The New Orleans Saints are for real.
A week after a commanding Week 1 win against the hapless Carolina Panthers, Derek Carr and company marched into Jerryworld and cruised to a 44-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
Star running back Alvin Kamara scored four times — three times on the ground and once through the air — while Carr made another statement by completing 12 of his 17 pass attempts for 250 yards (14.7 yards per attempt), two touchdowns and one interception.
PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST.
In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Though he dropped back only 18 times, Derek Carr delivered a tremendous performance as the signal-caller for this offense. He finished 12-of-17 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, though that interception resulted from a tipped pass and not a bad decision.
On passes of 10 or more yards, Carr finished 5-of-6 for 158 yards and the touchdown, a highlight-reel 70-yard strike to Rashid Shaheed.
BOX SCORE
| Saints | Cowboys | |
| Total points | 44 | 19 |
| Total offensive plays | 56 | 66 |
| Average EPA per play | 0.454 | -0.175 |
| Total net yards | 432 | 352 |
| Avg yards per play | 7.7 | 5.3 |
| Total first downs | 24 | 20 |
| Rushing first downs | 14 | 5 |
| Passing first downs | 9 | 13 |
| Penalty first downs | 1 | 2 |
| Third-down efficiency | 75% | 46% |
| Fourth-down efficiency | 0% | 14% |
| Possessions | 10 | 10 |
| Avg plays per drive | 6.5 | 7 |
| Avg yards per drive | 39.3 | 32 |
| Avg points per drive | 4 | 1.7 |
| Red-zone possessions | 5 | 3 |
| Red-zone plays | 16 | 9 |
| Red-zone TDs | 4 | 0 |
| Red-zone FGs | 1 | 1 |
| Red-zone scoring efficiency | 100% | 33% |
SNAP COUNTS & PLAYER PARTICIPATION
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