By Ross Jackson
Whether franchise firsts or just outstanding performances, the New Orleans Saints had it all on Sunday in their big victory over the Carolina Panthers. Up next will be the Dallas Cowboys on the road, but before the Saints turn their attention to them, they get to enjoy a great performance in front of their home crowd. We will do the same, by diving into the numbers that led to a commanding victory.
0 – New Orleans committed no turnovers on offense. The team did have one overall giveaway which took place on a muffed punt.
1 – The Saints’ defense held Carolina’s offense to 1-of-10 on third downs. Center Erik McCoy summed offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s third down play calling on offense with a chef’s kiss. One could say the same about Allen’s play calling in third down defense.
Three of the defense’s four sacks and one of their interceptions all came on third down.
2 – The Saints punted only two times in their opener. Punter Matthew Hayball almost had to wait until Week 2 to make his NFL punting debut. The big leg did wait until the final two possessions before he got his chance.
2.9 – A point of pride, the Saints defense held Carolina’s run game to just 2.9 yards per carry. New Orleans defenders have typically aimed for less than three.
3 – Saints quarterback Derek Carr threw three passing touchdowns in the season opener. It took until Week 9 in 2023 against the Chicago Bears to get that kind of production out of the passing game. Carr had only three such games last year. It was a hot start for the quarterback. Meanwhile on defense, cornerback Alontae Taylor became the first defensive back in franchise history to accrue three sacks in a game.
4 – Kicker Blake Grupe was 4-for-4 on the day including two kicks from beyond 50 yards. He also tied his career long with a 57-yarder. He was also a perfect 5-for-5 on extra points. New Orleans was also 4-for-4 in the red zone.
5 – Five different players scored touchdowns for the Saints. Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and tight ends Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson each reeled in a Carr touchdown. Running backs Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams both had rushing touchdowns.
5.5 – Kamara averaged 5.5 yards per carry on his way to 83 rushing yards. That average comfortably surpassed his 2023 season average of 3.9 yards per carry.
6 – Defensive end Chase Young led all Saints players in pressures generated, per Next Gen Stats. He had two hits on Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young in the process. The Saints have also won six consecutive opening games, extending the NFL’s longest active streak.
7 – Not only is tight end Taysom Hill’s number seven, but that is also the number of positions he played in this game. Hill took snaps at fullback, tailback, quarterback, tight end, in punt coverage, kick coverage and lined up as a kick returner.
8 – The Panthers’ longest run was for only eight yards.
9 – New Orleans scored on each of its first nine possessions. That is the longest streak to open a game since Week 15 of 2019 where they scored on their first six possessions against the Indianapolis Colts. Carr also completed passes to nine different receivers.
10 – The Panthers scored just 10 points against the Saints to start the season, the lowest total scored against New Orleans in an opener since the Green Bay Packers managed only three points in 2021.
11 – The Saints only allowed Carolina to pick up 11 first downs in this game.
13 – Carolina possessed the ball for more than 13 fewer minutes than New Orleans.
24.3 – Shaheed averaged 24.3 yards per catch against the Panthers.
30 – For the first time in the franchise’s history, New Orleans piled on 30 first-half points.
47 – The Saints scored 47 points on Sunday, the most they have scored in a season debut since dropping 45 against the Detroit Lions in 2009.
50 – Kamara now has 50 career games with over 100 yards from scrimmage. After he surpassed the century mark, in-stadium production shared a graphic. The Caesars Superdome loudly cheered on Kamara’s behalf. He finished with 110 total yards
59 – The first touchdown scored of the season was a 59-yard bomb from Carr to Shaheed. He gained one more yard on that play than the Panthers had rushing yards all game. The completion was good for 49.7 air yards by Carr, per Next Gen Stats.
75 – The 10-19 yard intermediate range was an emphasis for New Orleans over the course of training camp. On Sunday, Carr was 5-of-6 for 75 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns in that area.
82.6 – Carr completed 82.6% of his passes going 19-for-23. That was his highest completion percentage as a Saint.
95 – As clean a game as they had otherwise, the Saints were still flagged nine times for 95 penalty yards.
96 – Carr completed all six of his passing attempts in the middle of the field for 96 passing yards and two touchdowns throws.
166 – Shaheed compiled 73 receiving yards, 60 kick punt yards and 33 kick return yards, totaling 166 all-purpose yards.
180 – New Orleans amassed 180 team rushing yards, more than any game in 2023.
193 – Carolina’s offense was held to just 193 total yards. The Panthers were held to fewer yards just two times last year.
200 – Carr threw for 200 passing yards against the Panthers despite attempting just 23 total passes.
379 – The Saints piled on 379 total net yards in their win. That total would have been good for sixth-most in their 2023 season.
