For all the NFL debuts on Sunday, the most impressive was probably the one few are talking about: New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
In a 47-10 win over Carolina, the Saints kicked off a new season by scoring on each of their first nine possessions. The first drive that didn’t produce points ended with a punt more than 55 minutes into the game. Kubiak, who spent 2023 as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator, joined the Saints after the Super Bowl.
“That was a fun way to start the season,” said quarterback Derek Carr, whose 59-yard touchdown pass to Rashid Shaheed gave Kubiak his first points early in the contest. Carr also shut down the Panthers’ shut-down cornerback, Jaycee Horn, telling him to look at the scoreboard (per @Truthero81). Head coach Dennis Allen wasn’t surprised by his team’s explosiveness.
“Look, I saw it,” Allen told his team in the locker room after the game. “I saw it the last couple of weeks, offensively, this group coming together. It takes us believing in each other. That’s what it’s all about. This is what Saints football is going to be about.”
Saints football has been about Alvin Kamara since the running back came on the NFL scene in 2017. After an uncharacteristic season in 2023, Kamara rebounded with Kubiak calling plays on Sunday. He recorded 110 yards from scrimmage, including a pair of 17-yard carries in the first half. And his 1-yard touchdown run gave New Orleans a 37-3 third-quarter lead. Kamara pointed to Kubiak after the game.
“That’s what we made some changes for,” Kamara told Brett Martel of the Associated Press. “I’ve been here a while and I know what it’s supposed to feel like, and it felt good today.”
Alontae Taylor felt good, too. The cornerback posted three sacks, establishing a single-game franchise record for a defensive back. New Orleans also got a sack from consistent veteran Demario Davis and held Carolina to one third-down conversion.
Allen said after the game he’s wanted to capitalize on Taylor’s fast and aggressive traits.
“It’s one thing to say that you’re going to send somebody on a pressure,” Allen said, “but they’ve got to be willing to go in and deal with the noise that’s in there. There’s big, 300-pound offensive linemen and things of that nature.”
New Orleans (1-0) will need to carry that momentum into Week 2, a trip to AT&T Stadium to meet Dallas on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX). The Cowboys (1-0) crushed Cleveland in their opener behind Micah Parsons, who figures to test Kubiak and the Saints’ offensive line much more than Carolina.