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Postgame Quotes: Arizona Cardinals 20, New Orleans Saints 13 | 2025 NFL Week 1

Quotes from Kellen Moore, Justin Reid, Alvin Kamara, Cameron Jordan, and Spencer Rattler

Saints Coach Kellen Moore

Opening statement:

"Good battle today. The effort and play style were some things we talked a lot about going into this game, and I felt like our guys played with really good effort, really good play style. I thought the energy was really, really good in the Dome (Caesars Superdome). We made a couple of stops toward the end. The big field goal block put us in position to tie the game right at the end. Ultimately, the story for us and the lesson for us is you can't beat yourself. Thirteen penalties, a lot of mistakes in there that we have to clean up to put ourselves in a much better position to be successful. We have a lot of work to do. That's the beauty of this thing. There's a lot of work coming forward to us, and we will move the page and get ready for San Francisco here shortly."

On how Juwan Johnson was close to scoring a touchdown at the end of the game:

"It was close, obviously. I haven't seen the slow replay, so I don't know how close it was. It certainly looked like we had a moment there where he had it."

On commonalities with the penalties:

"Certainly, a lot of it – the main stuff you have to deal with are the controllables pre-snap. The pre-snap was simply not good enough. It doesn't meet the standard in any way. We had a bunch of penalties on both sides of the football in the pre-snap world. That's all under our control."

On Spencer Rattler's play:

"I thought Spencer did some good stuff and put us in position there. Obviously, there are highs and lows you go through in a game, but I loved the way that he approached it, the mind-set he played with. He gave us a chance."

On opting not to take timeouts during Arizona's final offensive drive of the first half:

"We were close. We talked through it — getting the ball at the start of the third quarter. They still had all three timeouts in their pocket, so we felt like we would let it play out and see if, on our possession, something popped there. If something popped, you keep it alive and put ourselves in position, but it was definitely something we talked about."

On the defensive performance:

"I thought our defense gave us a chance at the end. There were a couple of big stops as the game progressed, and I thought they did some good stuff. Penalties killed big plays and some situational football came up on some third-and-longs there. They were able to convert a few third-and-longs, and that extended some drives, unfortunately."

On Alontae Taylor's blitz in the fourth quarter:

"It's certainly available to us in a number of other situations, but there's a risk-reward with that. I thought Brandon (Staley) did an awesome job calling this game and putting us in a really good position with great opportunities to compete each and every down, and I thought it was a great call in that situation."

On if he would have gone for the extra point or the two-point conversion at the end of the game:

"I mean, certainly we talk about that all the time. We will see whether or not it presents itself. I'm not going to go down that road."

On opting to kick a field goal on fourth down:

"Once it became five (yards), if it's two (yards) and three (yards), the numbers will lead you to convert that, but once it got to fourth-and-five, it was a little bit behind us. We felt like to keep it a one-possession game, we were going to have to make a big-time stop, which our defense did and gave us a chance."

On game management:

"It felt like we gave ourselves a chance. Ultimately, that's not good enough. Ultimately, we are here to win football games, and we have to compete and clean things up. While I love the effort, love the energy, love how the guys in the locker room played, we just have to play better. We just have to clean it up, and it starts with me helping to emphasize that through this entire next week."

On the injury to Taliese Fuaga:

"He got banged up on a knee. We will see how it goes."

On if Chris Olave was evaluated for a concussion:

"He was not."

On Chris Olave's play:

"He battled each and every play. He had a couple of things come up, and he just kept getting ready. Once he was available (after chest evaluation), he hopped out there. I thought our guys, at the end of the day, they gave us a chance."

On the approach in game play for Spencer Rattler:

"Certainly a combination of that. I think it's important to give him completions and move the ball downfield. They did a really good job. The few opportunities that we tried to get downfield, we had potential stuff, and I thought they did a good job. They played a lot of shell on us and forced us to play blank on the drive. We weren't able to make those explosives that we were probably hoping for."

On Rattler's composure at the end of the game:

"At the end of the day, I thought our operation was really clean. We gave ourselves a chance at the end. We had essentially three opportunities to get into the end zone. That's all we can ask for under those circumstances."

On if the quarterback had an impact on the timeout decision in the first half:

"At the end of the half, it's certainly something we talked about. We were really close to banging a timeout there. We just stuck with the opportunity that we had. We will start with the ball. We still had a little bit of time left to see what happens. If we were able to gain some yards there, we would play the timeout game, and we would have plenty of time to get ourselves into field goal position."

On what worked in the final offensive drives:

"I think just any time you're in those situations, the tempo and the completion game that Spencer (Rattler) played with. I thought he did a good job. I thought our guys played faster as the game went on. There's certainly a lot of stuff in the first three quarters that we just have to clean up to put ourselves in a better position."

On Arizona's defensive play:

"I thought they did a good job of it. We were not able to get any explosives that we were probably chasing as we went through that game. They were not presenting themselves.They did a good job there. Run game, we probably did not get it going as much in the second half. I thought they did a couple of good jobs just playing gaps sound and fitting things really well in the run game where you weren't able to squeeze anything out."

On the field goal operation:

"I have not communicated with that."

On cleaning up the pre-snap penalties:

"That is something that is obviously one of the most important things we have to do to narrow that down. We need to figure out a plan of action to get that better. That will be what Monday is all about. We have to clean it up. We have to play at a higher standard there. It's not something that's come up the last week, so that's a frustrating thing when it shows up on gameday and puts us in a bad position. We have to get better there."

On why the pre-snap penalties happened:

"It's just a discipline thing. Obviously, when it starts, you have to make sure that guys play to our standard, and we have to play better there. We have to make sure that the guys play to our standard. Too many drives, the momentum was created, and then the momentum stopped because now we are behind the chains in too many situations on the field."

On DE Cam Jordan's performance:

"I thought Cam (Jordan) was just really steady, really steady. I thought he did an excellent job. He was able to make some big-time plays for us early in the game and even down the stretch. I can't say enough good things. He did a great job."

On if he feels good about his decision to not take timeouts late in the first half:

"Yeah, I mean, we can play the rewind game a lot. I get that aspect of it. We felt like we had the ball. We still had a chance before half to kind of see how that thing played out. I felt like we were in a good position; it was a one-score game. We still had plenty of football ahead."

Timeouts continued:

"If we got a little more (yardage), it would have put ourselves in a better position."

On the defense in the second half:

"I thought the defense did a really good job. There were some third-and-longs and some of those things that showed up early that we weren't on top of. We missed some opportunities there, but we settled in and got a number of stops down the stretch. I thought they did a really good job of getting Arizona behind the sticks in a few situations. They gave us a chance."

On third down play calls:

"We will have to evaluate it, just the communication. When we are pressuring guys, we have to be really close on the pressure then, the back end has to be tied and tight together and matching people up."

On Alvin Kamara's touchdown:

"I thought it was just a really good job up front. Combination blocks were really good. Alvin had some great patience, and he found the space to the right. He did a nice job with his vision, just seeing it and giving us a chance."

On the passing game in the second half:

"We just weren't efficient enough in the run game. It felt like there were some opportunities on first down to maybe get some completions and not put us behind the sticks a little bit more. That led to a little more passing."

Saints safety Justin Reid:

On the defense's fight at the end of the game:

"It always sucks to lose. We were so close and we have a lot of work to still do. There was a ton of fight in there. There were some things we did well. There are some things that we can get better at. I felt like the offense moved the ball very well throughout the end of the game. Defensively, I felt like we held strong especially toward the end of the game. Throughout the middle part of the game, I thought we lost too much on third down. I think we need to get off the field. It starts with myself. I can't miss that tackle on that one third and long. That extends that drive that ends up in points. I let my team down in that moment. There are other moments that we can continue to learn and do better."

On if they let the game slip away:

"Yes, there is no game that I feel like we are ever out of. I feel like we can win any game. Our feel like our best is good enough. You see that when we are playing at a high level. We were getting the stops that we needed to make. We were moving the ball when we needed to on offense. We can't have the penalties. I think that we had 13 penalties today. We can't fight against ourselves."

On the difficulty of containing Kyler Murray:

"That's what he specializes in. He's going to bide time for his receivers and move around the pocket and hope he breaks something open. That is the challenge. We did a fairly decent job of it. Obviously, there were some plays that we wish that we could have back."

On the feeling of making a play on third down and then seeing a penalty flag:

"In those moments, you can't harp on it. Our job is to go and play the next play. That goes back to what I said earlier. We can't fight against them and ourselves at the same time. If we eliminate the penalties and play smart football, then we will have a chance in any game that we play."

Saints running back Alvin Kamara:

On his touchdown run:

"It was the look that we had in practice. I think we got what we wanted. The tempo was getting to them and we knew that we had an advantage. It was a great block by Juwan (Johnson) on the perimeter. It's easy when you have guys selling out and bringing a game to life. Kudos to them upfront for getting the job done. It was easy for me."

On if he would have wanted more of those opportunities in the second half:

"Of course. Every game has a different flavor. There were a couple of things that we were doing that we were trying to get to. There were some runs that I would have love to have gotten to, but we just didn't. You see how the game ended. We were just pushing and trying to come back and get a victory. It was a tough play for Juwan. It's tough when you are playing from behind and pressing."

On Spencer Rattler's performance:

"I think that he played well. There is a couple of things that I see and I go to him. Before I even say anything, he says I have to do this and I have to do that. He is very cerebral and understanding of what is going on. I think that he is processing as the game is going on. There is not a moment that slips by him that he is unaware of. I think that is something that you go on."

On how Rattler handled the last two drives:

"During the week, you wouldn't think that this is only his second season playing. He walks into those situations and attacks them. When you look at him in the huddle, you don't see a young guy. You see a guy who is ready to go win. That's a good thing moving forward that he is going to attack any situation."

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan:

On getting a sack and half:

"One was free, one was earned and one I missed. So, we have growth. We have growing to do. As far as last season, I will let accolades be where they are. I just want to help the defense try and win. I feel like I can do that. Just call my name and I will answer every time. I think that our defense has shown some possibilities, but we still have some room to grow. We let a long streaky run happen headed toward the sidelines that went for like 40 or 50 (52). We had a quarterback scurry. Eliminate those two and I feel a lot better about the day. At the end of the day, we showed up big in our two minute. I'm excited to be part of the defense again."

On his reaction to Juwan Johnson's almost touchdown:

"I got excited. I almost ran onto the field. That was dumb. I love the way our team fought through the very end. I love being a part of this team. I kept smiling all throughout the fourth quarter because I knew that we were going to come back. If you see pictures of me, I was smiling and I was laughing. The energy was high and the vibes were great. I knew we were coming back and we did until we did not. That is the game of football. That is what makes it so exciting. That is why everyone is so vested into it. That is a brotherhood that we bonded (into) over training camp. It was exciting to take the field for the first time and have live ball. Every play matters. It's so precious to me. You just don't know. Every given game could be your last one. That's how I have played the last 220-plus (227) games. You have to play it like it is your last because you never know."

On Bryan Bresee's blocked field goal:

"It was a redemption run from his one from last year. He buckled. He didn't buckle. He stood strong. He got another one. At this point he is stacking them. He's already doubled mine. He's better than me in that facet. There is always some 6-5 freak that can do it and Bryan is our 6-5 freak. If I was 6-5 then they would call on me. I'm the short one. I am 6-4."

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler:

On the last two-minute drive:

"It was a really well-executed drive. I thought we had two completions when we were there and moved the ball on that last drive and been in that situation so much, and we are very comfortable doing that tempo at the end. Game of inches. I think that guy made a good play on that ball to Juwan (Johnson), but I told Juwan before that play that I'm coming at you, so be ready. I'll throw that ball to him 100 times out of 100. Very close, but you got to somehow finish that out."

On if he put it where he wanted to on the last drive to Johnson:

"Yeah, that's the only spot it could be. They were playing very soft in that situation at the end of the game. We've repped that play many times, and that's where we wanted it to be."

On his evaluation of his performance:

'I thought it was fine. I think as a group, 13 penalties - you aren't going to win many games with that. We have to finish in the red zone when we have opportunities. I think we got down there and kind of stalled out. Got to figure out a way to be better there, but I thought our energy was great. I thought we were very balanced in the first half with our running pass game and moving the ball pretty well. It was a battle the whole game til the end. Defense played well. Bryan had a great blocked kick. We got down there, and I think we got a field goal right there, but literally came down til the last second. Telling the guys we were going to go down there and win this game, and we all 100% thought that was going to happen."

On anticipating finishing this game with 46 pass attempts before the contest:

"We are always ready for whatever happens. Still a couple of missed opportunities out there, obviously. I thought we were efficient. A couple of third downs we could have been better on. Being behind the sticks, I thought we found a way to convert in certain situations on fourth down as well toward the end of the game. But I think the flow of the game, we ought to take advantage of momentum and finish in the red zone when we have the opportunity.

On the last two offensive drives being more efficient:

"I think we are a really good tempo team. We do a good job of distributing them when we are playing fast. Obviously, in that situation of the game, you're going to get different looks, so I thought we did a good job of pushing the ball down the field when needed, but also taking what's underneath when it's there. Credit to them, they made some good plays, but we shot ourselves in the foot too much today. I think if we cut those penalties in half, we win this game."

On what he likes about how he's been playing compared to the preseason:

"Just decisive. Decisive. You've got to protect the ball in those situations and make good decisions. We didn't have any turnovers today, which usually the outcome is better, but I think we are a good tempo team, and we can take a better step when we are on tempo."

On the called back interception:

"I saw (Rashid) Shaheed one-on-one, and the corner (Will) Johnson, he's a good ballplayer-good ball skills. And he got a little deeper than I thought, and just a little miscommunication, I tried to get a shot early, and we got lucky on that one (with the Cardinals penalty).

On not calling timeouts the last two minutes of the first half:

"I think that's a tough situation. We had timeouts, I think, right, but we are going to trust what Kellen (Moore) does, and he called a run, and they're going to play so soft in that situation, you probably had to get 30 yards to get in range or 25. There's risk and reward to that. We trust what Kellen's going to do, and we had the ball coming out, so we wanted to go out and score, and obviously didn't, so we got to be better there. We trust in what the coach is calling."

On process this week for cleaning up pre-snap stuff:

"It's all details in practice and walk-throughs, whatever we're doing. We used a lot of different cadences today. We've got to be settled in. We've got to be better at communication, myself. We got to be detailed as a group better on both sides of the ball. I think there are details throughout the room. Locker room talk - 'hey, we got to lock in on these situations, let's not flinch, let's not have a motion.' Refs were very tight-knit on that stuff today, and we knew that coming in and thought we could have gotten some more calls. I think that ball to Shaheed was pass interference. Had an opportunity for a touchdown there and obviously didn't get the call, but hey, next play mentality, got to finish, got to be better in the red zone."

On penalties not being much of an issue in preseason, and if tempo was maybe a cause of that today:

"We want to be clean at all times of the game. Guys are going to be tired. Defense is tired. We're tired, going fast, but we have got to be focused when we're tired. Just repping that throughout the week and being detailed in the game. Communicating at a high level- we can be better there."

On anything that sticks out from the first and goal from the three-yard line in particular:

"We just got to punch that in. We had an opportunity. You think we'd get that in, but hey, on to the next. We'll get it next time."

On Juwan Johnson's day in general:

"Just like last year, he's the guy we want to go to. He's a great player and made a lot of big-time catches today on third down as well. He's just such a safe target to throw to - big frame and a competitor. So in that situation, we want to go at him and he's the best matchup on that field. He can get up higher than anybody. And he high-pointed the ball really well on that play. I got to see it on film. I don't know what happened, I think the safety somehow got it out, but I'm throwing him that ball 10/10 times."

On Chris Olave's concussion history:

"I was very relieved he didn't get injured on that. That was such a bang-bang play. We are coached on if that nickel comes and that end squeezes, we are throwing that out there. They had the perfect call for that play. And it kind of caught us off guard with that. I'm just happy first that it wasn't a backward pass and second that he's healthy after it. I went up to him and said, 'Hey, I'm not trying to get you blown up there. I want to get you the ball and space, but we all have to be on the same page."

On Olave going back to the tent and toughing it out:

"He's a tough dude. He's reliable. He's tough. Obviously, you want to keep him out of situations like that. We will try to do better in that part, but you've got to play ball at the same time."

On outside of the end result, if he's happy with the overall direction of the team:

"That was a four-quarter battle. Obviously, we are not happy with losing at all. We've got to be better first of all. Penalties, stuff like that, situational football, I thought we were good in, but it's week one, like Kellen said after, we aren't going to go undefeated this season. We have a lot to build on. We are looking on to next week and got a lot to clean up from this week, but we could have won that game if you clean some things up."

On starting the game:

"It was obviously a great opportunity. It's a blessing to be able to play here and get a chance at starting and lead the guys. I'll do my best to put my best foot forward and try to lead and help us win games. We are going to keep building, keep working. Love these guys, love playing with them."

On negotiating whether he should throw or run:

"There was one today to CO (Chris Olave) on the left side, and I tried to throw it, and it kind of faded on me. I probably could've run there. Toward the end of the game, I was more decisive with running because of how soft they were. Obviously, you've got to pick your right spots for it. I'll look at the tape and see what we can do in that area."

On if the tempo was game-plan specific or an all-year plan:

"That's something you want to use all year to your advantage. Obviously, some stuff on tape we saw game plan-wise wise we wanted to use that. It worked out well. Like I said, when we're not doing tempo, we've got to be cleaner. Have better communication and execute those plays."

On Asim Richards coming in:

"Yeah, you hate to see Tali (Taliese Fuaga), one of your best guys up front, go down toward the end, but I think he stepped up. I thought the O-Line did a great job all day. Only took one sack, and that was my fault. I should've got to the back on third and eight, but one sack against a team that causes a lot of havoc, I mean, that's a good stat. Obviously, it can be better, but the O-Line did a great job."

Check out the game action photos from the New Orleans Saints game against the Arizona Cardinals for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season on Sept. 7, 2025 at Caesars Superdome.

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