How Derek Carr and the Saints new offense shocked the NFL

If the season-opening win over Carolina was like Mardi Gras, then the win over Dallas was the Jazz Fest. And Saints fans are shouting, "Laissez les bons temps rouler," which is French for let the good times roll.

The Saints (2-0) lead the NFL in scoring at 45.5 points a game after a 47-10 win over Carolina in the opener and a 44-19 "Scorigama" victory at Dallas on Sunday, meaning that final score has never been produced in the history of the NFL.

The Saints' offense is No. 3 in the NFL with 405.5 yards a game, and it's third in rushing at 185, which has made it easier for quarterback Derek Carr. He leads the NFL in QBR at 96.2, passer rating at 142.4 and yards per attempt at 11.4. He's tied for most TD passes with five and is No. 2 in completion percentage at 76.9 on 30-of-39 passing for 443 yards.

It has been a Scorigama season of sorts so far for the Saints with Carr and new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as co-kings of football Mardi Gras.

"Our guys believe in the system. They believe in the culture, and they believe in the coaching," Carr beamed after the win at Dallas, sounding born again after barely working up a sweat on 11-of-just-16 passing for 243 yards with a 70-yard TD to wide receiver Rashid Shaheed.

"When you have talented players and coaches, and everyone believes in each other and executes at a high level, days like this can happen," Carr carried on. "It's really incredible. So far, it's been awesome."

And it has looked like the Big Easy. New Orleans scored on its first 15 possessions of the season with 11 touchdowns.

Kubiak, 37 and the eldest son of former Houston and Denver head coach, is in his 11th year as an offensive coach in the NFL, but just his second as the offensive coordinator. He previously was Minnesota's OC in 2021. He was asked Thursday if he is surprised at how "easy it has looked for you guys?"

Kubiak was taken aback.

"It's been two games, you know," he said. "Our guys have done a good job to start it off. We know we have a long road ahead. Pleased with our effort early, but not satisfied. Our best players are playing well right now. When your best players are your hardest workers, you have a good group."

Derek Carr put in the extra time in Klint Kubiak's new offense

That starts with Carr, who huddled with the patron Saint of quarterbacking in New Orleans and a former king of the 2010 Bacchus parade just after Super Bowl XLIV — Drew Brees — and another one from a prominent New Orleans quarterback family — Peyton Manning — in the offseason. He sought advice on working with a new coordinator.

They each told him extra snaps, and Carr ritually practiced before training camp practices with assistant coaches. So far, so good. The statistics just keep coming.

The Saints are second in the NFL in third down conversions at 57.1 percent and an astounding 82.4 percent in the first three quarters. Carr has the most completions of 50 yards or more this season with three. Basically, he gets his team in the red zone and lets the running game take it from there. The Saints' backs are averaging 4.9 yards a carry in the red zone, which is two yards more than the league average. Carr has thrown only three of his 39 passes inside the 20-yard line.

The passes are setting up the runs, and the runs are setting up the passes.

"It's all about making the defense have to defend the whole gamut of plays," said Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who was not used to that in his first two years as coach. "Sometimes you make it easy on the defense when you just want to drop back and pass it all the time and allow them to rush the passer."

And Kubiak has taken some of the game management pressure off of Carr. Previous offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was used to having Drew Brees run the whole show at the line of scrimmage and tried the same with Carr last season.

"He's been freed up a little bit in terms of not having to control every single thing on the line of scrimmage," Allen said.

Alvin Kamara is playing young at 29

Versatile running back Alvin Kamara has also given Carr options. The eight-year pro has some spring in his step again and has gained 198 yards on 35 rushes for a 5.7-yard average with four touchdowns and has caught seven passes for 102 yards.

"Man, it just feels good right now," said Kamara, who looks like a new man. "We're just believing in Klint and have faith that whatever he calls is going to be a good play. We're just having fun."

Kubiak is just glad Kamara is running and catching for him now.

"Anyone that's watched television the last 10 years, you see Alvin Kamara," Kubiak said. "And I've coached against him. I was on the other end (as Minnesota's quarterback coach in 2020) of that Christmas Day game."

Kamara tied the NFL record for rushing touchdowns held by Ernie Nevers since 1929 in that game with six in a 52-33 win over the Vikings.

"So, he's an electric player," Kubiak said. "So, we've got to get him the ball as much as we can."

WR Rashid Shaheed stretching the field

That is, when Carr is not throwing deep for Shaheed, who caught a 59-yard touchdown pass on the fifth play of the season-opening win over Carolina. Shaheed has seven catches for 169 yards on the season and 24.1-yard average per catch for fourth in the NFL.

Carr couldn't believe how Shaheed ran by two defenders for the 70-yard TD against Dallas.

"It was cloud coverage to his side, which is insane he outran that," Carr said. "God blessed him to run really fast, and I was praying that the ball got there."

Kubiak plans to keep calling Shaheed's number 22.

"He's showed us a lot thus far," he said. "There's so much more he's shown in practice. Not surprised by his success."

No one has shown more than Carr and Kubiak, but it's early.

"We've done some good things thus far," Kubiak said. "But we all know that we're two games into this thing. So, we've got to stay humble, stay hungry, and if we do that, we'll be all right."