The New Orleans Saints opened the 2024 season by beating the Carolina Panthers 47-10 at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, the most points the Saints have ever scored in a season opener.

These are three things we learned on Sunday.

Wow! Just wow!

If someone had written the perfect script for the Saints’ season opener, there was nothing by any stretch of the imagination that could have topped what happened Sunday. It was as flawless a performance as you’ll ever see from the Saints — or anyone in the league, for that matter. It’s tough to be up 30-0 against an NFL team, but that’s where the Saints found themselves with 1:18 left in the first half. The offense earned an A+. The defense earned an A+. Blake Grupe earned an A+. Just a hell of a way to win a sixth straight season opener, the longest streak in the league.

Take a bow, Kubiak

During the preseason, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak alternated between the sidelines and the press box for games. For Sunday’s season opener, he coached from the sidelines. Maybe he just wanted to see his offense up close in a real game. He must have liked what he saw, because the Saints scored on the opening drive and never looked back. A team that scored at least 30 points in just three games last season needed less than a half to get to 30 on Sunday. It’s clear the offense is better than it was last year under Pete Carmichael. How much better? We’ll get a better look next week in Dallas.

Bread and butter

We weren’t sure how good the offense would be. We had an idea of ​​the defense, and it lived up to expectations. Safety Will Harris set the tone, picking off a pass from Bryce Young on the Panthers’ first play. The Panthers had just 74 yards of offense in the first half and just 132 in the first three quarters. The Saints forced three turnovers and sacked Young four times. The old saying goes, defense wins championships, and this was a championship performance. Let’s be clear: the Panthers are bad. Like the offense, we’ll have to wait until next week to see if the defense can match that effort.