The first few rounds of a boxing match are frequently less exciting than the closing rounds. Those first couple of rounds are usually the two fighters getting a feel for each other, figuring out what their opponent wants to do, and devising their strategy for the rest of the fight. In the NFL, the first week of the NFL season is typically much the same.
Teams come in having not played starters much in the preseason, and the starters who do play don’t face opponents throwing their typical schemes out there. Everyone wants to make it through the preseason as healthy as possible, and do just enough to shake off the majority of rust. But there’s still rust to shake off in that first week as players get accustomed once again to regular season play. That wasn’t so much the case for the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.
New Orleans came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and demolished the Carolina Panthers to start the season off on the right foot. Quarterback Derek Carr came out and looked like he had a chip on his shoulder – perhaps from hearing all the buzz about backup quarterback Spencer Rattler and how well he performed in the preseason.
For their efforts, the Saints were one of the biggest risers in the latest power rankings from Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News’ NFL analyst. Coming into the season, Iyer had the Saints ranked near the bottom of the league, clocking in at number 27. After the Week 1 demolition of the Panthers, the Saints have risen 7 spots to just crack the top 20. Now, coming off a big win and a dominating performance, the Saints hit the road to face a much stronger opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, who come in at number 8 on Iyer’s rankings after a big win over the Cleveland Browns.
