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Insider labels Panthers' performance vs. Saints pathetic, with 'uninspired' coaching

Off one of the biggest upset wins of the 2025 NFL season, Dave Canales’s Panthers were awful in a home loss to the basement-dwelling New Orleans Saints.
Russell Baxter|
Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) rushes as Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom (56) defends during the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) rushes as Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom (56) defends during the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

For the third week in a row, the Carolina Panthers were involved in a head scratcher. In Week 8, Dave Canales’s brought a three-game winning streak into a home tilt with the Buffalo Bills, and his defense was overrun by James Cook and the Bills’ ground attack, 40-9. Massive underdogs in Week 9 at Lambeau Field, the Panthers knocked off the first-place Green Bay Packers, 16-13, to raise their record to 5-4.

On Sunday, the Panthers were favored to win for the first time this season. The opposition was the visiting New Orleans Saints, tied for the worst record in the league (1-8) and owners of a four-game losing streak. Canales’s club responded with a mystifying lackluster performance that saw them total season-lows in both points (7) and total yards (175) in a 10-point loss to the last-place team in the NFC South.

So what went wrong? Rico Dowdle ran 18 times for just 53 yards, this after rushing for at least 130 yards in each of his first three starts this season. Quarterback Bryce Young threw for only 124 yards, was sacked twice, and committed both of the team’s two turnovers.

Meanwhile, the Saints’ offense rolled up a season-best 388 total yards under rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who was making only his second NFL start. It was only the second victory of the season for Kellen Moore’s team, and the win snapped a six-game road losing streak that dated back to Week 16 of 2024.

So much for turning the corner. All told, it was a stunning showing by a team that looked as if it was finding ways to win as of late. It’s safe to say that there will be a lot of soul searching going on in Charlotte this week by Canales and company.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.