Upon further review: Saints look legit, which contenders should panic?

With the visiting New Orleans Saints boasting a 35-16 halftime lead over the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones sat inside his suite at AT&T Stadium and smacked a nearby table with both hands.

"Damn it!" the 81-year-old Jones barked in frustration.

The Cowboys were the surprise victim of another thrashing from the Saints, who improved to 2-0 with Sunday's 44-19 blowout in Arlington. Thanks to New Orleans' potent offense, directed by new coordinator Klint Kubiak, the result ended Dallas' 16-game regular-season home winning streak.

Through two weeks, the Saints have scored an NFL-best 91 points - three touchdowns more than second-place Arizona. New Orleans has established itself as an emerging contender in the NFC. The big question: Can the Saints sustain this type of production?

Many NFL pundits, including myself and colleagues at theScore, predicted coach Dennis Allen could be in the hot seat this season. It's still early, but Kubiak has delivered in consecutive weeks by masking offensive-line issues with his scheme and creativity.

The Cowboys, widely viewed as one of the conference's heavyweights, looked helpless against Saints star running back Alvin Kamara, who finished with four total touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) and 180 combined yards. Despite the familiarity between the opposing coordinators - Kubiak served as an assistant to Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer from 2019-21 when Zimmer was Minnesota's head coach - it was the former mentee who out-schemed his mentor.

Kubiak repeatedly dialed Kamara's number, electing to gash Dallas with a heavy dose of outside zone calls. The Cowboys failed time and time again to set the edge, resulting in chunk gains and exhausted defenders as Kamara juked and tiptoed his way to the end zone. Quarterback Derek Carr also diced through Dallas' secondary, often airing it out to receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed - the duo combined for eight catches and 177 receiving yards.

It was an impressive all-around performance. One NFC executive suggested to theScore that the Saints have found success mainly because of Kubiak's protection dial-ups and his commitment to Kamara, which has led to "new confidence" from Carr.

The Saints rank second in the league in red-zone scoring percentage (88.9%), with eight touchdowns in nine red-zone trips. (Cleveland is first at 100% but only has three opportunities.) That stat speaks volumes given the collective offensive struggles from the rest of the league. The average red-zone touchdown conversion rate (47.4%) is at its lowest mark through two weeks since 2017.

"He's operating from clean pockets and slinging the football like he runs the show," the executive said of Carr.

Carr boasts a league-best 76.9% completion rate (30 of 39) with five touchdowns and one interception. He also holds a career-high 11.4 yards per attempt this season and a personal-best 142.4 quarterback rating. His PFF rating of 92.3 puts him second behind Kyler Murray and is the first time he's been ranked in the top five since 2016.

Perhaps most importantly, Carr has kept his jersey clean with just one sack over two games.

The Saints entered the season with concerns about their offensive line, but the unit allowed just five pressures to a Cowboys defense that ranked fifth in the NFL last year. Kubiak struck gold this season by mixing his pre-snap formations and personnel groupings.

Kubiak's freshness to play-calling, his confidence in continuing to roll the hot hand, and New Orleans' ability to play from ahead suppressed the Cowboys, who boast All-Pro talent across all three levels of the defense.

Seven-time Super Bowl champion and FOX broadcaster Tom Brady praised Kubiak: "He's on fire as a play-caller."

The Saints will be challenged to maintain this pace over the next four weeks. They'll host the NFC-contending Eagles next week, followed by road games in Atlanta and Kansas City and a home date with Tampa Bay.

Heavyweights on the ropes

The season opened just 12 days ago, and the Chiefs already own tiebreakers over the Ravens and Bengals, a pair of AFC powers viewed by many as the biggest threats to dethrone the back-to-back Super Bowl champions. In addition to their losses to Kansas City, both have opened the season 0-2.

A trio of NFC heavyweights - San Francisco, Dallas, and Detroit - also lost this weekend.

Should any of these contenders be in panic mode already? Let's rank them from least to most concerning.

Detroit Lions (1-1)

Week 2 result: 20-16 home loss to Tampa Bay

Coach Dan Campbell took ownership of a gaffe that cost the Lions three points at the end of the first half. It was a nasty operation one might typically see from a middle- or high-school team. There was miscommunication from everyone involved after quarterback Jared Goff couldn't direct the offense into spike formation while the special-teams unit simultaneously marched onto the field, prompting a too-many-men penalty and a 10-second runoff that ended the half.

Following his resurgence in 2023, Goff has regressed to open the season. He's tossed three interceptions and just one touchdown. For the offense to reach its full potential, coordinator Ben Johnson needs to unlock second-year tight end Sam LaPorta (six catches, 58 receiving yards, no touchdowns over two games).

There are reasons for optimism in Detroit. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn limited the Rams and Bucs - teams the Lions dispatched in the 2023 playoffs - to 20 points each. Aidan Hutchinson is also surging. The third-year defensive end leads the NFL in sacks (5.5) and is on pace to shatter his career-high mark (11.5) that he set last season.

San Francisco 49ers (1-1)

Week 2 result: 23-17 road loss at Minnesota

Coming off a short week, the 49ers were sloppy and lacked vigor. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores harassed quarterback Brock Purdy with pressure calls from across the formation. Even when Flores didn't send the house, he had the typically sound Purdy in a tailspin.

Said one league source who has experience working with Flores: "His calls might be gutsy, but they … confuse even the most seasoned quarterbacks. How he just did that to Purdy and (49ers coach Kyle) Shanahan … B-Flo is balling right now."

Flores has developed a reputation across the league for maximizing his defensive personnel. However, the longtime defensive guru has increased confidence in his scheme now that the Vikings have supported him with several additions, including linebacker Blake Cashman (game-high 13 tackles) and edge rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard.

All those ingredients led to a statement victory over the reigning NFC champions, who'll be without star running back Christian McCaffrey for the foreseeable future. San Francisco recently placed the reigning Offensive Player of the Year on injured reserve with Achilles tendinitis.

The Niners still boast one of the most talented rosters in football, and they won't have to face Flores' defense again unless the two teams meet in the playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

Week 2 result: 44-19 home loss to New Orleans

Jerry Jones might be frustrated following Sunday's blowout, but should he be concerned? Ultimately, the Cowboys' final measure of success lies in their ability - or lack thereof - to record playoff victories.

Zimmer's defense lacked any sign of a fight against Carr and Kamara. The unit noticeably struggled against pre-snap motion and play-action. Those lapses need to be corrected before these awareness issues snowball into a larger problem. The defense didn't force a punt until the fourth quarter.

While Brandon Aubrey has developed into one of the league's most consistent kickers from deep, the Cowboys are too talented offensively to settle for four field goals in a single game. Dallas has seen the red zone only four times and is tied for the second-worst red-zone conversion rate (25%) in the NFL.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)

Week 2 result: 26-25 road loss at Kansas City

Joe Burrow's struggles in September are well documented, but the quarterback wasn't the main issue Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, where he threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

Similar to the other teams on this list, the Bengals suffered from uncharacteristic mental errors, including key drops late in the contest and critical penalties from veterans (wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct) and rookies (defensive back Daijahn Anthony took a fourth-down pass interference penalty that kept the Chiefs' winning drive alive).

It's tough to imagine the Bengals' struggles lingering given their familiarity with early-season duds - it's the third straight year they've started 0-2. Between tight end Mike Gesicki (seven catches, 91 receiving yards) and second-year wide receiver Andrei Iosivas (two touchdowns), Burrow has identified new playmakers who'll need to keep producing if Cincinnati aspires to climb out of this hole.

With his contract negotiations on hold, Chase is bound to find his footing soon, and wide receiver Tee Higgins' return is on the horizon after he missed the first two games with a hamstring injury.

Baltimore Ravens (0-2)

Week 2 result: 26-23 home loss to Las Vegas

Panic bells should be ringing loudly across Baltimore. It's become a recurring theme for the Ravens to take improbable losses, the latest to the lowly Raiders at home. It was a disheartening finish after Baltimore boasted a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of Sunday's defeat.

Under former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, the Ravens ranked No. 1 in points allowed, takeaways, and sacks in 2023. Macdonald capitalized on that success to jump to Seattle, where he became the NFL's youngest head coach at 36. That fire and prowess displayed last season in Baltimore has been missing under new coordinator Zach Orr. The Ravens have allowed 12 explosive plays (25 or more yards), the eighth-highest rate, per TruMedia, and penalties and mental mistakes have plagued them.

Baltimore's defensive struggles have placed a heavy burden on Lamar Jackson. The 27-year-old quarterback and two-time MVP has thrown just two touchdowns, and he's posted his worst completion percentage (62.7%) since his 2018 rookie season. Veteran kicker Justin Tucker has also missed field goal attempts in both defeats.

The Ravens face a mini gauntlet over the next three weeks: at Dallas, versus Buffalo, and at Cincinnati. Whew.

Eagles, Sirianni collapse again

After the Eagles sputtered and concluded the 2023 campaign with a 1-6 record, the NFL world wondered if the internal chaos and dysfunction that contributed to Philadelphia's historic collapse would linger into the new season.

The hot seat for Nick Sirianni turned up a notch Monday following the Eagles' disastrous 22-21 loss to the visiting Falcons. Sirianni, the fourth-year head coach, faltered again under the bright lights, his worst mistakes occurring in the game's clutch moments.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore deserves some of the blame. For the second consecutive week, the Jalen Hurts-led offense struggled to put any stress on the defense in the first half.

Top playmakers DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, and Dallas Goedert didn't see a single touch on the opening drive, which concluded with a failed QB draw on third-and-long. With two-time All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring) sidelined, neglecting the team's other top options to kick off the home opener was coaching malpractice.

Barkley eventually heated up, but the 27-year-old running back had a critical third-down drop late in the fourth quarter when a catch would have iced the victory. The decision to pass to Barkley was also highly questionable. According to ESPN analytics, the Eagles had more than a 96% chance to win if they had run the ball on third down for no gain - which would have chewed up more clock - regardless of whether they subsequently went for it on fourth down or kicked the field goal.

Philadelphia opted for a field goal to go up six, and Sirianni's late-game mismanagement took over. With 1:39 remaining, Kirk Cousins needed 65 seconds to engineer a six-play, 70-yard game-winning touchdown drive.

In addition to Sirianni's blunders, the run defense was nowhere to be found. Through two games, the Eagles are allowing 6.4 yards per rush - dead last in the NFL.

On the passing side, coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme, which features heavy usage of two-high safeties, typically only works if the front can successfully apply pressure. Against Cousins, in his second game back from a torn Achilles injury, Philadelphia's edge rushers Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, Brandon Graham, and Nolan Smith registered one quarterback hit and zero sacks in 34 dropbacks.

"Any time it doesn't work out … that's why I'm sitting in this seat, the head coaching seat. … I've got to be ready for the consequences of whether it works or doesn't work," Sirianni told reporters after the loss. "Obviously, I'm going to second guess myself in those scenarios that it doesn't."

Owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman have invested many resources into this talented roster. However, these types of demoralizing defeats can snowball quickly. World-class talent can suffer and evaporate during times of disarray, as the franchise learned firsthand just nine months ago.

Josh Tolentino is theScore's lead NFL writer