The New Orleans Saints had their struggles against the Carolina Panthers but were able to sneak away with a victory. You could tell it was an ordeal for them to move the ball simply based on the eye test. Numbers really put the struggles into perspective, however.
And here’s a telling stat from NFL Research: the Saints ended the game with a mere 207 total yards, the lowest total yardage in a victory since their 1997 win over the Seattle Seahawks. That was 26 years ago, when Mike Ditka was their head coach.
Now 207 total yards is low, period, but most times it would lead to losses. Since the NFL merger in 1970, teams are 25-175 when gaining fewer than 207 yards. This season, New Orleans has only amassed fewer than 207 yards once, against the Buccaneers, when the offense totaled 197 yards and 9 points.
As much as Derek Carr has been criticized, he passed for more than 207 yards in nearly every game he hasn’t left due to injury. That should put the Week 14 struggles into perspective. This was a bad performance that luckily resulted in a victory. Carr and the Saints must improve if they’re going to beat better opponents than the one-win Panthers.
