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The New Orleans Saints didn’t get their 2025 season started off the way they wanted to, losing the season opener 20-13 at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Despite a late rally led by Spencer Rattler, the Saints couldn’t quite get in the end zone at the end of the game and now sit at 0-1 heading into Week 2.
Now, the Saints will try to get into the win column on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, who are a little beat up coming off of their season-opening win against the Seattle Seahawks. The Niners recently placed star tight end George Kittle on injured reserve, and now quarterback Brock Purdy is dealing with a pair of injuries that make him a “long-shot” to play in Week 2.
The Saints are well aware of that and have been preparing for backup quarterback Mac Jones all week long, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
“Per source, the Saints have been preparing all week for Mac Jones to be the 49ers’ starter Sunday in New Orleans,” Russini reported on X, formerly Twitter.
Jones doesn’t provide the same ability to play off-script or create plays out of structure that Purdy does, but he absolutely has the skillset to run Kyle Shanahan’s offense for a week or two if needed. Shanahan excels at scheming players open, which should play into Jones’ hands as someone who can get the ball out on time.
Still, this should open up opportunities for the New Orleans pass rush to get home against a 49ers offensive line that struggled at times against the Seahawks’ front in Week 1. Seattle has more talent on the defensive line than New Orleans does, but Jones will not be able to escape the pocket in the same way Purdy can.
New Orleans will also now have a new sense of focus on slowing down Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers running game. Stopping the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year is always a priority when preparing for the Niners, but that becomes even more prevalent with Purdy out of the lineup.
The post Saints rumors: New Orleans preparing for Mac Jones amid Brock Purdy injury appeared first on ClutchPoints.
