After a mediocre season this past year, football fans did not have high expectations for the Saints coming into the 2024 NFL Season. After all, the Saints had a veteran QB who had struggled the previous season, injury struggles, and an overall team with many weak spots. However, nobody could have predicted that the Saints would start out the season in one of the most dominating fashions in history. This Saints team has already made its way into the Top 10 in the power rankings, and arguably, they are the best team in the NFC.
The first game of the season that the Saints played was against the newly rebuilt Panthers and the fresh but struggling Bryce Young. The Panthers team has had little success over these past few years, only having a 24-60 total record. Immediately, from the start, after the Saints went up 30-3 at the half, it was clear that the Saints had changed something offensively that resulted in a key increase to their offensive production. The Saints dominated all game, and the final score was 47-10 Saints, which was a key and dominating win for the season opener. Derek Carr and the offense looked incredible, while the defense also shined. However, this was just against the miserable Panthers, so surely the next game against the Cowboys would end in a loss for New Orleans, right?
Before the game, practically every sports channel or show had picked the Cowboys to win easily against the Saints, with only 9% of ESPN users picking the Saints to win against the Cowboys. However, by halftime of this game, it was very obvious that the misconceptions about the Saints and the doubters that the Saints could even win were quickly demolished. The Saints were up 35-13, with Alvin Kamara already having 4 TDs in the first half. The dominant performance from the Saints continued all game, and at the end of the day, it resulted in a rout of the Cowboys, 44-19. The Saints shot up almost 16 places in the power rankings all the way to the 8th spot (which one could argue that they should be in the Top 5).
The Saints have some very challenging matchups in the upcoming days, against the Falcons, Eagles, and the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs, but with the dominance and caliber that the Saints have been playing with so far, the fans look to be hopeful for the rest of the season.
