By Ross Jackson
NEW ORLEANS – After a three-season playoff drought, it can be hard to believe when things are turning around. Cautious optimism has swarmed New Orleans. A blazing 2-0 start that has produced the second-most points scored in an opening pair of games and some outright enjoyable football to watch has been a massive palate cleanser for Saints fans.
But at every corner there will be reasons not to fully buy in. Excuses like, “Oh, it was just the Carolina Panthers.” Or, “Well, they can’t score 40 points every game.” will be loud and ever-present. Often, those takes will be over-represented in order to get a reaction from the fans. However, those views neglect to tell the full story of what the Saints have shown this season nor the pride they carry in their spectacular display.
“We had to prove it to our fans,” quarterback Derek Carr said in his Wednesday media availability. “We didn’t give them good enough football last year.”
Carr is right. What was shown on the field for the majority of last year didn’t evoke much positivity. Slow starts, shouting matches and a pedestrian offensive system were among the common criticisms. But things took a turn over the final six weeks of the season. Unfortunately, because of the early struggles, New Orleans, the team and city, finished the 2023 season with nothing to show for it but another year without a playoff appearance.
This season, however, has been remarkably different. The Saints started 2-0 last year, too. But the feeling around that team and this team do not come close to comparing to one another. After two dominating performances that led to 37- and 25-point wins, the team and its fanbase are rejuvenated.
The Saints are fun.
Deep bombs to electrifying wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, acrobatic catches by wideout Chris Olave and 57-yard catch and runs by running back Alvin Kamara are just a few of the highlights of the team’s new offense pioneered by offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. He’s brought a system to the Saints that dwarfs the previous incarnation, the leftovers of the Sean Payton offense.
The Saints are running motion, play action, screens and other markings of today’s most explosive offenses at some of the highest rates in football. While scoring is down across the league, the Saints are on a historic pace. All with Carr at the helm behind a young and athletic offensive line that no one was sure about going into the season.
Outstanding rookie left tackle Taliese Fuaga has not allowed a sack yet in his young career despite playing against of the league’s more fearsome pass rushes. He’s even done it after missing multiple practices. It’s not often rookies are given the opportunity to prove something like that. Former first-round pick Trevor Penning looks revitalized as the team’s new starting right tackle, building confidence as an absolute road grater in the run game, then translating the confidence to keeping Carr clean in the passing game. Without the performance of the offensive line as a whole, none of the impressive offensive output would be possible.
Anchor that offensive line with right guard Cesar Ruiz’s athleticism and Pro Football Focus’s two highest-graded linemen in center Erik McCoy and left guard Lucas Patrick, and things get even better.
Speaking of better, the fun doesn’t stop on the offense. Head coach Dennis Allen has been one of the NFL’s best defensive play callers and minds for a long time now. Everyone knows an Allen defense is going to be a good and oftentimes dominant one. That, so far, has proven to yet again be the case.
Allen is so confident in his secondary in particular that he held starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore out of the game against Cowboys receivers CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks despite Lattimore pushing to play through injury. The gamble paid off as second-round rookie corner Kool-Aid McKinstry handled himself well in his early action.
McKinstry allowed six catches on seven targets, but for only 30 receiving yards, showing great physicality at the catch point and adding a pass break up to his starting debut. On the other side, cornerback Paulson Adebo is tied for the league-lead in forced incompletions and had a stellar interception return, creating a short field for the improved offense.
The team’s front seven has seen a lot of attention over the offseason with additions like defensive end Chase Young and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. The work has paid off, introducing more athleticism to both units to pair with the unbelievably consistent performance of starting linebacker Demario Davis who is still one of the best linebackers in the NFL.
Versatile tight ends, the NFL’s most unique weapon Taysom Hill, an electrifying return game that could break at any moment.
It’s okay to buy in.
All of these pieces and all of the excitement of early-season success will not stamp the team a trip back to the Caesars Superdome in February after just two wins. It doesn’t even necessarily guarantee a winning season at this point. But if the Saints can keep up what they have started, even if scoring settles a bit from the 40+ games you have seen, this team is set to be a blast to watch in 2024.
Scoring 20 or more points while fielding a defense that has limited opponents to less than 20 in six of its last seven games can still be winning football.
Carr may have danced his way into a fine, but he may have also danced his way into your heart along with the rest of this motivated team. The roster and coaching staff are focused on not buying into their own hype just yet. They want to prove it each week. Perhaps that is what will continue to make them even better and more trustworthy. They are not interested in taking their eyes off the ball. So far, that has paid dividends and the fanbase is deserving of the celebration and success.
The New Orleans Saints are fun again, and it’s okay to enjoy it despite the temptation of caution.
“We always talk about ‘we’ve got to win for our city,’” Carr said. “We’ve got to win for them to be happy. We want to do everything so that everyone can enjoy Sundays with us.”
