New Orleans Saints Standouts From Week 1 Thriller 

Offense

The highly-talked-about return of starting quarterback Jameis Winston had optimism brewing through the Who Dat Nation. New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen had no doubts who his number one ball slinger would be in week 1 and a pretty good idea who would be making the plays once the game kicked off. 

Cue the entrance of former and returning receiver Michael Thomas who makes his return to the Saints roster and showed just how clutch, and crucial he is when the going gets tough. The biggest surprise was the play of recently acquired Jarvis Landry who was expected to get plenty of attention in the Saints" offense.

Jarvis Landry secured seven catches for 114 yards in week one versus the Falcons. Although he wasn"t able to find the endzone he made it possible for Michael Thomas to find space later on in the game. The play of Jarvis Landry forced the Falcons" defense to play him straight up or with double coverage making it difficult for Atlanta to focus on just one receiver.

The Saints rookie Chris Olave had an impressive day for his National Football League debut. He had three receptions for 41 yards including a catch for the two-point convert late in the second half. 

Michael Thomas proved exactly why he"s known as "Can"t Guard Mike". In the second half, the wideout made it clear he wouldn"t be denied going off for two touchdown receptions in the half. 

The running game was hit and miss in week one for New Orleans. Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram mustered up 62 yards combined, however, Saints utility player Taysom Hill was able to rush for 81 yards on four carries including a touchdown. 

Defense

The new additions on the defensive side of the ball also made themselves known. Safety and New Orleans native Tyrann Mathieu had seven tackles in the week one win. The Saints also enjoyed big plays from former New York Jets franchise safety Marcus Maye who had nine tackles and a forced fumble in his Saints Debut. The Saints" defense wasn"t able to find much success early in the game but they never broke and held on when it counted the most.

New Orleans has plenty of weapons on either side of the football. The defense looks like it needs some gelling time, but all the pieces are there and with some more playing time the defense could be one of the best in the league this season.

The New Orleans Saints head into week two in New Orleans for the home opener, versus the Tom Brady-lead Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Saints are 4-1 versus the Buccaneers since they signed the veteran quarterback, still looking to redeem themselves from a tough playoff defeat at the hands of Tampa Bay.

main image credit: Embed from Getty Images