After the Saints celebrated their impressive 47-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in the Superdome, coach Dennis Allen reminded his players how rare such one-sided victories are in the NFL. He stressed this point for two reasons.
First, he wanted the team to enjoy their excellent performance. Second, he wanted them to stay realistic. The season is long, and the games ahead are expected to be more challenging.
“That was the whole message,” said receiver Rashid Shaheed, who scored a 59-yard touchdown on the opening series. “You know, not a lot of games turn out like this. … We’re going to be in a lot closer games.”
Indeed, three of New Orleans’ next four opponents were in the playoffs last season, including the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
“One game won’t define our season. So, obviously it’s one of those wins that you have to enjoy it, just because of the magnitude of it,” Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu said. “It was a big deal for us to have that kind of performance.
But I don’t think that performance has anything to do with what happens next week. We’ve got to come back to work, keep our head down, and just stay humble.”
