Kansas City
Chiefs
0-0
21
FINAL
49
New Orleans
Saints
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a dominant season opener, the New Orleans Saints topped the Kansas City Chiefs with a commanding 49-21 victory. This Week 1 clash set the tone for the 2028 season, showcasing the Saints' offensive firepower and their determination to make a statement early on.
Leading the charge for New Orleans was quarterback Jayden Maiava, who threw for an impressive 349 yards and a staggering seven touchdown passes. His connection with wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who racked up 133 receiving yards, proved to be a lethal combination that the Chiefs' defense struggled to contain throughout the game. Meanwhile, Kewan Lacy of Kansas City put forth a solid effort on the ground, accumulating 91 rushing yards, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the Saints' explosive offense.
Defensively, the Saints were just as formidable, with Dax Hill recording nine total tackles and an interception, while Cameron Jordan added 1.5 sacks to disrupt the Chiefs' rhythm. The game turned decisively in the Saints' favor following a critical interception by Hill that led to another quick touchdown, effectively putting the game out of reach. This comprehensive team effort by New Orleans not only secured the win but sent a clear message to the rest of the league.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Maiava | QB | 29 | 20 | 69% | 349 | 7 | 0 | 149.2 |
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 48 | 33 | 69% | 295 | 2 | 1 | 90.1 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kewan Lacy | HB | 14 | 91 | 6.5 | 47 | 1 | 26 | 1 |
| RJ Harvey | HB | 19 | 55 | 2.9 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Brashard Smith | HB | 4 | 34 | 8.5 | 19 | 0 | 21 | 2 |
| Jayden Maiava | QB | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 4 | 7 | 1.8 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Gavin Bartholomew | TE | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Makai Lemon | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Smith | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 4 | 133 | 33.3 | 92 | 2 | 51 | 0 |
| Makai Lemon | WR | 2 | 83 | 41.5 | 76 | 1 | 79 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 8 | 82 | 10.3 | 12 | 3 | 18 | 0 |
| Caleb Douglas | WR | 3 | 69 | 23.0 | 26 | 1 | 40 | 0 |
| Rashee Rice | WR | 5 | 67 | 13.4 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 0 |
| Omar Cooper Jr | WR | 5 | 55 | 11.0 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 5 | 52 | 10.4 | 16 | 1 | 16 | 1 |
| Michael Smith | TE | 8 | 42 | 5.3 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| Gavin Bartholomew | TE | 5 | 40 | 8.0 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Brashard Smith | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Kewan Lacy | HB | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Barion Brown | WR | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dax Hill | CB | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Drue Tranquill | WILL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin St-Juste | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Talanoa Hufanga | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| R Mason Thomas | REDG | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan | DT | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Stutsman | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cooper DeJean | CB | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Hamilton | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashton Gillotte | REDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Jones | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaden Hicks | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylen Sneed | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jadon Canady | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Germaine Pratt | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeffrey Bassa | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Reddick | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mory Bamba | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Pierce | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Carter Davis | FS | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quincy Rhodes Jr | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shavon Revel Jr | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Santana Hopper | LEDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Butker | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |

