The Saints finally get their 2026 home opener Sunday against the Raiders, and the quarterback matchup is a big reason this game has plenty of buzz. Both teams have opened the season by surprising people, and both are leaning on passers in very different spots in their careers.
On one sideline is Kirk Cousins, now running the show for former Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak in Las Vegas. The Raiders used the first overall pick on Fernando Mendoza, but he has not started yet. Cousins has handled the job through two weeks, and he’s done it well enough to keep the Raiders rolling.
Las Vegas has beaten the Dolphins and the Chargers, two teams that may be among the worst in the league, but Cousins has still put up real production. In two games, he has completed 67.8% of his passes for 413 yards, 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, while taking only two sacks. He knows the Saints and he knows the Dome, but this trip comes with a different feel because New Orleans will be at home and trying to make the pocket uncomfortable from the inside out.
That matters because Cousins has seen it all before. At 15 years in the league, he’s not the kind of quarterback you rattle just by sending extra bodies at him.
The Saints should not blitz simply to blitz. The better path is to alter what he sees after the snap, use simulated pressure, and make him feel heat from places he doesn’t expect.
If that starts to slow his clock, the turnovers can follow.
Across from him is Tyler Shough, and this is a different kind of pressure. He’s walking into his first game as the captain of the team after one of the biggest road wins the Saints have had in nearly half a decade. The Dome should be ready to welcome the new face of the franchise, and Shough has earned that moment.
He’s already making noise statistically, too. Shough leads the NFL in passing yards with 662, completions with 62, 20-yard completions with 11, and passing yards per game with 331.
He’s second in attempts with 90. Through two games, he has thrown 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, with both picks coming in Week 1 against the Lions.
He finished the Ravens game with no turnovers, and that’s the version the Saints need to keep seeing.
The challenge is real. Starting left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. is out with a high ankle sprain, and Maxx Crosby is waiting on the other side for Las Vegas.
Protection will be a major issue, and the Saints need help in the run game to keep the linebackers and safeties honest. That’s what opens the door for play-action to matter as more than window dressing.
Shough also has to diagnose coverage cleanly, because the Raiders will line up in a 3-4 base and vary which four defenders come after him. For the Saints, the formula can be boiled down to three things: protection, patience and play action.
This game puts a veteran mentor type on one side and a young quarterback with real upside on the other. It also raises a simple question: can the Saints make Cousins uncomfortable enough to force Kubiak toward the rookie for a spark? That feels unlikely, especially on the road, but it is the same kind of situation Shough found himself in against the Rams in the middle of last season.
However it plays out, Sunday has the feel of a lively one. Two teams that weren’t expected to draw much attention are meeting with the Saints holding the edge at quarterback.
In Other News...
Saints May Be Catching Raiders At A Much Worse Time
The Saints could be facing a tougher version of the Raiders than the one that has opened the season 2-0 without Brock Bowers. According to ESPNs Dan Graziano, the rookie tight end is more likely than not to be on the field when Las Vegas meets New Orleans in Week 3, which would give the Raiders another dangerous weapon in an offense that has already found early success.
Bowers status is still not locked in, though, and that leaves the Saints watching practice closely before game week settles in. If he does suit up, it would change the complexion of a matchup that already looked tricky for New Orleans, especially against a team that has shown it can win even while waiting for one of its most important playmakers to return. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Werner Is Giving The Saints A New Defensive Anchor
Pete Werner has spent the 2026 season stepping into a far bigger spot for the Saints after Demario Davis departure, and the early returns have been encouraging for a defense that needed someone to steady the middle. In the recent win over the Baltimore Ravens, Werner showed exactly why his role has grown, leading New Orleans with 11 tackles while also adding a sack as the defense worked to keep the game within reach.
The performance mattered because the Saints needed more than just volume from their linebackers, they needed reliability and impact when the game tightened after halftime. Werner delivered both, and his 79.6 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus backed up the idea that he is not just filling space in the middle of the defense but helping shape what it can become. [Read more 🡒]
Terron Armsteads Tyler Shough Praise Should Fire Up Saints Fans
Terron Armsteads name still carries plenty of weight in New Orleans, and the former Saints tackle gave fans a reason to perk up this week when he spoke glowingly about Tyler Shough. On NFL on CBS, the five-time Pro Bowler said he has been impressed enough by the rookie quarterbacks leadership and competitiveness to even think about un-retiring, a striking compliment from a player who has been away from the game for two years.
For a Saints team still searching for every sign that its quarterback room is headed in the right direction, praise like that matters. Armstead spent enough time around winning football to know when a player has the traits that travel, and his reaction to Shough suggests the rookie has made an impression beyond the building. Whether it leads to anything more is another matter, but it is the kind of feedback that should land well with a fan base eager for reasons to believe. [Read more 🡒]