New Orleans Saints fans were treated to a surprisingly dramatic preseason game, but we'll take it. Seeing guys playing with passion and energy at a time when the final score only matters for bragging rights is always entertaining. It wasn't enough to win the day -- the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars won in the final second, 24-20 -- but we learned a lot about where the Saints might have some talent, plus where they might need some help. Let's dig in by asking and answering four key questions:
What went right? What went wrong? And what's the bottom line? So what comes next?
What went right? Some individuals deserve a lot of credit, especially on defense. Veteran cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. broke up three of Jacksonville's first 11 passes and looked like an outstanding fit in the coverage scheme New Orleans wants to run. Linebacker Jaylan Ford played with his hair on fire, notching eight tackles, a quarterback hit, and an interception just in one half of football. And rookie free agent defensive end Michael Heldman made a good case for more snaps at practice after being stuck on the third team for two weeks; he racked up six tackles in total, including two sacks, three tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits. Slot cornerback Jayden Price popped off with a pass breakup and an interception, too. Offensively, Audric Estime started strong with a 9-yard touchdown run and a very respectable 5.6 yards per carry. Take out that scoring run and he still had 4.8 yards per carry. You just have to hope he's healthy after taking a big shot to his lower leg on an ill-advised Spencer Rattler checkdown. Wide receivers who were starting to be overlooked like Bub Means (four catches for 77 yards) and Jalen Moreno-Cropper (three for 49) stepped up. Rookie sixth-round pick Barion Brown caught each of his four targets for 53 yards. What went wrong? Rattler looked overwhelmed. Sure, he was running the second-team offense, but he's been working with these guys every day at training camp. He was struggling with pressure early and often as backup center Torricelli Simpkins III was beaten by the Jags' defensive interior. But he had a hard time getting the offense going downfield, too, averaging just 3.8 yards per attempt. He's regressed after showing some encouraging development at practice. Defensively, sure, it's the preseason. Most of the players on the field in the second half aren't going to make the cut for the 53-man roster. But giving up 18 points in two quarters to another team's reserves, who are in the same situation, is far from ideal. At the same time you want to see your offense put some points on the board and hold onto their 14-point lead. But you can't talk about what went wrong without highlighting the special teams. The Saints had too many mistakes in this phase. Not just penalties, but bad decisions in situations like when Dalys Beanum cost the team time and field position by picking up a rolling punt before it reached deeper into Jaguars territory. Four of the team's eight accepted penalties and 37 of their 66 penalty yards came on special teams. Veteran punter Ryan Wright rebounded from it but he can't be shanking 15-yard punts in the first place. And what's the bottom line? For the most part, the players who are safe bets to make the 53-man roster later this month did well: defenders like Ford and Emerson. Players on the bubble helped themselves like Price, Heldman, and if he's not too badly injured, Estime. But there are probably a dozen roster spots still up for grabs and it's uncertain if the Saints have the right guys on the team right now to fill them. Don't be shocked if we see some more late-summer trades like we did last year, when the Saints dealt for backup center Luke Fortner and underused wide receiver Devaughn Vele. So what comes next? The Saints are set for a weeklong trip to California, where they'll scrimmage with both the Los Angeles Rams (privately, in Carson) and Dallas Cowboys (in Oxnard, open to the public) before a preseason game with the Rams at SoFi Stadium. These will be great opportunities to evaluate their talent against some of the deepest rosters in the NFC. We're waiting to see which players nicked up with injuries are making the flight out west and who may need more time to heal up before they can get back on the field. This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Instant analysis from Saints' preseason loss vs. Jaguars