One of many extra fascinating outcomes from Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season got here from New Orleans. The New Orleans Saints hosted their NFC South rivals the Carolina Panthers, however the sport appeared over shortly after kickoff. New Orleans went proper down the primary on the opening possession of the sport for a landing, and following an interception of Bryce Younger on Carolina’s first drive of the 12 months, the Saints tacked on a subject objective for the early 10-0 lead.
They by no means seemed again, racing to a 47-10 rout of Carolina.
However Week 1 of any NFL season will be the final word smokescreen. Whereas the outcomes of the opening week of any NFL season make for unbelievable overreactions, you usually want a sport or two to actually make sense of a crew. With the Saints touring to Dallas to tackle the 1-0 Dallas Cowboys, we have been sure to be taught extra about each groups on Sunday.
Certainly we did.
For the second straight week — and the third for those who return to the top of the 2023 season — the Saints blew out an opponent. New Orleans opened the scoring towards Dallas on Sunday and by no means seemed again, on their approach to a 44-19 win over the Cowboys. And whereas they fell three factors wanting turning into simply the third crew in NFL historical past to attain 47 or extra factors in three-straight video games, they completed one thing greater.
They put the remainder of the league on discover.
New Orleans opened the scoring on Sunday, driving proper down the sector on the sport’s first possession. Carr went three-for-three on the drive, and following that third completion, a reference to Chris Olave for 39 yards, Alvin Kamara capped off the drive with this five-yard landing run:
A essential element of this landing? The lead block from fullback Adam Prentice, who takes on linebacker Damone Clark within the gap. Kamara cuts to the within off that block, and the Saints are in the long run zone.
Following a Dallas subject objective, the Saints have been shortly again on the scoreboard. Whereas their opening drive required seven performs for New Orleans to achieve the top zone, their second possession wanted only one play.
This 70-yard strike to Rashid Shaheed from Carr:
As you’ll be able to see from this finish zone angle, Carr does an incredible job of sliding round within the pocket to keep away from late strain. Whereas the Cowboys have a pair of safeties deep, Shaheed can get excessive of the protection, and as Tom Brady explains, Carr simply drops in a dime:
Dallas settled for an additional subject objective on their subsequent possession, and in case you are beginning to sense a theme, New Orleans responded.
With their third landing of the afternoon.
This passing landing was not a deep shot downfield, regardless of it protecting 57 yards, however reasonably a wonderfully executed display screen move to Kamara. With the Saints dealing with a 2nd and seven, Carr carries a play-action faux to Kamara earlier than establishing within the pocket, trying deep downfield. However the design is a display screen to Kamara, who takes the brief throw from Carr with blockers in entrance of him. The Saints operating again picks up a block from Lucas Patrick on Eric Kendricks, and heads off to the races:
Kamara added his third landing of the afternoon on the Saints’ subsequent possession, this 12-yard landing run:
The massive block on this play? Once more it comes from Patrick, because the left guard climbs to the second degree and takes on DeMarvion Overshown, knocking the Dallas linebacker out of the best way as Kamara follows him into the Dallas secondary, slicing into the top zone with the 28-13 lead for the Saints.
Dak Prescott threw an interception on the Cowboys’ subsequent possession, and Carr plunged in from one yard out on the quarterback sneak for the landing on the Saints’ ensuing drive, and the rout was on.
By the point the sport was over Carr had a pair of landing passes, Kamara had over 100 speeding yards and 4 complete touchdowns, and the Saints — excluding the ultimate drive of the sport when the backups ran out the clock — had scored factors on seven-of-nine possessions within the sport, and now on 16-of-20 possessions this season.
And maybe most notably, the Saints have been 2-0.
Coming into the season, New Orleans was one of many groups we discovered the most complicated within the NFL, and we ranked them twenty sixth coming into the 12 months. Here’s what I wrote in regards to the Saints in that piece forward of the season:
A 12 months in the past many — myself included — seemed on the New Orleans Saints and instantly topped them because the winners of the NFC South. Whereas the opposite three groups within the division confronted some intriguing quarterback conditions, comparable to Atlanta driving with Desmond Ridder, Tampa Bay choosing Baker Mayfield, and Carolina turning to Bryce Younger, New Orleans appeared in essentially the most steady place on the sport’s most vital place, with the addition of Derek Carr.
A lot for that.
Now Carr is again hoping to reclaim the promise of 2023. Because of a reasonably favorable schedule, which incorporates some groups which can be additionally complicated, such because the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders, the Saints might certainly stay as much as that promise.
However would we guess on that? Completely not. This can be a roster that also poses many questions, primarily alongside the offensive line the place accidents are a difficulty. Plus, after final 12 months are any of us really satisfied that Carr is the reply at QB?
By way of two weeks, we’d simply have our solutions.
