spencer Rattler

Spencer Rattler started off his Saints' career right, coming in and immediately leading the Saints' first touchdown drive of the night, after running in from four yards out and scoring while taking a tough hit at the goal line. He then slowed down a bit for a few drives, before coming out for the final drive of the night for New Orleans. With 1:31 left in the game, Rattler led the Saints from their own 25 yard line down to the opposing 19 yard line, setting up a Charlie Smyth go-ahead field goal to put the Saints up 16-14 with five seconds left. He ended the night 9-for-17 with 2 rushes for 8 yards and a touchdown. A promising sign for the rookie quarterback going forward.

Dud: The run game

Was this a product of poor offensive line play? More than likely. It also was likely the result of Kendre Miller missing the game, and Alvin Kamara receiving minimal snaps (for good reason, keep the starters safe please). Jamaal Williams did break off a couple good runs during the game, no doubt, but the rest of the night was pretty tough. No Saints rusher hit 40 yards on the ground, and none of them had a rush longer than 10 yards, which was a major issue last year. James Robinson also fumbled, thankfully rolling out of bounds, but regardless, a not spectacular showing from that half of the offense.

Stud: Willie Gay Jr.

Willie Gay Jr. had an enormously impressive showing in his preseason debut for the Saints, as he looks to gain a starting spot from Pete Werner who just received an extension. Gay was flying all over the field and making impacts wherever he could, from the second he got onto the field to the second he was taken off. He ended the night with 5 tackles, 3 of which were solo, and 1 tackle for loss, but that does not show the total impact he had for the Saints. He has made things interesting in the linebacking unit, which is a good problem to have given depth at other positions.

Dud: Derek Carr

Not the most impressive start to the season for the Saints starting quarterback. Carr came out onto the field and pretty much immediately threw a ball that was nearly intercepted after being batted at the line of scrimmage, and then later completely overshot an open Chris Olave over the top of the defense as well. He ended the night 2-for-6 for 12 yards and a 42.4 quarterback rating, even worse, it was against primarily second string defenders for the Cardinals. Rust is to be expected no doubt, but this was pretty ugly for the 10 year veteran.

Notable Exemptions

Here are some notable exemptions, as well as their case for being on the list:

Stud: Charlie Smyth: While not on the field for the whole game, he proved his worth by nailing a 37-yard go-ahead field goal with five seconds left to all but clinch the Saints' victory. An impressive feat for the rookie kicker in a new environment.

Dud: Stanley Morgan Jr.: While he did have a nice 13 yard reception at one point, it felt like he was struggling immensely to create seperation throughout the night, and caught 1 of his 4 targets on the night (despite one being sailed to prevent the defense from making a play).

Stud: Samson Nacua: For a player only recently signed by the team, Nacua had a pretty decent showing for the minimal playing time he got. His two receptions on the game-winning drive were both crucial to the momentum of the offense, and should earn him a few more snaps in next week's game.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Studs and Duds from Saints' preseason matchup vs. Cardinals