Five things to know: Saints set for Saturday preseason matchup with Rams

The New Orleans Saints will take the field on Saturday, August 22, against the Los Angeles Rams in their second preseason game, a matchup the team is framing as another chance to test a mix of established players and roster hopefuls. Ahead of kickoff, the Saints published a “Five Things to Know” preview focused on what to watch during the matchup and how the preseason window fits into the broader roster-building timeline.

Preseason games often serve a practical purpose beyond the final result. For teams around the league, they are the only extended, live-setting environment where coaches can examine how different combinations of players function under game tempo, scheme calls, and situational football. With the calendar moving through August, each week compresses the margin for evaluation, especially for players fighting for limited roles on the 53-man roster and for spots on the practice squad.

The Saints’ official preview is designed to be a guide for fans following along with the same questions the coaching staff is addressing. In the lead-up to a Week 2 preseason game, the focus commonly shifts toward how offensive and defensive units execute when the opponent adjusts, as opposed to the more basic look early in training camp. Saturday’s meeting with the Rams gives New Orleans another live benchmark for communication, assignment discipline, and whether install work is translating to consistent on-field performance.

The “Five Things to Know” format also highlights how preseason evaluation does not come solely from individual highlight moments. Teams typically weigh repeatable behaviors, such as protecting the ball and sustaining drives on offense, getting off the field on third down defensively, and handling the often-overlooked elements of the game like coverage integrity and kickoff return decisions. In a game like this, the Saints can use multiple reps to sort out which players consistently execute their assignments, especially when starters and first-team units rotate out.

Special teams and situational football are another key lens for preseason Week 2, because coaches can see more of the roster in fewer snaps. That includes work involving field position decisions, punt and kick coverage, and the reliability of return units when the opponent is trying to limit return lanes. For the Saints, any clarity gained from these phases is valuable because it directly affects how teams play games once the regular season begins, when every roster spot becomes more consequential.

As New Orleans and Los Angeles prepare to meet on Saturday, the most important takeaway for fans is that preseason Week 2 is about progress and differentiation, not perfection. The Saints’ official preview points supporters toward the specific storylines the team wants tracked during the game, and the results will matter primarily as evidence in an ongoing evaluation process. Next steps will come quickly after the Rams game, when coaches translate what they saw into the next set of reps and roster decisions.