It's all good vibes when your team starts 1-0, and the Saints are among those who can say that after their 47-10 over the Panthers in Week 1. While there's plenty of reasons to be optimistic, there's also valid reasons to be skeptic. We'll get a lot more answers on New Orleans next week when they play Dallas. Here's a look at the offensive snap counts from Sunday with some notes and observations from the game.
The Saints offense scored on their first nine possessions, and the last time they did that was against the Bengals in 2018 when they won 51-14. New Orleans started the Klint Kubiak era off on a really positive note, to say the least. They went 7-of-13 (53.8%) on 3rd Down and were 4-of-4 in the Red Zone and 2-of-2 in Goal-to-go. Those are certainly refreshing numbers to see.
The team put up 379 total net yards of offense, gaining 180 on the ground and adding 199 in the air. They picked up 22 first downs, averaged 6.1 yards/play and dominated the time of possession battle 36:39-23:21. While it's just a small sample size, it's honestly what we expected coming out of training camp from everything we saw. Here's a closer look at the offensive snap counts from Week 1's win over the Panthers.
- Erik McCoy, Taliese Fuaga, Trevor Penning - 66 (100%) Overall, New Orleans had really good pass protection for Derek Carr. There was one 'sack' in the game, but it wasn't really on the offensive line. It was also for just a 1-yard loss. I thought Trevor Penning had some really good moments upon first look. There was one play where he was getting out in front and looked like he slipped on a banana peel, but it still led to a positive play. Fuaga had one penalty that negated a touchdown, but he performed well.
- Cesar Ruiz, Derek Carr - 60 (91%) Carr finished 19/23 for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns with a 142.5 rating on the day. He looked comfortable, which is the main thing. I thought his touchdown toss to Juwan Johnson where he escaped the pocket and made the throw on the run was one of his best on the day, and it echoes what quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko emphasized in training camp. Ruiz had one really good block out in space that comes to mind on a Kamara run. When it works, it's beautiful.
- Chris Olave - 52 (79%) The fact that Olave was a non-factor in this game (2 catches for 11 yards) and the offense still did what they did is very encouraging. He'll have plenty of good games this season, so we shouldn't be worried.
- Foster Moreau - 51 (77%) We've talked heavily about how much dirty work Moreau does in the offense and how good he looked in camp. He was one of my MVPs. He caught all 4 of his targets for 43 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown that could have went to Landon Young as a viable option. There was a pretty scary moment after he made a catch and tried to get up near the sideline that made him leave the game, but he appears to be okay and in good spirits. Still, the league has a protocol with those head injuries.
- Rashid Shaheed - 45 (68%) A solid debut from Shaheed that saw him catch 3 of his 5 targets and finish with 3 catches for 73 yards and the 59-yard score. He also had some good moments in the return game.
- Lucas Patrick - 36 (55%) Patrick left with a toe injury and did not return. It's unclear what his status will be going into Sunday's game against the Cowboys, and Landon Young could end up getting a start if Patrick is unable to go. He was doing just fine and injuries are always unfortunate. We'll see.
- Alvin Kamara - 34 (52%) Solid debut for Alvin Kamara, who had his 50th career game with 100+ yards from scrimmage a got a nice ovation from the Superdome crowd. He had 15 carries for 83 yards (5.5 yards/carry) with a touchdown and a long run of 17. In the receiving department, he added 27 yards on 5 catches with a long of 18. He's dialed in and it showed during the game and afterwards during his post-game presser.
- Landon Young - 31 (47%) Young entered the game originally as the jumbo offensive lineman, but then had to swap to left guard. He's cross-trained at multiple positions, so he could see his number called on Sunday against Dallas.
- Cedrick Wilson Jr. - 29 (44%) Nothing on the stat sheet for Wilson Jr. in his Saints debut other than a muffed punt that led to a turnover. He's a part of the blocking scheme, and he'll surely get more opportunities.
- Adam Prentice - 24 (36%) Prentice had some really strong moments in blocking on Sunday, and there was one run where he put it all out on display. We don't really talk about the fullback position much, but it was a good debut for Prentice.
- Juwan Johnson - 23 (35%) Johnson got a hand on a Panthers punt that immediately led to points for the offense. He caught 2 of his 3 targets for 26 yards and a score. He's worked his way back from the foot surgery and should only get increased work.
- Jamaal Williams - 22 (33%) Williams had a refreshing start to his season, getting 38 yards on 11 carries and a score from 14 yards out in the 4th quarter. He also added a catch for 13 yards and a good kick return. He won't get tons of praise for his ability to block on passing down situations, but it was there on Sunday.
- Taysom Hill - 21 (32%) Hill had a very strong impact early on and finished with 5 carries for 35 yards while adding a catch for a yard on 2 targets. He can be a huge asset for this team, and they at least got him involved early to help establish success on the ground.
- Mason Tipton - 17 (26%) Talk about confidence in the undrafted rookie. He was out of there for a considerable amount of snaps in his first game and got his first career catch for 6 yards. After working his way back from a hamstring injury, it was really good to see.
- Oli Udoh, Bub Means, Jake Haener - 6 (9%)
- Jordan Mims - 5 (8%)
Week 1 - Offensive Three Stars
- Klint Kubiak
- Alvin Kamara
- Derek Carr
Honorable Mentions: Saints Offensive Line, Rashid Shaheed
