Arlington, Texas – Let's just say that the New Orleans Saints aren't making it all that easy to choose one player for superlatives when so many have been deserving in the first two games.
Sunday’s 44-19 victory over Dallas at AT&T Stadium looked a lot like the season-opening 47-10 win over Carolina, except it happened on the road against a better opponent. That says a lot about the direction the Saints believe they're headed.
OFFENSE: Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has looked like a savant the first two games; the Saints scored touchdowns on their first six possessions against Dallas, proof that the system can work wonders when properly executed. And the Saints' offensive line has to have some kind of honorable mention for keeping quarterback Derek Carr clean again (Carr's sack was when he ran out of bounds) and for paving the way for the run game again (190 rushing yards on 39 carries). But running back Alvin Kamara is a walking franchise history book; Sunday, he ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries, and he caught two passes for 65 yards, including a 57-yard screen pass touchdown. Kamara is the only player in franchise history to score four or more touchdowns in multiple games, and that puts him atop the ladder for Sunday.
DEFENSE: A collective for this week, for the defensive line and secondary. All three sacks were registered by defensive linemen – 1.5 for defensive end Carl Granderson (two quarterback hits), one for defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (a forced fumble) and a half-sack for defensive end Chase Young, his first as a Saint. They said pressure eventually would result in sacks for the line, and it came to pass on Sunday. As for the secondary, we'll specifically focus on cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Tyrann Mathieu, who each intercepted a pass. Adebo's pickoff came after he twice had been penalized for defensive holding, and Mathieu came up with his pick after having dealt with a calf cramp that left him questionable to return. Each maneuvered through his own bit of adversity and came out well on the other side.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A pretty non-descript day where nothing jumped off the page. The teams didn't need the spectacular performance that they had in the opener, just steadiness, and that's what they provided.
