3 things to watch in Saints-Panthers: Can the new offensive & defensive pieces deliver?

It's finally time! Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season is here, and the New Orleans Saints have a lot of questions to answer when they host the Carolina Panthers.

That makes things very complex on the field, but honestly pretty straightforward for this weekly column. I'm looking at all three phases and a key component of each, starting with the new-look offense. When the margins are tight, you can't skip anything, and the Saints exemplify that this year more than ever.

All the analysts seem to agree this Saints team isn't one that the league needs to watch out for, but it's clear the players in the locker room feel differently. Who is correct? We'll start to get that answer on Sunday.

With all that in mind, here are the three things I'm watching for in the Saints' regular season opener. Catch all the action on WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app.

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1. OK KlINT, LET'S SEE WHAT YOU GOT

Any time you make a significant scheme change, be it on offense or defense, the criticism will go into something of a holding pattern. Let's see what they've got, it's not like it could possibly be worse than what we watched last year.

Well, the Panthers are the perfect opponent to illustrate that things can always get worse. They ran Matt Rhule out of the building and thought the same thing, only to fire Frank Reich well before the end of the season with the offense and No. 1 overall draft pick hitting new lows.

I'm not trying to be negative, but let's call it a reality check before the new-look Saints offense truly gets on the field for the first time under the tutelage of Klint Kubiak and a new cast of assistant coaches for the first time. Things will definitely look different. There will be a lot more motion, wide zone runs and play action. There will be an emphasis on running to set up the pass, on running multiple plays out of the same looks and running after the catch, and that will take quality blocking from the WRs to set up those situations.

Will the new look yield better results? I'm optimistic. Players have raved about the new system and everything feels a lot more comfortable. It's also reasonable to think Year 2 for Derek Carr will go a lot more smoothly, with a majority of the cast around him the same as it was in 2023 from a playmaker perspective. He's shown that when given time -- and making quick decisions -- he can drive winning.

The Panthers defense under Ejiro Evero prides itself on putting a cap on the offense. The safeties sit deep and funnel everything underneath into a lot of zone looks. It forces offenses to be patient and pick their spots. The Saints will need to execute long drives to win this game.

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2. RUSH & COVERAGE

It goes without saying that the Saints have to be better against the run this season. I'm hopeful that can be the case, though Khalen Saunders' absence is concerning to me in that regard. Jack Ridgeway szn? We'll have to see.

The Panthers are certainly going to test that aspect, but I have faith that the Saints can create passing scenarios. That's when I need to see this defense feast, and those are the situations that most often decide wins and losses. Can you impact the quarterback in high-leverage scenarios? Bryce Young was sacked 60 (SIXTY-TWO!) times last season. The Panthers rebuilt their offensive line. I don't care, that doesn't happen by accident.

The Saints pass rush is at full power with Cam Jordan, Carl Granderson and Chase Young leading the charge. Bryan Bresee should be on the field more, and he'll have to show he can be trusted on the neutral downs to stay composed. The outside corners were hurt throughout camp, but both Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore look like they're good to go this week.

If this Saints defense is as dominant a group as I think it can be, the key will be first forcing passing situations (3rd and 6 or longer) and then making the offense pay for getting one-dimensional.

This has been an elite coverage team for years. I genuinely believe a truly elite pass-rusher was the missing piece in the most pivotal situations. A lot of times it's that one big sack or forced holding penalty that ends an offensive drive and it sure looks like Chase is primed to be that guy. He's healthy and in a contract year to boot. One of my bold predictions during camp was that this team would be top 5 in sacks this season. I'd love for them to start proving that take true this week.

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3. WIN SPECIAL TEAMS

Like I said at the top, this is a simple writeup because it's Week 1 and I'm looking at all three phases. The Saints stuck with the safe and consistent option with Blake Grupe at kicker, and I'm going to need him to show why against the Panthers and honestly all season.

You go with Blake because there should be no stress sending him out there to kick anything 55 and in. He hit some speedbumps last year, but that's the reality of a rookie kicker. This year there's no such excuse and I need the rock-steady performer we've seen in practices, particularly in the climate controlled settings where the Saints play a majority of their games. That was the biggest frustration to me in 2023, because of Grupe's six misses, five came indoors. That mark has to be better.

There will still be a rookie element, though, with the Saints opting for Matt Hayball after a down-to-the-wire competition with Lou Hedley this offseason. Special teams coordinator said that Matt "won the job," and the team working out punters last week was more about having a "ready list" of potential players just in case. It's fair to say Matt was the better punter in camp, but to my eyes it sure looked a lot more like Lou lost the job by not taking any apparent steps forward in Year 2. Hayball has a much more impressive leg in the distance category, but he also had his share of sketchy kicks and particularly on the going-in opportunities where you really want to pin a team inside the 10.

When you're a team with a questionable offense that should feels like it has an advantage on defense, taking advantage of those hidden yards, 3-point opportunities and winning the field position battle is a must. I think it'll become clear pretty quickly if the Saints need to make a change at either of those spots.

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LAGNIAPPE

I'm honestly tired of watching Trevor Penning 's reps through a telephoto lens and taking him out of the context of everyone around him, but there's really no choice. His performance as the new Saints' RT will be scrutinized as closely as anything on the field this week and beyond. It's not a popular opinion to have, but I'm optimistic that he figures things out and holds onto that job all year. He seems like he's gained some confidence throughout an up and down preseason, and hopefully that pays off. It's not going to be perfect, and the offense needs to find ways to make his life easier by not constantly putting him on an island. Still, there's nowhere to hide this week and his performance in Week 1 -- positive or negative -- will have a massive impact on his outlook the rest of the way. When Penning gets into trouble it's because he gets too hesitant -- that's his word -- and isn't attacking with his hands early enough to do things on his terms. He's improved against outside speed rushes, but has been susceptible to quick inside moves and bullrushes when he tries to overplay the outside.

Let's see how it goes. ... Penning's existence has made life a lot easier on Taliese Fuaga from a scrutiny perspective, but he also hasn't given a ton of cause for concern throughout his rookie offseason. Still, we're all operating under the assumption that LT isn't going to be just as big of an issue as RT and I'm telling you right now that's no guarantee. Keep a close eye on the rookie in his NFL debut. ... We get excited about big plays for the WRs, but in this new offense it's the dirty work on run plays early that will open those up. Keep an eye on Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave as blockers, because it's something they'll have to do a lot more this season. If they can excel in that part of the game, the big plays will come. ... I have a feeling this time next year we'll be talking about touchbacks going up to the 35 or 40, because to this point teams seem more than satisfied to knock the ball into the end zone and start drives from the 30. That 5 yards simply isn't a big enough penalty to mess with potential returns. I'm hopeful we get some Rashid Shaheed action on kickoffs regardless, something we've yet to see to this point in the preseason. ... DA has made sure to keep a few things to himself going into Week 1, with one of those being the starting strong safety. Jordan Howden was listed atop the depth chart, but I can't shake the feeling that it'll actually be Will Harris on Sunday. Keep an eye out for that early in the game. The other guy will be the dime back.