Thursday Night Football Preview: Arizona Cardinals vs New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints visit the Arizona Cardinals in a battle of teams trying to right their paths on Thursday Night Football in Week 7. Both teams find themselves with disappointing 2-4 records after offseasons full of hype and promise, and both teams will attempt to rebound from frustrating Week 6 losses. The Cardinals are 2.5-point favorites to move one step closer to a winning record.

back. pic.twitter.com/bOSSpAbcdN
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 18, 2022

The Cardinals offense has been struggling to find its groove through the first six weeks of the regular season, culminating in Week 6's ugly 19-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. They may just get the boost they need this week with the return of All-Pro wide receiver Deandre Hopkins. The five-time Pro Bowler wrapped up a six-game suspension this week, and his arrival back on the field should offset the unfortunate Week 6 injury of leading receiver Marquise Brown. The Cardinals will hope to rediscover some of the explosiveness they enjoyed in Hopkins' prime; after ranking 13th and 11th in scoring in 2020 and 2021, they've ranked 22nd so far this year without him.

Saints HC Dennis Allen says Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Andrus Peat, Adam Trautman, Marshon Lattimore will all be ruled out.

Says they will wait til game time on who is the starting QB #Saints
— Erin Summers (@ErinESummers) October 19, 2022

As for the Saints, they have their own offensive problems to contend with. The team will be without four starters when guard Andrus Peat, tight end Adam Trautman, and wide receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry all sit in Week 7. They'll have NFL rookie of the month Chris Olave back to catch passes after he missed Week 6's tough 30-26 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals with a concussion, but who will be delivering those balls is still up in the air: quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston are both questionable with back injuries, and head coach Dennis Allen is keeping the starter to himself. The Saints have been surprisingly effective moving the ball this year, ranking fifth in yards gained and 11th in points scored, but they could be approaching a critical mass in terms of injuries.

The Arizona Cardinals host the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football in the first game of Week 7.