That was hard to watch. The New Orleans Saints (1-2) looked sloppy and unprepared in their Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers (1-2), leaving Charlotte with a loss and a lengthy injury report. They were outmuscled by a bad team and committed a lot of self-inflicted wounds, committing 3 turnovers and losing 58 yards on 7 penalties.
It was nasty. Let’s get into it.
Final score: Panthers 22, Saints 14
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
| Carolina | 7 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 22 |
| New Orleans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
Injury outlook
- Quarterback Jameis Winston entered the game dealing with back and ankle injuries that limited him in practice — and may have prevented him from going through his usual pregame routine. Winston didn’t hit the field until after the inactives list was announced 90 minutes before kickoff, beginning his warmup 50 minutes before the opening whistle. He continued to struggle with ball placement, which we’ve seen before.
- Running back Alvin Kamara was also limited in practice this week with a rib injury, which kept him from suiting up in Week 2’s Buccaneers game. But he was cleared to play in Carolina and, except for a brief exit at the end of the first half, saw his usual workload. He did step aside to have his ribs taped up after some really physical tackles early in the game.
- Left guard Andrus Peat was slow to leave the field after a play late in the first half, and was replaced by backup Calvin Throckmorton after halftime. He was later ruled out with a concussion.
- Slot receiver Jarvis Landry injured his left leg coming back to a pass thrown behind him, chopping his feet and contorting to work back to it. Winston probably should have put the ball in front of him to hit him in stride or closer to his chest so he could fall to the ground instead of the sudden change in momentum. Landry was later announced to be probable to return with an ankle injury, but that was downgraded to questionable, and later to doubtful.
- Wide receiver Michael Thomas initially received attention in the sideline medical tent, tested something with his legs, then returned to the tent. He was then escorted to the locker room for further evaluation. The team later announced that he was questionable to return with a foot injury, and eventually downgraded his return to “doubtful” status.
- Wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith got the Saints in scoring position with a really difficult 23-yard reception, but he hit his head hard on the turf coming down with it and was quickly ruled out with a concussion. The team initially evaluated him for a shoulder injury (that’s what kept him out of the first two weeks) before diagnosing him with a brain injury.
It was over when...
Laviska Shenault’s 67-yard touchdown grab-and-go is a tempting pick, but his first down conversion on 3rd and 14 later in the fourth quarter feels like the end-of-the-line here. That got the Panthers out of their own red zone and prompted Dennis Allen to start burning timeouts with 4:32 left in regulation. If the Saints had forced a punt there, they may have had a chance at a furious up-tempo comeback effort, but instead they were only able to delay the inevitable. It was brutal, and even more frustrating seeing as Shenault was a healthy scratch the last two weeks. Carolina brought him in off the bench and he embarrassed the Saints secondary.
Saints' top performers
- Passing: QB Jameis Winston completed 25 of 41 pass attempts (60.9%) for 353 yards, scoring 1 touchdown pass and throwing 2 interceptions while taking 1 sack for a loss of 11 yards
- Rushing: RB Alvin Kamara ran 15 times for 61 yards, with his longest attempt gaining 27 yards
- Receiving: WR Chris Olave caught 9 of his 13 targets for 147 yards, with his longest reception gaining 49 yards
- Defense: LB Pete Werner was credited with 11 tackles, 6 of them solo
Team stats
- Third and fourth downs, offense: 5-of-13 (38.5%)
- Third downs and fourth, defense: 4-of-15 (26.7%)
- Total yards, offense: 426 yards gained on 64 plays (6.7 yards per play)
- Total yards, defense: 293 yards allowed on 59 plays (5.0 yards per play)
- Penalties against the Saints: 7 fouls for 58 yards
- Penalties benefiting the Saints: 4 fouls for 40 yards
- Time of possession: 29:50 for New Orleans, 30:10 for Carolina
What's next?
The Saints will fly out to London ahead of next week’s game with the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Vikings are 2-1 and looking to create some fireworks after their last-minute home win against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. This is a quality opponent that the Saints have traded blows with before, so look for a competitive matchup. If the Saints offense shows up, it could be the best game the NFL has played in the United Kingdom. If they play like they have for much of the season so far, it’ll be an ugly, early start to our Sunday.
