QB Sam Darnold threw for 305 passing yards and two touchdowns and the Carolina Panthers defense put together another strong performance in a 26-7 blow-out against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Panthers defeated the Saints for only the second time in the last ten games.
Darnold has a 2-0 record as the Panthers starting quarterback. He made two spectacular touchdown connections to wide receivers Brandon Zylstra and D.J. Moore.
Darnold also played a bit anxious at times, but did not compound his mistakes. He connected on 26 of his 38 passes, but did have one interception.
Panthers Christian McCaffrey had another great game. He had 24 carries, 72 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, five receptions and 79 receiving yards.
Saints quarterback Jameis Winston came back down to earth against the Panthers after playing extremely well in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers with the Saints winning 38-3. He threw five touchdown passes. Winston was confused by Carolina’s constant pressure, completing just 11 of 22 throws (50%) for 111 yards. He had two picks, while being hit 11 times with four sacks.
Running back Alvin Kamara was silent due to the Panthers harassment on defense. He was held to five rushing yards on eight carries and 25 receiving yards on four catches.
Shutting down the dynamic duo of Winston and Kamara was a key factor in limiting head coach Sean Payton’s offensive options. The Saint were only able to convert on two of their 11 third down opportunities and went 0-for-2 on fourth downs. They finished the game with only six first downs.
The Panthers outgained the Saints 383-128 for the game and had 28 first downs to New Orleans’ 6. The Saints total yards are the fewest ever in the Sean Payton era since he took over in 2006.
The Panthers used rollout and bootlegs to give Darnold extra time to find his skill players. As stated previously, on the game’s first score, Darnold rolled out on a bootleg and found an open Zylstra for a 20-yard touchdown pass. He completed several other passes on the run, including a strike to tight end Dan Arnold to set up another score. Carolina was in total control at the half leading 17-0.
The Panthers continued their dominance until late in the third quarter, when Darnold almost let the Saints have some life. He tried an unorthodox shovel pass that defensive end Malcolm Roach intercepted and returned back to the Carolina 18 yard line. Winston scored a touchdown five plays later, cutting their deficit to ten, with a score of 17-7.
The Panthers regained control of the contest and put the Saints on ice after McCaffrey returned to the game. He missed two series due to leg cramping. He scored on an 11-yard scamper into the end zone.
The Saints could not find their way with five of the team’s offensive coaches out due to COVID-19 protocols. In all, the Saints were missing eight assistant coaches because of COVID-19.
The Panthers have a short week. They play the Houston Texans (1-1) on Thursday Night Football.
