What Panthers DC Ejiro Evero said about facing an atrocious Saints offense

Carolina's defensive coordinator knows at this level that any team can surprise you - and he isn't taking New Orleans lightly.

Nov 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) throws downfield against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

For the first time this season, the Carolina Panthers are favorites for this week's home game against the division rival New Orleans Saints. The latest odds from DraftKings Sportsbook have Carolina listed as a 5.5-point favorite for Sunday's matchup.

That's as it should be, because the Saints are arguably the worst team in the NFL this season. They're currently tied with the Tennessee Titans for the league's worst record (1-8) and are on pace to hold the first overall pick in the draft.

As you can imagine, there's not a lot the Saints do well on the field. Defensively they're giving up 27 points per game, tied with Miami for the 26th most in the NFL this season. Offensively they're even worse, averaging an anemic 15.3 points per game, good for second fewest in the league.

However, the Panthers just proved that you can't take any team lightly at this level, and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is well aware. Here's what he had to say about the matchup, according to David Newton at ESPN.

"Every team is capable of ruining your day if you don't take it seriously,'' defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said about playing the one-win Saints. New Orleans ranks among the league's worst offenses in almost every category, but, as Evero reminds us, the Saints still have some "formidable pieces'' and his defense can't take them lightly."

The Saints already had precious few skill weapons to boast of, and they just traded their second-leading receiver to the Seattle Seahawks - sending speed-demon Rashid Shaheed over to Seattle for two Day 3 draft picks.

Alvin Kamara remains the centerpiece of their running game, but he's averaging just 3.6 yards per carry his season and has scored only one touchdown.

In the backfield, the Saints recently made a change - subbing out Spencer Rattler and replacing him with second-round pick Tyler Shough, who will be making just his third start in the NFL in tomorrow's game. So far he's gone 32/56 (57.1%) for 304 yards, one touchdown, two picks and a 63.4 passer rating. Shough doesn't have enoguh snaps to qualify yet but his 34.4 QBR would rank 31st.

It'll obviously be a bit more complicated than this, but the gameplan for the Panthers should be selling out to stop Kamara and forcing Shough to beat them.

Nov 3, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

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