Canal Street Chronicles
Saints dominate Panthers in the season opener.
The New Orleans Saints offense scored 47 points on Sunday as they scored on their first 9 drives of the game. Derek Carr completed 19/23 passes for 200 yards and 3 TDs while Alvin Kamara ran 15 times for 83 yards and a TD. The Saints offense looked completely different in just their first game with Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator. This was the first time under Dennis Allen the Saints had 30 points at halftime and just the second time they scored more than 45 points in a game under Allen. Yes, this game was against the Carolina Panthers, who may be competing for the 1st overall pick yet again, but last year the Panthers defense ranked 4th in the league, and scoring 47 points against any NFL team is cause for optimism. Klint Kubiak seems to have already made a huge impact on the offense, and if this continues the Saints may be the new odds-on favorite to win the NFC South in a few weeks.
The Saints committed 10 penalties for 95 yards on Sunday, two of which negated 9-yard gains and one which erased a touchdown. The Saints also committed two unnecessary roughness penalties, one on offense and one on defense. Thankfully none of these would matter too much, as the Saints still won the game easily. But if they get into a close game and these penalty issues persist that we even saw in the preseason as well, they may get into some trouble.
The Saints had three starters exit the game with injuries on Sunday. Lucas Patrick left in the first half with a toe injury, Marshon Lattimore left with a hamstring injury, and Foster Moreau was pulled to be evaluated for a concussion. The most concerning of these injuries is certainly Lattimore, as hamstring injuries can be scary as they can lag for an entire season. Lattimore said after the game that his hamstring was “fine” but given Lattimore’s recent string of injuries it was concerning to see him leave the game. None of the injuries should be too serious, but with the Saints bad luck with injuries the last few years any time a player leaves we know we will always fear the worst.
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