The New Orleans Saints opened the 2024 season on Sunday with a 47-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Caesars Superdome, the most points the Saints have ever scored in a season opener.
Here are three things we learned on Sunday.
Wow! Just wow!
If someone had written the perfect script for the Saints’ season opener, nothing could have topped what happened Sunday. It was the most flawless performance you’ll ever see from the Saints – or anyone in the league. It’s hard to take a 30-0 lead against an NFL team, but that’s exactly where the Saints found themselves with 1:18 left in the first half. The offense got an A+. The defense got an A+. Blake Grupe got an A+. Just a brilliant way to win the first season opener for the sixth year in a row, the longest streak in the league.
Take a bow, Kubiak
During the preseason, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak alternated between commentating from the sidelines and the press box. During Sunday’s season opener, he coached from the sidelines. Perhaps he just wanted to see his offense up close in a real game. He must have liked what he saw, because the Saints scored on the opening drive and never looked back. A team that scored at least 30 points in just three games last season needed less than a half to get to 30 on Sunday. It’s obvious the offense is better than it was last year under Pete Carmichael. How much better? We’ll get a better idea next week in Dallas.
Bread and butter
We weren’t sure how good the offense would be. However, we had an idea of the defense, and it lived up to our expectations. Safety Will Harris set the tone by intercepting a Bryce Young pass on the Panthers’ first play of the game. The Panthers managed just 74 yards on offense in the first half and just 132 in the first three quarters. The Saints forced three turnovers and sacked Young four times. The old saying goes: Defense wins championships, and this was a masterpiece. To be clear: The Panthers are bad. And like the offense, we’ll have to wait until next week to see if the defense can repeat this feat.
