It’s only been two weeks, but we all would like a few fantasy football mulligans. And maybe we owe some apologies, too.
I certainly regret fading Alvin Kamara, who looks fantastic. And I suspect I overlooked Derek Carr, who’s better than many realize. But perhaps the biggest miss of all was underestimating Klint Kubiak, the new offensive coordinator who’s cooking for the Saints.
It wasn’t headline news when the Saints routed Carolina last week, but New Orleans shook the world Sunday with a 44-19 beatdown at Dallas. The New Orleans offense was dominant right away, scoring on all five of its first-half possessions. Kamara ultimately finished with four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) and 180 total yards, while Carr threw for two scores and ran for a third.
Kubiak’s fingerprints are all over this surging offense. He’s introduced regular pre-snap motion and play-action passing to a team that oddly ignored it last season. The Saints have also found a way to coach up an offensive line that was considered one of the worst in the league all summer.
Kamara looks like a totally different player, too. Remember, his longest run last year was a mere 17 yards, and his longest catch was only 25 yards. He’s already produced a bunch of splash plays for 2024, including a 57-yard touchdown catch Sunday where he wasn’t touched. Give Kubiak an assist on that call; Kamara was galloping through open space.
Carr and the passing game could have gone bonkers Week 2, had Dallas put up more of a fight. Carr only attempted 16 passes, though he still made 243 yards on his 11 completions. Speed merchant Rashid Shaheed caught all four of his targets, including a 70-yard touchdown in the first half (another hat tip, play action). Chris Olave (five touches, 88 yards) had a respectable day, missing a touchdown by one yard. Juwon Johnson didn’t show up in the summary, but he had a touchdown catch negated by a penalty.
Olave’s touchdown rate is likely to normalize soon; he’s too good. But perhaps this offense doesn’t have much use for hybrid Taysom Hill. He’s handled a modest 10 touches through two weeks and left in the second half with a chest injury. Even when Hill is healthy, this Saints group doesn’t mind using Kamara around the goal line, which is a departure from previous offenses. The pro-Hill case was always about expected touchdown equity, but that basket looks close to empty at the moment.
New Orleans figures to be in some high-scoring games moving forward. Over the next four weeks, the Saints face Philadelphia, Atlanta, Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
Get your popcorn ready. Good times on Bourbon Street.
Several favorites fall flat
Dallas wasn’t the only big favorite to fall flat in the early window. Baltimore lost to the Raiders, the second straight week of Survivor chaos. The Niners were outplayed and outscored at Minnesota. And the Lions were also upset, a 20-16 loss to Tampa Bay.
It’s shocking Detroit gave this game away. The Lions outgained the Buccaneers by a 463-216 margin, but left too many points on the field. Detroit only punched in one touchdown, and squirreled away a likely field-goal chance in the second quarter due to sloppiness. Although Amon-Ra St. Brown (who was banged up at the end of the game), Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs all had respectable days on volume, none of them found the end zone.
Jared Goff was mostly reduced to underneath throws (5.6 YPA) and had a couple of critical interceptions. David Montgomery struggled to find running lanes, though a short touchdown run saved his fantasy day. Sam LaPorta has yet to break loose in 2024, stuck on eight catches for 58 yards through two games.
What’s especially frustrating about the slow Detroit push is that it’s come at home, where the Lions usually pile up the points. Maybe OC Ben Johnson will find some answers next week at Arizona. The Lions then return home for a Week 4 date against Seattle, and perhaps the early Week 5 bye might be well-slotted for this group.
Better days should be ahead. There’s too much talent and continuity in this offensive huddle.
Note: I’ll be back shortly with more Week 2 analysis , including a list of booms and busts from Sunday.