Game notes: New Orleans Saints 47, Carolina Panthers 10 | 2024 ...

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Carolina Panthers 47-10 in the season opener. The 47 points scored is the Saints highest point total in a season opener, besting the 45 scored vs. Detroit in 2009 (Saints 45, Lions 17, 9/13/09 at the Superdome).

The Saints improve to 23-35 in season openers and extend their club-record winning streak of season openers to six straight, currently the longest streak in the NFL.

Coach Dennis Allen has now won three consecutive season openers. He is the first head coach in Saints history to achieve such streak. Allen is 3-2 against the Panthers as New Orleans' coach and evens his overall record against Carolina to 3-3.

New Orleans is now 31-28 all-time against Carolina and is on a three-game winning streak against its division rival after the 2023 season sweep.

The Saints are on a four-game winning streak against NFC South opponents after winning their last three division contests in 2023. This is the team's longest divisional winning streak since winning four straight from Dec. 9, 2021-Sept. 11, 2022.

New Orleans returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 15, when they take on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Kickoff is set for noon CT and the contest will be televised on FOX (WVUE FOX 8 locally).

New Orleans scored on its first nine possessions. This is the third time the Saints have done it in any game and the first by the club in a season opener. The last time the Saints scored on nine consecutive possessions to start a game was on Nov. 11, 2018, at the Cincinnati Bengals (scored on first nine and ran out clock on 10th possession) and the first time was on Oct. 23, 2011, against the Indianapolis Colts (scored on first nine).

New Orleans ended the first quarter with a 17-0 lead, the first time the Saints have scored 17 points in the first quarter since doing so vs. Detroit on Oct. 15, 2017.

The Saints went into halftime with a 30-3 lead and scored on all six of their first half possessions (three touchdowns, three field goals).

Sunday marked the 11th time the Saints scored 30 or more points in the first half of a regular season game. The last time was Nov. 8, 2020, at Tampa Bay (31-0 at halftime).

The Saints tallied 379 net yards of total offense (199 passing, 180 rushing) and averaged 6.1 yards per play. On the defensive side of the ball, New Orleans held Carolina to 193 yards (135 passing and 58 rushing) and 3.5 yards per play.

New Orleans converted 53.8% of its third down attempts (seven of 13) and held Carolina to a 10.0% third down conversion rate (one of 10).

Quarterback Derek Carr completed 19 of 23 passes (82.6 percent) for 200 yards with three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 142.5 passer rating. Carr is now 7-4 as a starter in season openers and improves to 5-0 as a starter against the Panthers.

Carr's first passing touchdown was a 59-yard reception caught by receiver Rashid Shaheed in the opening drive. It is the first time the Saints scored a touchdown on their opening possession of a season since the 2018 opener vs. another NFC South rival – Tampa Bay – when running back Alvin Kamara scored a five-yard rushing touchdown.

Carr's second touchdown was a three-yard completion to tight end Foster Moreau, where he tied John Hadl for 29th in NFL history in passing touchdowns (244).

Carr's third touchdown toss was a 16-yard completion to tight end Juwan Johnson putting Carr in sole possession of 29th place in league history with 245 career passing touchdowns.

Kamara totaled 110 yards from scrimmage, marking his 50th regular season game of at least 100 total yards from scrimmage, the second-most games in the NFL since 2017. Kamara rushed for 83 yards on 15 carries with a rushing touchdown and had five receptions for 27 yards.

Kamara now has 510 career receptions, tying Warrick Dunn for the 16th most in league history among NFL running backs.

Kamara scored a one-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter, increasing his team-record to 79 career touchdowns, which is now tied for 71st in NFL record books with former Saints running back Terry Allen, James Brooks, Harold Carmichael (Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020) and Todd Gurley II.

Kamara's club-record 55 career rushing touchdowns are tied with running backs Tiki Barber, Chris Johnson and Larry Johnson for 64th in NFL history.

Kamara played his 102nd career regular season game and moved into a tie for 53rd on the team's all-time list for games played with defensive lineman Bruce Clark, long snapper Justin Drescher, receiver Joe Horn and running back Wayne Wilson.

Running back Jamaal Williams had 11 carries for 38 yards with one touchdown and a 13-yard reception.

Tight end Taysom Hill averaged 7.0 yards per rush with 35 yards on five carries.

Shaheed led New Orleans with 73 receiving yards on three receptions (24.3 avg.) with one touchdown reception from 59 yards out, the longest play of the game. Including 60 punt return yards, sparked by a 47-yard run back and a 33-yard kickoff return, Shaheed finished with163 all-purpose yards.

Shaheed now has 592 career punt return yards through his three seasons with the Saints, surpassing Howard Stevens and Vince Buck and moving into the top 10 in franchise history.

Behind Kamara's team-high five receptions were Moreau's four catches for 43 yards, including his three-yard touchdown catch.

Johnson finished with two catches for 26 yards and one touchdown.

Tackle Taliese Fuaga, the club's first round pick, is the first Saints rookie to start a season opener at the left tackle position since Ryan Ramczyk in the 2017 season opener at Minnesota (Note-Ramczyk started the 2017 season opener at left tackle, as well as the Week Three and Week Four contests).

The New Orleans offensive line, featuring three new starters, surrendered only one sack and blocked for an offense that gained 180 yards rushing.

The New Orleans defense forced three Carolina turnovers (two interceptions and one fumble) and logged four sacks. With the three forced turnovers and dating to the last three games of the 2023 season, New Orleans has forced at least three turnovers in three consecutive games for the first time since the three-game span from Nov. 22-Dec. 6, 2009.

Cornerback Alontae Taylor led New Orleans with six tackles, including three sacks and had one pass deflection. Taylor's performance was the first of at least three takedowns by a Saints defensive back in franchise history.

Cornerback Paulson Adebo followed with five tackles and one pass deflection.

Safety Tyrann Mathieu finished with four tackles and forced and recovered a fumble.

Defensive back Will Harris, making his debut as a Saint, intercepted Carolina quarterback Bryce Young on the first play of the Panthers' opening possession. Harris had one defensive stop and one assisted special teams tackle.

Defensive back Jordan Howden intercepted Young on the Panthers opening possession of the second half, marking the Saints third takeaway and second interception.. Howden had three tackles.

Linebacker Demario Davis had four tackles and accounted for one sack, while defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd also had four tackles, including one stop for a loss.

Linebacker Anfernee Orji finished with a club-best four special teams tackles to go with one defensive stop in his NFL debut. Defensive end Isaiah Foskey and defensive back J.T. Gray also had three special teams tackles each.

Kicker Blake Grupe was four-for-four in field-goal attempts, including a career long 57-yard field goal, which is tied for the fifth-longest in franchise history. Including five extra points, Grupe finished with a career-high 17 points. In addition to the 57-yarder, Grupe made 52-, 44-, and 39-yard field goals.