Panthers explain reasons behind Week 10 loss vs. Saints

The Carolina Panthers couldn't get the job done against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10.

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard rushes as New Orleans Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry defends. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers are disappointed after a 17-7 loss against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10 at Bank of America Stadium.

The loss comes after the Saints won just a single game in the season's first half. However, the Saints played strong on defense today, stifling the Panthers offense every step of the way.

"I mean, when you can't play complementary football, when we can't move the ball in the run game, it just makes everything harder," center Cade Mays said via the team's website. "Harder on the defense, harder on us, harder on everybody.

"I mean, obviously they respected our run game, and we didn't do good enough today to get it going and get the offense going."

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young looks to pass during the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Panthers' offensive struggles lead to big loss

The Panthers anticipated a challenge from the Saints with a divisional matchup, but they may not have expected the defense to stunt their progress all game long.

"Oh man, like any other team, you've just got to go back, see what we did wrong, see what the defense did and adjust to it, got to make adjustments," left guard Damien Lewis said via the team's website. "The Saints got a great defense, they played some good ball today, I took my hat off to them.

"They came to play, we've got to go back and watch film and get back to work, see what we can do better."

What's next for Panthers after losing to Saints?

With the loss, the Panthers go to 5-5, hurting their chances at reaching the playoffs by losing a very winnable game on the schedule. However, they cannot let the loss trickle into the rest of the season.

"I think just continue to stay true to our process, continue to play clean football," running back Chuba Hubbard said via the team's website. "It's going to be grimy sometimes. It's hard to win in this league. It's hard to run the ball, hard to do, pass the ball, all these different things.

"Everyone's giving their best, so I think just continue to rely on our fundamentals and technique and what we're being coached to do, and eventually those grimy runs will start to pop and turn into bigger chunks."

The Panthers are back in action with another NFC South rivalry game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara rushes as Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom defends. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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