Here’s another NFL schedule leak: the New Orleans Saints will visit the Carolina Panthers for a primetime game on Monday Night Football in Week 2, as first reported by 92.7 WFNZ-Charlotte’s Travis Hancock and confirmed by Joe Person for The Athletic. The Saints always seem to play the Panthers close (and early), so this matchup should be no different
But who will be the quarterback? The Panthers traded up to select Bryce Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, but they’ve also come out and said it’s Andy Dalton’s job to lose. We’ll see how long it takes for them to correct course and put the rookie in the driver’s seat, but there’s at least the suggestion of a chance Dalton could play against the team he struggled to lead last year.
Beyond the early implications in the NFC South title race, there are a lot of bragging rights on the table here. Carolina has won three of their last four games with New Orleans to cut the Saints’ grip on the all-time series lead down to 29-28. A win in front of a national audience would tie things up and set the stage for a pivotal rematch in the Caesars Superdome later in the 2023 season.
