Carolina Panthers studs & duds from an ugly loss to New Orleans Saints

The Carolina Panthers may not have been who we thought they were after upsetting the Green Bay Packers. While they did manage to pull off a win last week, today's game was the team's third-straight poor performance, and it cost them a must-win matchup against the worst team in the NFL.

Let's review the studs and duds from Carolina's ugly 17-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Dud: QB Bryce Young

At this point in his career, Bryce Young should be able to torch a bad defense that's selling out to stop the run. Young is still lagging behind in his devleopment, though - and outside of game-winning drives he seems to be off more often than not. Carolina's first drive should have ended in an interception by DeMario Davis, but a late high hit on Young negated the INT. Young never really got into a rhythm and threw a grotesque pick in the fourth quarter. He wound up going 17/25 for just 124 yards, no touchdowns and a 62.8 passer rating. It's time to seriously consider other options, here.

Dud: Panthers offensive line

These Saints are not exactly the '85 Bears when it comes to rushing the passer, but you could have been fooled based on the way the Panthers' offensive line performed. The worst pass blocking occurred at right guard, where Austin Corbett continues to struggle. This was a bad all around effort though, allowing two sacks and three quarterback hits on Young and a lot more pressures.

Stud: OLB Nic Scourton

Considering the circumstances, Carolina did a pretty good job defensively, with a few notable exceptions. The biggest standout on this side of the ball was rookie edge rusher Nic Scourton, who was active all game and posted a huge sack on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Scourton finished with four tackles and two quarterback hits.

Dud: CB Jaycee Horn

When you're getting paid like an All-Pro cornerback, you can't give up plays like the one Jaycee Horn did in the second quarter, when Chris Olave blew past him and scored an easy touchdown one-on-one. There may have been some hand-fighting involed, but nothing worth a flag. Overall, Horn hasn't looked like himself lately and might be playing through an undisclosed injury.

Stud: P Sam Martin

It's never a good sign for your chances when the punter is outplaying the rest of your roster, but you can't blame Sam Martin for doing his job better than the rest of the Panthers did today. With the offense largely dysfunctional after the opening drive, Martin made a habit of pinning the Saints deep in their own territory. He totaled 204 yards on four punts, including a 59-yarder.

Dud: HC Dave Canales

It's not the first or the second time this season that the Panthers have played awfully on both sides of the ball and the offense has been completely stagnant after the opening script is done. That lack of consistent production is on the offensive playcaller, and the defense wasn't much better against the worst offense in the NFC. At this point we would be shocked if Canales ever leads this team to the playoffs. It might be time for the Panthers to reset at head coach yet again.

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