Saints March Past Panthers, 28-6
New Orleans, LA - Sunday's 28-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints may have been the ugliest showing this season for the Carolina Panthers and that's saying a lot for a team that had lost eleven games coming into the contest.
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young had an awful long day at the park completing just 13-of-36 pass attempts for 137 yards. In the first half alone, Young went 3-of-15 with a passer rating of 39.6. Although he was sacked just once in the first 30 minutes, he was constantly under duress and had no where to go with the football. When he did get the ball out, receivers either lost their footing or failed to hold onto the ball. Sound familiar?
Derek Carr didn't have much success through the air either until late in the game when he connected on a 44-yard pass to A.T. Perry which was more yards than he had on his previous 12 completions. A few plays later, he hit Chris Olave on a quick slant for the touchdown.
New Orleans put the game out of reach around the four-minute mark on a touchdown pass from Carr to Jimmy Graham.
Best of the Game: DL Derrick Brown
Brown continues to be one of the few bright spots for the Panthers this season. He finished the day with 10 tackles, one QB hit, one interception, and a pass breakup.
Worst of the Game: Panthers pass catchers
Bryce Young wasn't on his A game by any means, but he didn't get much help from his backs, tight ends, and receivers. Adam Thielen, once again, was the only reliable target the rookie could go to. Really bad afternoon for this group.
Stat of the Game: Panthers 1/7 on 4th down
It's not the decision to go for it that was head-scratching. It was the play calls Thomas Brown went to in these situations. A consistent theme of shotgun on 4th & short which resulted in a low-percentage downfield throw. Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders both ran the ball well, but Brown didn't trust them to pick up the short yardage.
Highlight of the Game: Who doesn't like a big man interception?
Next up: Panthers vs. Falcons | Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. EST
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