After two successful weeks, the Panthers came back to Earth against the Saints. The offense continued its stagnant start and the defense struggled to stop the Saints. Here are the takeaways:
- The pass protection was just awful. Cam was sacked four times and struggled to get the ball downfield. Even when he did, Cam struggled to be accurate with his passes.
- The rushing game started off strong, as every Carolina rusher averaged 4 yards per carry. However, the Saints outscored the Panthers early due to redzone struggled so they couldn’t stick to it.
- Kelvin Benjamin’s loss was felt, as it seemed the only productive wide receiver was Devin Funchess, and Cam missed him on several deep passes.
- The defense struggled against the quick twitch passing game by the Saints. Brees knows this defense and they didn’t get after him like they have the last two weeks.
- Daryl Worley especially struggled in pass defense. Teams are going to continue attacking him.
The Panthers offense started the game off well, with a drive that fed Christian McCaffery and Jonathan Stewart the ball several times. However, on 3rd down near the goal line Matt Kalil allowed a sack that forced Carolina to settle for a field goal. The Saints answered with a 13 play, 75 yard touchdown drive that ended with a Michael Thomas touchdown. On the second drive, Kelvin Benjamin got hurt and didn’t return after a 4 yard completion. The Panthers drove the ball down the field on the heels of a 32 yard Curtis Samuel rush, but once again settled for a field goal. The Panthers forced a punt, but an ill timed interception from Cam Newton have the Saints the ball on the Panthers’ 24 yard line. The Saints scored a touchdown with an 11 yard pass to Brandon Coleman with 2:08 left in the half. The Panthers offense stalled again and had to punt, which resulted in another Saints field goal, giving them a 17-6 lead going into half time.
The Saints opened the second half with an 8 play, 75 yard touchdown drive capped off by a 40 yard pass to Ted Ginn for a TD. The teams traded punts, and then the Panthers finally shifted it into high gear with the no huddle on offense. They took the ball 83 yards and Cam Newton ran in the touchdown to put the score at 27-13. The Saints kicked another field goal, and then Cam was picked once again by the Saints defense. They didn’t capitalize on the turnover as they missed the ensuing field goal, but the Panthers gave it right back with another Cam interception and Alvin Kamara brought it in on a 25 yard touchdown rush. The Panthers threw in the towel at that point and trotted Derek Anderson out there. The Saints drained the clock and handed the Panthers their first loss.
Ugly game for Carolina, however it is clear that they need to open up the playbook for Cam. He looked his sharpest in the no huddle, and clearly defenses have figured out the run-centric offensive game plan. The defense is good, but they can’t do it all. The offense needs to catch up and they will see a tough New England team next week.