Saints football is officially back. The Saints locked up with the Jaguars in the Caesars Superdome this afternoon and opened the game with a bang. Ty Chandler took the opening kick back 86 yards to the 9-yard line, setting up an Audric Estime 9-yard touchdown run.

Estime looked really good. He shared time with Ty Chandler as the primary backs in the game. The two combined for 11 carries for 52 yards, averaging 4.72 yards per carry.

In the opening half of the game, the Saints played very well. The defense was really strong, forcing turnovers, generating pressures and sacks, and keeping the running game under control. The offense and special teams, however, were very up and down.

Spencer Rattler got the start for this game, and coming into the matchup, Rattler had been having a great training camp. He was displaying the ability to stretch the field, get rid of the ball quickly, and avoid bad turnovers in critical moments. Unfortunately, today, all of those issues came back.

Rattler finished the day 8-of-11 for 42 yards. He was sacked twice for a loss of 16 yards and had a fumble that led to a field goal for the Jaguars. Rattler looked like the Spencer Rattler that we have seen throughout his time with the Saints. The offense could not get into a rhythm until Zach Wilson entered the game midway through the second quarter.

Coming out of this game, Wilson was able to make a case that he should be the backup going into the season. Wilson finished 11-of-16 for 145 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers. He was also sacked only once, and that was a byproduct of poor blocking.

The offensive line did not have a single starter play in this game, and the pass blocking reflected that. The Saints allowed four total sacks spread across the three quarterbacks who played in the game.

Wilson finished with the best quarterback rating of all the Saints quarterbacks at 118.0. He was able to find Bub Means, and that connection has been there throughout camp. Means finished the day with four receptions for 77 yards and was one big toe away from having a touchdown.

The defense was led by Jalyan Ford, who finished the game with eight total tackles, a quarterback hit, and an interception on Jacksonville's opening drive that prevented the Jaguars from attempting a field goal. Jaydan Price was another standout in the first half, finishing with two PBUs and an interception.

Brandon Staley is a fantastic defensive coordinator. Considering the Saints were playing with so many reserves, they were still able to consistently pressure the Jaguars and confuse their quarterbacks with post-snap coverage rotations.

As mentioned earlier, special teams were also inconsistent. Ryan Wright made his debut and blasted his first punt more than 50 yards, but his very next punt was shanked out of bounds for only 15 yards. Wright did not allow that mistake to become a recurring issue, but it is still something you never want to see.

The kickers had their moments as well. Tanner Brown was solid, going 2-for-2 with a long of 49 yards, while Charlie Smyth had one attempt in the second half and missed from 52 yards.

The half ended with the Saints leading 20-6, but the game finished with the Jaguars winning 24-20.

In the second half, more reserves entered the game for the Saints, while the Jaguars took a more physical approach offensively and focused more heavily on running the football. That adjustment worked well.

The Saints played third-string quarterback Hunter Dekkers for the majority of the second half. Dekkers finished 8-of-15 for 69 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers. He also had a fourth-down opportunity to win the game from inside the 5-yard line, but his fade-route attempt to Moreno-Cropper was very well defended by the Jaguars cornerback.

The Saints had their moments early, but the obvious struggles late ultimately became the difference between building a 14-point halftime lead and being shut out for the entire second half despite not turning the ball over.

The Saints will be back in action next Saturday at 3 p.m. against the Rams in Los Angeles. It will be interesting to see what changes are made within the roster, especially considering the battle for the backup quarterback job has just turned up another level.

Also, fourth-round draft selection Bryce Lance was held out due to some minor injury concerns but is expected to be back at practice on Monday. Several other players also came away from the game with injuries that will need updates later in the week.