USATSI

When new Saints quarterback Derek Carr arrived at the Caesars Superdome for his first preseason game, he was very much like the new kid at school. In fact, he had to follow center Erik McCoy, because he didn't know where to park.

When Carr arrived at the stadium, assistant athletic trainer Reggie Stone gave him the quick tour -- where the snacks were, where the showers were located -- everything important. But when Carr took the field to play the game he's been playing professionally for a decade now, he looked anything but uncomfortable. 

In his one drive Sunday vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, Carr led the Saints offense 80 yards down the field on 12 plays, capping the possession with a nice four-yard touchdown pass to Keith Kirkwood. Carr completed 6 of 8 passes for 70 yards and the one touchdown while converting his only third down.

The Saints were victorious against the reigning Super Bowl champions thanks to a game-winning 31-yard field goal from Blake Grupe. After the game, Carr said his first action as a member of the Saints went great, and that he's a fan of his new home, the Superdome. 

"It felt good," Carr said, via the Saints' official website. "It was nice to get a couple of situations in there, third down, get some red zone and all that stuff. They don't tell us how much we're going to play and all, so, to be able to get a couple of situations in there and throughout the game talk through things with (offensive coordinator) Pete (Carmichael) in certain situations and things like that, in a game-time scenario, it was good.

"It was a lot of fun. Love being on this side of things in the Dome. I can get used to this place, it's a lot of fun."

The Saints are the favorites to win the NFC South in 2023 (+105 at Caesars Sportsbook). According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh's simulations, the Saints win the NFC South 41.3% of the time and make the playoffs 58.8% of the time.