The New Orleans Saints dominated the Carolina Panthers in the first game of the season. People may say Carolina isn't any good, but domination of this level is impressive regardless of who it's against. Whether it's Alontae Taylor setting a Saints' record or Derek Carr throwing for three touchdowns, the Saints were excellent on offense and defense.

The Saints defeated the Panthers 47-10. There are more studs than we can name and not many duds. This is the best the Saints have looked in a while under Derek Carr. Klint Kubiak at offensive coordinator had a lot to do with that. I'm sure Alvin Kamara will take more performances like this.

Here are the studs and duds from the Saints' season opener:

Stud: Alontae Taylor

Alontae Taylor was the best pass rusher in the season opener. The slot cornerback walked away with three sacks on the day. He displayed good explosiveness, spatial awareness, and finishing ability when hassling Bryce Young.

Stud: Derek Carr

Derek Carr is the most scrutinized player on the Saints. That's not typically a good sign when you say this about your quarterback. If he can continue to perform similar to this throughout the season, there won't be much scrutiny to go around.

Carr's first touchdown required him to deliver a deep shot with pressure in his face. He also repeatedly moved within the pocket to deliver pinpoint passes. This was a great debut this year and ranks high on the list of best performances by him as a Saint.

Dud: Chris Olave

Chris Olave was surprisingly quiet on such a productive day for the Saints offense. Olave only recorded two receptions for 11 yards. Even more surprisingly, those were his only two targets against the Panthers.

Stud: Klint Kubiak

I agree, Mr. Kubiak. Two thumbs up. The Saints scored on the first three drives of any game since Dennis Allen became head coach. They scored their most points in the first half since 2020 and the most points in a season opener in franchise history. This was all done in Klint Kubiak's first game as offensive coordinator. Also, the punter never saw the field as long as the starting offense was in

Stud: Saints safeties

Jordan Howden had quite the game. He recorded an interception and later forced a fumble near the goal line that wasn't recovered. Will Harris picked off Bryce Young for the first pick of the game that set the Saints up for a field goal. Tyrann Mathieu recovered his own forced fumble in the second quarter.

Stud: Alvin Kamara

Alvin Kamara would have registered 100 yards rushing if the game was closer, but he'll settle for 100 yards from scrimmage. Kamara averaged 5.5 yards per carry and had multiple carries go for close to or more than 10 yards. The run game is the engine that will make this offense go, and Kamara looks like he just got an oil change.

Stud: Rashid Shaheed

Rashid Shaheed is the Saints' best big play threat and he showed why on the first drive of the season. He burst by the Panthers' lead cornerback Jaycee Horn to the tune of a 59 yard receiving touchdown. Shaheed later added a punt return that put the Saints in position for an one-play touchdown drive on a short play.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Studs and Duds from Saints' season opening win vs. Panthers