3 biggest overreactions to Saints impressive Week 1 win

NFL fans wait all year for Week 1 of the regular season. Sure, there’s free agency, the draft, training camp, and the preseason, but nothing compares to regular season games that actually count. That’s when the casuals tune back in and when the die-hard fans get even more excited.

Naturally, all of that excitement turns into unreasonable overreactions once the games are played. Depending on how things unfold, fans either believe their team is going to win the Super Bowl or be terrible all season. Sure, reality is somewhere in the middle for most, but that doesn’t stop the overreactions.

For the New Orleans Saints, who started the year with a dominant 47-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, their fans are riding high. Analysts are already apologizing for their preseason predictions on New Orleans, and it seems like the sky is the limit for the team after Week 1.

3. Rashid Shaheed will lead the Saints in receiving yards

Chris Olave has led the team in receiving yards in each of his two seasons. Now, in year three, he entered the offseason as the team’s unquestioned No. 1 receiver for the first time in his career. He and the team was open about the desire for him to establish himself as a top tier receiver in the league, and he has the chance to do that. However, Rashid Shaheed had the big numbers on Sunday.

He got the scoring started with a 59-yard touchdown reception, and finished the day with three receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Olave, on the other hand, caught both of his two targets for 11 yards.

Obviously, it’s just one game, but Shaheed’s production as a receiver shouldn’t be overlooked. He has improved over the years, and he’s also moving into a bigger role. Considering his big-play ability, he could end up with more receiving yards than Olave.

2. Saints will force the most turnovers in the NFL

The New Orleans defense was forcing turnovers all offseason against the offense, and everyone saw why in Week 1. The unit is loaded with ball-hawking playmakers. Tyrann Mathieu forced and recovered a fumble, and fellow safeties Will Harris and Jordan Howden each recorded interceptions, giving the Saints three takeaways on the day.

Last season, New Orleans forced 29 total turnovers, which was the third most by a team. The NFL lead was only two more at 31. The defense has quickly proven it still has the ability to take the ball away, so the Saints should once again be in the race.

1. Saints will win the Super Bowl

If we’re going to overreact, let’s go there. No team had a better Week 1 than New Orleans. The Saints were lights out on offense, defense, and special teams. Sure, it was against a really bad Panthers team, but New Orleans was levels better— possibly on a Super Bowl-winning level.

That's an incredibly irresponsible thing to say after Week 1, and only sets fans up for disappointment, but Saints fans have to be pleased with what they saw. It certainly seems like New Orleans can compete with anyone, and the NFL world will soon find out. In the next four weeks, the Saints will play the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Depending on how New Orleans looks in those games, a Super Bowl may not be an overreaction.

READ MORE