Wk 16 · 2026
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints — Sun, Dec 27
Sun, Dec 27 ·
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
· Fox
Weather
This one is played indoors. There is nothing to forecast.
NFC West · 1-4
at
1:00pET
NO -5.5 · total 44.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential NO by 4.4
NFC South · 1-4
What is at stake
An NFC game between two divisions. It decides neither division, but conference record is the tiebreaker that follows head-to-head, and both of these are chasing the same 7 NFC playoff places. Division standings.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Cardinals form
L 21-45vs DETL 24-36at NYGL 30-36at SFL 7-31vs SEAW 26-14at LAC
2026 season
Saints form
L 13-23vs MINL 24-45vs ATLL 27-35vs LVW 24-17at BALL 30-31at DET
2026 season
Cardinals this season
Straight up1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Against the spread2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Saints this season
Straight up1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Against the spread2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 3
| Opponent | Cardinals | Saints |
|---|---|---|
| Giants NFC | at L 24-36 preview | at Wk 6 · scheduled preview |
| Lions NFC | vs L 21-45 preview | at L 30-31 preview |
| Raiders AFC | vs Wk 17 · scheduled preview | vs L 27-35 preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Saints leads 5–4 · Cardinals has won the last 2
9 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
6.0 points toward Saints
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025-09-07 | Cardinals 20 — 13 Saints | at NO | Cardinals |
| 2022 | 2022-10-20 | Saints 34 — 42 Cardinals | at ARI | Cardinals |
| 2019 | 2019-10-27 | Cardinals 9 — 31 Saints | at NO | Saints |
| 2016 | 2016-12-18 | Saints 48 — 41 Cardinals | at ARI | Saints |
| 2015 | 2015-09-13 | Saints 19 — 31 Cardinals | at ARI | Cardinals |
| 2013 | 2013-09-22 | Cardinals 7 — 31 Saints | at NO | Saints |
| 2010 | 2010-10-10 | Saints 20 — 30 Cardinals | at ARI | Cardinals |
| 2009 | 2010-01-16 | Cardinals 14 — 45 Saints | at NO | Saints playoffs |
| 2007 | 2007-12-16 | Cardinals 24 — 31 Saints | at NO | Saints |
Cardinals leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Jacoby Brissett QB #7 | 103/152, 818 YDS, 6 TD, 4 INT |
| Rushing | Jeremiyah Love RB #4 | 55 CAR, 223 YDS, 1 TD |
| Tyler Allgeier RB #22 | 32 CAR, 112 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jacoby Brissett QB #7 | 15 CAR, 43 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Michael Wilson WR #14 | 25 REC, 258 YDS, 1 TD |
| Trey McBride TE #85 | 33 REC, 242 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Kendrick Bourne WR #17 | 12 REC, 108 YDS | |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. WR #18 | 5 REC, 85 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Jack Gibbens LB #50 | 32 |
| Mack Wilson Sr. LB #1 | 28 | |
| Budda Baker S #3 | 25 | |
| Sacks | Budda Baker S #3 | 1.5 |
| Josh Sweat LB #10 | 1 | |
| Zaven Collins LB #25 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Budda Baker S #3 | 1 |
| Andrew Wingard S #27 | 1 | |
| Denzel Burke CB #29 | 1 |
Saints leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Tyler Shough QB #6 | 121/180, 1203 YDS, 9 TD, 3 INT |
| Rushing | Travis Etienne Jr. RB #3 | 30 CAR, 128 YDS |
| Alvin Kamara RB #41 | 25 CAR, 74 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Tyler Shough QB #6 | 16 CAR, 72 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Chris Olave WR #12 | 35 REC, 491 YDS, 1 TD |
| Juwan Johnson TE #83 | 21 REC, 232 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Devaughn Vele WR #14 | 21 REC, 226 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Noah Fant TE #87 | 8 REC, 66 YDS, 3 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Jonas Sanker S #7 | 26 |
| Pete Werner LB #20 | 25 | |
| Kaden Elliss LB #55 | 24 | |
| Sacks | Chase Young DE #99 | 3.5 |
| Carl Granderson DE #96 | 1 | |
| Pete Werner LB #20 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Julian Blackmon S #23 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.