Five storylines from Saints’ shutout of Rams to cap preseason

NEW ORLEANS – The Saints preseason finale went nearly flawlessly.

New Orleans dominated the Los Angeles Rams in all three phases in rolling to a 28-0 victory.

The one blemish on the evening came in the first quarter when left guard Andrus Peat, the only starting offensive lineman to play in the game, walked to the locker room with a member of the training staff and did not return.

There was no word on whether anything significant happened to Peat, but he did miss time early in training camp after undergoing surgery to repair a broken fibula and ligament damage in January.

Peat’s status will be worth keeping an eye on in the next couple of days as will the composition of the regular-season roster. NFL teams must trim their rosters to 53 by 3 p.m. CST Saturday.

The Saints finished the preseason 3-1 and the Rams, who did not play their offensive starters in any preseason game, finished 2-2.

Here are five key storylines from Thursday’s game:

1 Cameron Meredith has arrived

The free-agent signee from Chicago has been limited as he worked his way back from serious knee surgery last fall.

He had a break-out performance Thursday night, catching two passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.

His 56-yard reception from Taysom Hill set up New Orleans’ first touchdown and he and Hill teamed up for a 16-yard touchdown that gave the Saints a 12-0 second-quarter lead.

Hill also missed Meredith on a two-point conversion pass and a third-down pass into the end zone as Meredith was targeted four times, twice as many targets as he had in the first three games combined.

2 Boston Scott sticks

It’s almost impossible to imagine rookie running back Boston Scott not making the roster. He has been impressive throughout training camp and the preseason. He has quick feet, good vision and surprising strength for someone who’s 5-foot-7.

Additionally he can catch passes out of the backfield and return punts and kickoffs. He got the start at running back Thursday and finished with 68 yards on 12 carries. He showed outstanding footwork on a 4-yard touchdown run that gave New Orleans a 6-0 first-quarter lead.

The sixth-round draft choice from Louisiana Tech would be scooped up in a heartbeat if the Saints waived him in hopes of sneaking him on to the practice roster. They won’t take the risk.

3 Linebackers leave mark

The Saints might not have a Pro Bowl linebacker, though free-agent signee Demario Davis looks poised for a big season.

But they do have a lot of good linebackers, the second team being very nearly as good as the first. The depth was on display Thursday night.

Alex Anzalone, who has excelled in pass coverage throughout the preseason, made an acrobatic, leaping interception to stop a Rams’ scoring threat inside the red zone on Los Angeles’ first possession of the game.

Additionally Craig Robertson and Nate Stupar were all over the field and Jayrone Elliott scored a third-quarter touchdown by picking up the ball and running two yards after fellow linebacker Colton Jumper blocked a punt. Elliott also forced a fumble.

Robertson had a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass defensed and a quarterback hit. Stupar had seven tackles, three sacks, two quarterback hits, a fumble recovery and an interception, though he fumbled the ball back to the Rams at the end of his interception return.

4 Tre’Quan Smith keeps rolling:

The preseason ended the way training camp started: with the rookie wide receiver as one of the headliners. The third-round draft choice from UCF turned heads right away with his playmaking during practices early in camp.

That carried over into the first preseason game, then the second, then the third, then the fourth. Smith entered Thursday’s game with 11 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown to lead the team. On Thursday he had four catches for 42 yards.

5 Tom Savage is done

The handwriting was on the wall when the Saints traded for Teddy Bridgewater on Wednesday.

Bridgewater was brought in to be the primary backup to Drew Brees and Hill is certain to make the team because of his special teams value.

So Savage seemed to be odd man out and that was evident Thursday. Bridgewater, understandably, did not dress, though he was on the Saints sideline.

Hill started and played the first half and rookie J.T. Barrett IV started the second half, the first time he played in front of Savage in the preseason.