Five things to watch as the Saints head into Friday night’s preseason game in Los Angeles

The New Orleans Saints are set for a preseason game on Friday, August 21, with the opponent the Los Angeles Rams, staging the matchup in Los Angeles. As with most late-August exhibitions, the emphasis shifts away from final results and toward evaluation, communication, and how quickly different groups can operate under live-game constraints. The Saints released a “Five Things to Know” preview to frame what fans should focus on during the night’s key sequences.

One of the central themes of preseason football is workload management, and the Saints’ preview positions the game as an opportunity to evaluate execution over volume. With only a limited number of full-game reps available in exhibition play, the order of operations matters, from early-drive tempo to third-down decision-making and red-zone organization. Coaches look for clarity in what players are asked to do, and for consistent answers to the same questions across multiple drives.

Preseason games also function as a proving ground for players on the margins. For the Saints, that typically means tracking how depth contributors handle assignments when protections change, when tempo fluctuates, and when play-calling adapts to personnel groupings. The “five things” framework is aimed at turning what can look like a loosely connected exhibition into a set of specific, measurable moments that indicate whether a player is controlling his space and reading the game.

On the offensive side, fans are usually encouraged to watch ball-security details and the timing between play design and execution. In preseason, quarterbacks and skill players must synchronize routes and protection rules while operating with changing personnel and situational starters. Even when the stat line is uneven, it is often possible to spot whether the group is functioning within its rules, especially on quick throws, under-pressure sequences, and runs that depend on consistent gaps.

Defensively, the exhibition environment places a premium on gap integrity, tackling technique, and discipline in coverage responsibilities. With offenses mixing personnel and disguising looks, the Saints’ defensive evaluations typically come down to whether defenders play the right leverage, communicate early, and avoid “chasing” breakdowns. Preseason also highlights how quickly players adjust after they see what an opponent is emphasizing, particularly in drives that feature multiple third-down attempts.

Special teams can decide how much momentum a team carries from one phase to the next, and Friday’s game offers another opportunity to gauge that unit’s organization. Coaches commonly use preseason to evaluate return decision-making, coverage lane structure, and how effectively the team converts field-position advantages. The Saints’ official preview is designed to draw attention to those swing moments, where a single stop, tackle, or ball placement can shift the flow of an exhibition.

What to watch next is straightforward: observe whether the Saints’ different groups can execute their roles cleanly within the context of limited reps and varied personnel, and whether the coaching staff’s message shows up on the field in repeatable ways. In the preseason, the best indicators tend to be reliability and response, not one dramatic highlight.