Saints preseason finale against the Rams The New Orleans Saints wrap up the 2018 preseason with a home battle against the Los Angeles Rams this evening. While we got to see the majority of the Saints starters and top units for much of the first half during last week's impressive 36-7 victory over the L.A. Chargers http://www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com/cheap-ted-ginn-jr-jersey , expect a much different show during this preseason finale. New Orleans begins their regular season in just ten days from tonight, with a home showdown against division rival Tampa Bay, while the Rams play their opener on Monday night against the Oakland Raiders. Expect both squads to have a very simplistic approach to their game plan, and if any of the starters play at all, it won't likely be for more than a series or two. With that being said, each team still has some important roster decisions to make before the league's cut-down period over the following Labor Day weekend. Thankfully, the Saints backup quarterback question seems to have been answered, for this year anyway, when the team traded with the New York Jets for Teddy Bridgewater on Wednesday afternoon. But there are still plenty of things to be watching closely when these two NFC contenders face off tonight. Here are a few things to be watching for from the New Orleans perspective during the game. Wide Receiver Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsThere were some fans who were concerned, or perhaps confused, that wideouts Tre'quan Smith and Cameron Meredith were still in the lineup so late in the game against the Chargers. Don't be. Sean Payton and the coaching staff clearly wanted to give backup quarterback Taysom Hill some of the top offensive unit to work with through the second half. They also clearly wanted to see something specific from second year wide receiver Austin Carr, who started the game with Drew Brees and the number one unit. Carr caught 3 passes for 38 yards, and has had a solid training camp. He is a shifty prototypical slot receiver with good hands, and looks to be making a late push for a roster spot. The Saints normally keep five wideouts on the active roster, and return man Brandon Tate looks to have the edge for the fifth spot behind superstar Michael Thomas, impressive rookie Smith, and veterans Meredith and Ted Ginn Jr. Carr looks to have moved ahead of undrafted rookie Keith Kirkwood and returning vet Tommylee Lewis on the preseason depth chart. An impressive performance in this final game could convince coaches to keep a sixth receiver, or perhaps even make a surprising decision to move on from a veteran like Ginn, who has struggled throughout preseason. Running Back Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsThe running game wasn't as impressive against the Chargers as it had been in the first two preseason games, with the running backs averaging less than 3 yards per carry. Jonathan Williams had a particularly rough time, finishing with a negative three yards on his 3 carries. He does still look to have the edge for the third running back spot behind Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, but a battle still remains to round out the position. Rookie sixth round pick Boston Scott continues to show good burst around the edge, and adds an extra dimension with his kick return abilities. Second year back Trey Edmunds has seen snaps at both fullback and running back, but has yet to have a stand out performance. Veteran Shane Vereen is a solid receiving threat out of the backfield, but struggles to pick up yardage between the tackles. These 4 backs will likely split the bulk of the snaps against Los Angeles, and their roster spots may be contingent on a productive performance. OFFENSIVE LINE Jake Roth-USA TODAY SportsWith the exception of rookie 7th round pick Will Clapp, who has improved each week Color Rush Patrick Robinson Jersey , the Saints reserve line has been inconsistent. Veteran guard/tackle Jermon Bushrod looks in jeopardy of being a roster cut, and Josh LeRibeus has not shown the improvement expected after playing some solid snaps last season. Michael Ola has gotten quite a bit of playing time at tackle this preseason, but may have been passed on the depth chart by rookie 4th round pick Rick Leonard. The coaches are still high on Cameron Tom, who along with Clapp is capable of playing any of the interior line positions. New Orleans is likely going to keep three of these linemen to begin the season, and expect all to receive extensive playing time against the Rams, hopefully showing that the team can have confidence in it's line depth. Marcus Davenport Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsThe 14th overall pick in the draft finally saw the field last week against the Chargers, and flashed the ability that caused the team to trade up to get him. Davenport would play 15 defensive snaps, and showed good disruption from the edge, finishing with a few quarterback pressures, a half sack, and an impressive tackle for loss on a Charger end around that showcased his athleticism. After missing much of training camp and the first two games of the preseason, we may see Davenport get a good bit of snaps during this contest to get him up to game speed. Alex Okafor and Trey Hendrickson are expected to get the majority of the snaps at defensive end opposite Cam Jordan in the Saints base defense at the start of the regular season, but Davenport could be a disruptive rotational player who should earn more snaps as the season progresses. UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesTaylor Stallworth has played impressive football throughout the preseason, and could be very much in the mix for a job at defensive tackle. New Orleans already has possible break-out stars inside with Sheldon Rankins and David Onyemata, along with reliable run defender Tyeler Davison and Devaroe Lawrence, who looks like he's played his way onto the team with an outstanding preseason. Will Stallworth be able to overtake Davison or Lawrence for a roster spot? Wide receiver Keith Kirkwood started out the preseason strong, but has leveled off in recent weeks, looking like he has been passed up by Carr, as mentioned previously. Rookie cornerback Linden Stephens faces a similar challenge at an equally crowded position. Stephens has played solid on special teams, and has seen some defensive reps late in all three exhibition games. The cornerback position already has a star like Marshon Lattimore, along with Ken Crawley and Patrick Robinson locked into spots. Arthur Maulet and Natrell Jamerson likely have played their way onto the team, leaving one, perhaps two spots up for grabs among some talented players. Stephens will probably need a monumental performance to warrant consideration for the active roster, and must still overtake fellow rookie Kamrin Moore, the "other" Marcus Williams, who returned an interception for a touchdown last week, or a veteran like PJ. Williams http://www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com/cheap-wil-lutz-jersey , who has been on almost everyone's roster bubble seemingly all summer. VETERANS FIGHTING FOR A JOB Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty ImagesCornerback P.J. Williams is one of a handful of Saints veterans who are in a fierce battle to keep their roster spots. Edge rusher Hau'oli Kikaha, defensive end George Johnson, and linebacker Nate Stupar may be on the outside looking in on perhaps the deepest defense we've seen in the Sean Payton era. Couldplayers like Ginn, P.J., linebackers Craig Robertson and A.J. Klein, or Davison along the defensive line be potential trade candidates because of higher salary cap numbers or the performance of some of the young newcomers? The deadline for all NFL teams to reduce their rosters from 90 to 53 players is at 4 p.m. eastern time on Saturday. New Orleans coaches face some tough decisions throughout one of the most talented rosters in the league, and there will be some talented players who may not make this squad. Who can make one final push for a spot when the Saints take on the Rams this evening?What if the 49ers Fail to Score at the End of the 2011 Divisional Round? Right up there with the “Minnesota Miracle,” the 2011 NFC Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers is one of the most soul-sucking games of the Sean Payton Era for the New Orleans Saints and their fans.The 2011 season for the New Orleans Saints will go down as one of the biggest lost opportunities of the franchise. The offense was electric. The Saints had 5 Pro Bowlers on offense that season: Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Carl Nicks, Jahri Evans, and Jermon Bushrod. Drew Brees slung the ball all season, passing for a then-NFL record 5,476 passing yards while also leading the league in completion percentage at 71.2%. He threw for an amazing 46 passing TDs while only totaling 14 interceptions. And we’ve said Jimmy Graham went to the Pro Bowl, but this was his coming out party. He finished the year with 1,310 receiving yards, still the highest total of his career. The Saints also had a four-headed rushing attack with Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, and Chris Ivory, with the four combining for over 2,000 rushing yards, 13 rushing TDs, with another 1,100 yards in the air, and 8 receiving TDs. It was truly the Greatest Show on Turf.Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesThe Saints dominated their way through the 2011 regular season to the tune of 13-3, winning the NFC South http://www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com/cheap-terron-armstead-jersey , but only the third best record in the NFC. The Saints finished behind the #1 seed Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers and the #2 seed, the former divisional rival San Francisco 49ers. The Saints made quick work of the Detroit Lions in the first round of the playoffs, dispatching of the Lions 28-45 in the Dome. Then came the divisional round matchup against the 2nd seeded San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick...What if it had gone differently...?The 49ers had just scored a touchdown and missed the 2-point conversion to go up 24-29 with under two minutes left in regulation. The Saints then took the lead on a touchdown and successful two point conversion, 32-29, with under a minute remaining, only to have their heart ripped out with 7 seconds left as Alex Smith hit Vernon Davis on a touchdown pass to seal the game for San Francisco.But what if Malcolm Jenkins of the Saints is able to tackle Vernon Davis immediately after the catch? The 49ers would be on their own 49 yard line with only 37 seconds left in the game. They would have been forced to call their final timeout, with likely only a couple of chances to get into David Akers’s range. Akers made the Pro Bowl that year, but missed his only chances at field goals over 50 yards. If the 49ers can’t get at least twenty more yards (with no timeouts and half a minute on the clock), the 49ers don’t go on to win the game.But then what? What happens with the Saints if they go on to the NFC Championship Game?Assuming everything else plays out the same in the 2011 season, the Saints would host the #4 seed that just shocked the #1 seed Green Bay Packers: Eli Manning and the New York Giants.Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty ImagesIt shouldn’t come as a surprise, though, that the Giants gave the Packers everything they could handle in the playoffs. In Week 13, the Green Bay Packers won 38-35 on a Mason Crosby field goal with 3 seconds left in the game to steal a victory on the road. But guess what happened one week earlier in Week 12? The New Orleans Saints demolished the Giants in New Orleans 24-49.The Saints scored more than 40 points the last 5 games they played of the 2011 season (and postseason). On the other hand, the Giants failed to score 40 points any any point during a single time of the 2011 season and postseason. The Saints didn’t lose a single game at home during the 2011 regular season and postseason, and there would be no reason to think they wouldn’t beat the Giants in the divisional round in the Dome for the second time that year.That would mean the NFL would be getting one of the elite Super Bowl matchups that has never happened (yet): Drew Brees vs Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesIf you remember the 2011 Saints team, you’d probably remember that while they had a decent overall defense (13th overall), they were pretty poor against the pass (30th against the pass). And while you might think this means the Saints would not be able to hold up against Brady and the Pats, it’s not like the Giants were world-beaters. The G-Men were only one spot worse at 29th against the pass (and significantly worse as a team defense, 25th overall).The biggest difference between the Saints and Giants? The offense we’ve already talked about. Remember: the Giants didn’t put up 40 points in a single game in 2011. The Giants had only the 9th best offense in 2011. The Patriots had the second. The top offense in 2011? Of course: your New Orleans Saints. Once the Saints get past the Giants to advance to the Super Bowl, there would be no reason the Saints chances at winning Super Bowl XLVI isn’t - at worst - a toss up. It would be likely, though, that the Saints would enter as the favorites to win.If Vernon Davis just tripped on his own shoelaces with 35 seconds left to go in the game on January 14, 2012, the Saints could have had two Lombardis in three years.What could have been...