Not sure if you’ve noticed, but scoring has been sort of down in the NFL the past few seasons. The first two weeks of 2024 haven’t stemmed that tide, either, as only two teams–the Cardinals (34.5) and Bills (32.5)–are averaging over 30 points per game.

Whoops, I missed the Saints, who are all alone in points, averaging 45.5 a game after two weeks. I don’t know if you know math, but 45.5 is way higher than 34.5. Who do these 2024 Saints think they are, the 2018 Saints?

New Orleans, the team whose preseason over/under odds were set at 7.5 despite having one of the easiest schedules in the league, looks like the best team in the NFL after two lopsided victories.

OK, one of those wins was a 47-10 shellacking of the Panthers at the Superdome in New Orleans in Week 1. Carolina is so bad right now, that it might be the worst team the NFL has produced in a decade. Lots of squads are going to hand the Panthers’ hides to them this season. Although, the Chargers only shellacked Carolina by a score of 26-3 just the other day.

If you weren’t impressed with the Saints’ Week 1 dominance–and I can certainly understand why you weren’t–surely, you had to sit up and take notice of what they just did on the road in Dallas in Week 2. New Orleans whipped up on the Cowboys by a score of 44-19 at AT&T Stadium, and the outcome was never in doubt. After all, it’s hard to keep up with a team that scores a touchdown on its first six possessions. Saints quarterback Derek Carr threw an interception early in the fourth quarter to finally put an end to a scoring run that had spanned 15 possessions, starting with the first one in the Superdome back on September 8.

Speaking of September 8, that was the day the Cowboys went to Cleveland and beat up on the Browns something fierce. Dak Prescott, the quarterback who just signed a new four-year, $240 million contract through the 2028 campaign, looked like he was worth every penny that day. Dallas’ Doomsday defense also turned in a dominant performance, as it made life miserable for Deshaun Watson and a Browns offense that was certainly no slouch in the skill-position department.

Going on the road and blowing out a contender one week after that contender went on the road and blew out another contender was quite the statement for the Saints to make.

Carr, who signed a four-year, $150 million contract to play for the Saints prior to the 2023 regular season, has been deadly efficient through two weeks; he’s completed a combined 30 of 39 passes for 443 yards while throwing five touchdowns to only one interception. His passer rating is a lethal 142.4 early in the 2024 campaign.

How about running back Alvin Kamara, who has re-discovered the scoring prowess that made him a fantasy football player’s dream five years ago? Kamara, who scored a total of six touchdowns in 2023, already has five this year–including four against Dallas on Sunday.

Where is this offensive firepower coming from? Yes, Carr is pretty good, but he’s not exactly surrounded by a who’s who of skill-position players. Chris Olave, a 2022 first-round pick, isn’t bad for a number-one receiver, but who is Rashid Shaheed? I’ll tell you who he is, he’s a 2022 undrafted free agent out of Weber State. Kamira, 29, is still New Orleans’ top running back. Foster Moreau, a fourth-round pick by the Raiders in 2019, is the Saints top tight end.

As far as the Saints’ defense, it doesn’t necessarily scream elite.

But, hey, this is why we love the NFL, right?

Just when you think you’ve seen too much to be surprised, the 2024 Saints shoot out of the gate hotter than any team we’ve seen in a while.

Yes, it’s early, but it’s never too early for hyperbole.

These 2024 New Orleans Saints are a team that nobody will want to face in January. I say this because they’re a team that nobody wants to face right now.