According to a source, the Saints will return their regular players to face the 49ers tomorrow and are expected to have a lot of work to do.

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) 17 August 2024

The New Orleans Saints will field their starting lineup on offense and defense on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, and Dennis Allen alluded to that earlier this week when he said Taliese Fuaga would play like other healthy players if possible.

When Derek Carr expressed his desire to play in the first preseason game, there was curiosity as to how many regular players would be used and whether the Saints would deviate from last year’s plan.

The answer is yes. The starters played two series in the opening game, as opposed to one last year. Allen putting the first team back on the field is another departure from last year’s preseason strategy.

The difference in success likely reflected the different approach. If the Saints seemed like a well-oiled machine on offense against the Cardinals, they may not have had the extra push in the debut or an extra week of preseason play. There’s also the possibility that Allen saw last year’s results and deviated from last year’s plan.

The cancellation of joint practices is also a factor. The Saints’ core players were unable to practice for several days against the 49ers. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football says they are expected to get a fair amount of work in the game. It’s hard not to tie this to the lack of practice days against the 49ers.

Ultimately, the Saints offense needs that. Last week, they looked uncoordinated and uncomfortable. Carr and Co. could benefit from what Underhill sees as “a fair amount of work.”