Who was the Saints’ breakout player vs. the Panthers?

With the season opener in the books, let’s take a look at who stood out in Week 1 for New Orleans.

The New Orleans Saints got whatever they wanted during their matchup with the Carolina Panthers to kick off the 2024 regular season, and Caesars Superdome was loving every second of it. The offense was rolling, the defense was amped, and the special teams unit was hungry, as the Saints edged their division rivals 47-10.

This week’s breakout player was all over the field on Sunday afternoon, continuing to impress as he embraces his new role in the slot. The breakout player for the Saints’ Week 1 blowout win over the Panthers is CB Alontae Taylor.

Taylor carried the momentum from his impressive offseason into Week 1, recording 5 solo tackles, 4 stops, 3 sacks (!!!), 3 TFLs, and 1 PBU against the Panthers. That’s right—Taylor tripled his former career high in sacks just one game into year three of his young NFL career and is currently tied with Buffalo Bills DE Greg Rousseau for the league lead in sacks through opening week.

Alontae was targeted four times on 31 coverage snaps, allowing two receptions for 35 yards. Most of those yards came from a 32-yard busted coverage early in the fourth quarter when the Saints were already up 37. Following his stellar performance on Sunday, Pro Football Focus rewarded Taylor with a career-best 90.2 pass-rushing grade (75.9 overall, 81.7 tackling, and 77.9 run defense), with a sack on three of his four snaps rushing the passer.

This is an extremely encouraging sign for the Saints’ former second-round NFL Draft pick, who struggled early in his career during the transition from outside corner to nickel. He carried a swagger last week that we haven’t seen from him in a long time, as he now has his eyes set on being the best slot corner in the NFL.

Honorable Mentions

• TE Foster Moreau - Before exiting the game with a concussion, the former LSU Tiger had his best game as a Saint since joining the team during the 2023 offseason. Foster recorded four receptions on four targets for 43 yards and a spectacular contested TD catch. Moreau averaged 10.8 yards per reception and earned himself an 87.9 receiving grade from PFF. He displayed his ability to extend drives with his undeniable effort, throwing his body on the line to make multiple difficult grabs. After recovering from a rare ankle injury that was undisclosed for the entirety of last season, Foster looks ready to remind the league what he is capable of once he returns from his recent head injury.
• K Blake Grupe - The second-year kicker was outstanding during his 2024 season debut, going 9/9 on kicks (4/4 on FGs and 5/5 on XPs), including a 44-yarder, 52-yarder, and 57-yarder all in the first half. I’d imagine this is a huge confidence boost for both Grupe and the staff as they look to prove that the team made...