Canal Street Chronicles
Following a road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints now return home, turning their sights towards a potential season sweep of fellow division opponent, the Carolina Panthers. Tyler Shough and the Saints defeated Carolina in their last meeting, 17-7.
Last week, the Panthers were on a bye week and enjoyed a crucial upset of the Bucs from the Saints. With Tampa’s loss, Carolina is now tied for the NFC South lead at 7-6, but New Orleans will have a chance to play spoiler to a team’s postseason hopes in back-to-back weeks.
New Orleans has the 26th-ranked offense in the league, averaging 293.8 yards and 15.8 points per game. Carolina’s defense ranks as the 18th-best across the NFL. They allow 331.1 yards per game while giving up nearly 23 points a contest.
Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough shone in the Week 10 win as he passed for 282 yards, two touchdowns, and earned a near 130 QBR. Wideout Chris Olave and tight end Juwan Johnson were on the receiving end of the TD passes, securing one each. They would finish the game with 104 and 92 yards, respectively.
Running back Alvin Kamara toted the rock 22 times and managed to pick up 83 yards on the ground while once more eclipsing the century mark for scrimmage yards. Taysom Hill and rookie tailback Devin Neal each added 20+ rushing yards.
While New Orleans was charged with a single turnover, a fumble, no offensive player coughed up the football. The performance versus the Panthers broke a three-game streak for the Saints with multiple turnovers.
Carolina’s Derrick Brown led his defense with nine tackles in the last meeting. Linebackers Trevin Wallace and rookie Nic Scourton each earned a sack against Shough.
Although the Panthers ultimately fell in the contest, Carolina managed to prevent New Orleans from scoring in both of their red zone trips. With opportunities to let up more scoring, the “bend, don’t break” approach actually benefited the Panthers’ D in a way.
I expect a closer result with better execution from both sides this weekend. Being right in the thick of the playoff conversation, Carolina can ill-afford to play lackluster football. However, it seems New Orleans is finding a sort of winning groove and rhythm behind the play of their second-round draft pick quarterback.
