The Dallas Cowboys’ regular-season home winning streak is now officially over at 16 games, demolished by the New Orleans Saints and their white-hot offense.
Alvin Kamara scored four touchdowns, and Derek Carr kept rolling with another strong game in the Saints’ 44-19 victory in Week 2.
Kamara entered this season viewed as a player whose best seasons might be behind him at age 29, with injuries adding up in recent seasons. But he’s now up to 290 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns through two games for the 2-0 Saints.
“I never felt like he was an aging running back,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen said. “I felt like he was still an explosive player. And I think we’re utilizing him in a way that allows him to be effective.”
Kamara ran for 115 yards and three scores and caught two passes for 65 yards and another score. His 57-yard TD catch came on a screen pass, racing past the entire Cowboys defense to give the Saints a 21-6 lead. The Cowboys answered quickly, but Kamara’s 12-yard TD run before halftime all but put the game away.
It was the Cowboys’ first regular-season loss in Dallas since Week 1 of the 2022 season, although the Packers beat them at AT&T Stadium in the wild-card round of the 2023 playoffs.
The Saints finished last season stronger offensively but still made a change at offensive coordinator, replacing Pete Carmichael with Klint Kubiak, Gary Kubiak’s son and the most recent product of Kyle Shanahan’s offensive staff to be hired away.
The early results have been eye-opening, with the Saints scoring 91 points through two games. According to NFL Research, only two teams have matched that total or scored more in their first two games since 1970 – the 1971 Cowboys (91 points) and 2009 Saints (93). Both of those other teams went on to win the Super Bowl.
One reason Carr believes things are humming so well is that Kubiak and the Saints’ coaching staff “do a really good job of getting the playmakers in space.” Through two games, Kamara has been the showcase of the Saints’ explosive offense.
“It’s a lot in the system,” Carr said. “Just the plays, the design and things like that. Again, you talk about a hard worker. That guy is unbelievable.”
Carr threw a fourth-quarter interception with the Saints up three scores but otherwise had an efficient game, completing 11 of 16 passes for 243 yards and two TDs.
Kamara knows his perfectionist quarterback will be bothered by the one mistake, but he was proud of Carr’s performance on the whole.
“I would be lying if I stood up here and told you that it didn’t hurt him,” Kamara said. “I’m sure it hurt him. For him to come out and perform, it almost feels better for me seeing that than me getting the success.”
That success has borne one of the best offensive starts in franchise history. Kamara and the Saints are sending a strong message to those who doubted them coming into the season that they’re going to be a problem to deal with.
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