The Carolina Panthers were in a real race from start to finish and lost to the New Orleans Saints 47-10.
First quarter
It wasn’t what we would call an ideal start to the season for the Panthers. The Saints started with the ball and after a few positive plays, Derek Carr found Rashid Shaheed, who ran down the middle of the field for a 59-yard touchdown. Jaycee Horn looked for help from the safety, but it never came.
The Panthers’ response took more than one play. Bryce Young threw the ball over the middle and the ball landed in the lap of the Saints’ free safety. This time the defense held firm and forced a 57-yard field goal.
The offense was slightly more successful on its second drive. Chiba Hubbard had a couple of nice runs, but Young’s rocky start continued. He tripped over an offensive lineman on a botched play and then missed a completely open Diontae Johnson on the third attempt.
The Saints took the lead after the Panthers punt and encountered little resistance as they marched down the field. Alvin Kamara made a long run to the outside that enabled a touchdown pass that Carr threw across his body into traffic but still found its receiver.
The quarter ended with the Panthers trailing 17-0.
Second quarter
The second quarter brought no respite. The Panthers got a 3rd and 1, but it was called back for holding. Young was sacked on the replay by an unblocked defender.
The Saints’ ensuing attack was sparked by a late hit from Shaq Thompson. They tore up the Panthers’ defense on the ground and worked their way into field goal range. The defense eventually stiffened up and forced a field goal attempt.
Jonathan Mingo took an end around on the second play of the Panthers’ next drive and promptly dropped the ball. This led to another field goal for the Saints, making the score 23-0.
The Panthers took control and did nothing. The Saints blitzed on third down and Young was easy prey. The Saints returned the punt to the red zone and scored on the first play of the drive.
The next attempt at a two-minute drill went a little better. Young missed Diontae Johnson on a short pass, but found him one play later for a first down. Xavier Legette caught his first career pass, earning another first down over the middle of the field. The duo each caught another pass, setting up a field goal by Eddie Pineda, which gave the Panthers their first points of the half.
Third quarter
The pep talk at halftime didn’t work. Hubbard was stopped on the first attempt, Young ran around and threw the ball away on the second attempt, then he threw it over the completely free Adam Thielen and was intercepted for the second time.
It looked like the defense would get off the field quickly as it forced the Saints into a 3rd and 19, but Michael Jackson made a 31-yard pass interference run to keep the offense alive, capped off by an Alvin Kamara touchdown.
Young found Legette, who took a big gain on the ensuing drive, and did the same to Mingo, but Mingo had knocked the post loose again when he was hit. Luckily, he touched the sideline while still in contact with the ball, allowing the Panthers to retain possession inside the five-yard line. It took four tries, but the Panthers scored on a Bryce Young scramble on fourth down, although he narrowly avoided fumbling the ball before breaking the flat.
The third quarter ended with the Saints again moving within field goal range.
Fourth quarter
That would be all the drive would bring. Thompson botched a Kamara handoff and forced the Saints to attempt their fourth field goal.
The Panthers made a three-pointer and were blocked. The Saints needed only a few plays to score another touchdown.
The offense came within scoring range thanks to a long pass to Adam Thielen, but the advance stalled shortly before the red zone.
The Saints pulled their starters and managed their first scoreless drive of the game with a 3rd and out. The Panthers had good field position after the Saints disrupted the punt catch, but they still lost the ball on one down.
For the rest of the game, both teams took turns running out the clock.
overview
It was a colossal, embarrassing failure across the board. Every element of the team was thoroughly outplayed by the Saints. The defense allowed the Saints to score on every single one of their drives that featured their starters. The offense was pressured in the trenches, and the indecision and inaccuracy that plagued Bryce Young in his rookie season was on display once again. And the special teams had a blocked punt, which added its own contribution to the disaster. It was all so, so bad. Kudos to everyone who watched all of this. Double kudos to everyone who had to watch all of this and write up what happened.
The Panthers will try to make themselves less of a fool at home against the Chargers next week.
