Beating up on the Carolina Panthers is one thing.
Trouncing the Dallas Cowboys in their own house is another.
The New Orleans Saints did just that on Sunday, pulling off the biggest stunner of the early NFL season with a 44-19 win over the Cowboys in Dallas. A Saints team that was projected to be in play for a premium draft pick is now off to a surprise 2-0 start.
This one was a rout from the opening quarter. The Saints marched 80 yards on their opening drive that ended with a 21-yard touchdown run by Alvin Kamara. Each of their next five possessions ended in the end zone as they blew the game open, 41-19 by the third quarter.
Kamara scored four of those six touchdowns against a Cowboys defense helpless to slow him down. Derek Carr threw the other two en route to a perfect 153.8 passer rating through three quarters
Carr maintained that perfect passer rating until throwing a fourth-quarter interception to safety Donovan Wilson. That marked the first Saints drive that didn’t end in the end zone. But the Cowboys couldn’t capitalize.
On the very next play, Dak Prescott threw an interception to Tyrann Mathieu on a downfield pass into double coverage.
The interception was the second of the day for Prescott for a Cowboys team that also turned the ball over on downs twice in the fourth quarter. While the Cowboys offense provided plenty of cause for concern, it was a Saints offense that manhandled the Dallas defense that starred on Sunday.
Through two weeks, the Saints are the highest-scoring team in football. They beat the Panthers 47-10 in Week 1 and now have a rout of Dallas on their résumé for a two-week scoring total of 91 points. Dating back to last season’s 48-17 win over the Falcons in Week 17, the Saints have scored 44-plus points in three straight games.
But this is a new Saints team with a new offensive coordinator in Klint Kubiak, who is off to a scorching start calling plays in New Orleans.