It's too early to know anything but what if ... the Saints figured some things out?

Derek Carr has been around long enough to know how this game is played. He's been loved. And he's been hated. And hated. And hated. And hated. And today, he's loved again. He isn't going to listen to the hype.

"How great is this offense?"

"How much does it fit your game?"

"How good was Klint Kubiak's plan?"

He knows the deal. All this glorification and praise is one bad pass or performance from becoming defamation and malaise, the kind of thing that turns "aw shucks" into "he sucks." Lose to Dallas next week and 47-10 over the Panthers is no longer a statement of power. People will say it's just another win over a bad team. Everything is incremental. You always get judged off the next pass. The next series. The next result. So, Dennis Allen's message to the team after the game is to enjoy it but be ready to prove it again. One game is one game.

"Man, I hope all this love continues all the time," Carr said. "This is a long year, and I'm going to remind y'all: Everyone is loving Klint and myself right now."

And sure. That all makes sense and is fair. None of it means anything, especially this early in the season when we're reacting to everything we see without extended context. But, I mean … What in the Christian McCaffrey was that?!? Look, totally get it. Team was told not to get too high and to ignore the hype. Totally agree. Dallas could smoke this team next week, and Micah Parsons will almost certainly show us where Trevor Penning is on the field after we went a whole game without being forced to notice him and Derek Carr won't flirt with a perfect performance next week or maybe ever again this season. But here's a fair warning: If you're someone who has been instructed to avoid the hype and you're on our website or reading the "Daily Clips" packet, you should put it down because we just spent two years watching the Carmichael offense struggle to scrape by, and Klint Kubiak just called plays like he was talking into a diamond microphone.

I know we probably shouldn't believe. I know. It's not smart. We know the Panthers are a bad team, and things got inflated and this was basically like playing Nicholls Sta … errr… Western Kentucky early in the season to get a tune-up. You have to keep it in perspective. But I do have some questions — not statements, questions. I'm just curious about a couple of things after watching that game.

So, what if …

... this offense actually can consistently produce a good running game? You saw AK, right? Different guy than the one we saw the past couple of years. Fast. Explosive. The last time we saw him bounce off tackles like that, "God's Plan" was a Drake song and not a reference to a Jameis Winston throw. And even that Jameis reference feels dated. But Alvin didn't change. He had space to operate. When we do the film study and measure everything out, my guess is that the yardage he gained before first contact will be the highest of any game he's played in three seasons.

That's how a guy who averaged 3.9 yards per carry last year comes out and hits an easy 5.5 after not averaging more than 4.67 in a single game during the Carmichael years. AK hasn't topped 5.5 since his iconic Christmas Day performance against Minnesota back in 2020. Is he going to be that guy all season? He's 29. Guys that are 29 don't often improve … but you saw how that run game was designed, right? The pieces haven't fit together like that in a long time. Maybe Kamara gets better by being part of something better.

… this offense is actually good for Derek Carr? Hold up for a minute, though. We're not talking about him going out and producing a 142.5 passer rating every week. But what if he can be more consistent and sharper and more in command of a system like this? What if he puts up the same numbers as last year (68%, 3,878, 25 TDs, 8 INTs) but this time it doesn't feel like those numbers are packed with a bunch of hollow yards and stats accumulated in lost games or garbage time?

That's not crazy, right? We're talking about some solid, above-average numbers potentially feeling solid and above average. I don't think it's gassing to believe something like that is possible. We spent a whole offseason talking about the possibilities of this offensive system and why and how it would fit in with Carr's game. I'm not saying the hypothesis got down to the conclusion part on the scientific method, but I think we saw enough on Sunday to make exploring the experiment and keeping an open mind worthwhile. You saw that play to Shaheed, right? Kubiak had that safety in a bind, and all Carr had to do was make the right choice. If it's really going to be that easy at times, maybe it the results will be different.

… this offense actually fits the wide receivers and tight ends better? Chris Olave was kind of missing the whole game, and that was a shocker, but that shouldn't be the case every week. Foster Moreau looked the best he ever has, though that could just be because he's healthy now. Juwan Johnson only had two catches, but one was a touchdown. And it looked like this offense was built for Shaheed. He was getting used all over the field, on different motions and caught the ball in space. A whole world of possibilities exists for all of these guys.

… the team can actually make Trevor Penning look OK? Actually, nah. We aren't going there yet. We'll need like four more weeks before we even consider that, but for one day, sure, it seemed fine.

There's no doubt the team felt good about this one. No one was buying in too much after this one. They know there's work to do. They also know what everyone is saying, and know what everyone was saying before this game. Some of it is even motivation. One player referenced a recent poll by The Athletic that showed Saints fans are the most pessimistic in the league about the new season. And, yes, it made this win feel sweeter.

"It puts a chip on your shoulder," Marshon Lattimore said. "It let's you know how people are looking at you. I love it. I ain't tripping."

Is this team being underestimated?

"Of course," Lattimore said. "I mean, come on. You're in the media. You know it. You see it. It Is what it is. But we're going to step up every time, no matter what."

Carr put it a good way. He called this game a showcase of the team's potential. He was careful not to use it to set a standard or an expectation. It was just one of those days that shows what can happen if everything goes right ... if the offense scores on its first nine possessions ... if the defense produces three turnovers ... if special teams gets a monster punt return and blocks a punt.

There really doesn't need to be any "what ifs" about the defense. You can take all that stuff at face value. It's the kind of thing where if you see Alontae Taylor get three sacks, you know that DA is going to keep putting him in positions where he can succeed. There's belief and trust on that side of the ball that doesn't need qualifiers. That group looks amazing, and they're probably going to be in the top 10. You don't take the performances for granted, but you do take the production for granted. Good defense here is basically a given.

Taylor has a unique point of view because he got here at the start of the Dennis Allen era. No before. No after. He just knows what he's been around and what he's been part of, so when he says this year felt different, you listen and pay attention because there isn't anything from outside of this that he's pulling in.

"I think we really built something out there in California," Taylor said.

Again, I'm just here asking questions. So here's one more: What if this team that won nine games last year actually hired the right guy at offensive coordinator? Could they find a way to win about the same amount of games despite playing a tougher schedule? Could they maybe find a way to avoid the disaster season that everyone seems to be predicting? You don't want to assume anything because Dallas, Philly, Atlanta and KC are coming up soon, and a tough run through those games could create challenges on and off the field. But I think after seeing the team win this way, it's worth wondering.

Right?