The New Orleans Saints are not a good team, but the Carolina Panthers are arguably the worst team in the league. On paper, a 22-point win over Carolina is an appropriate margin of victory. That score is fool’s gold. Derek Carr pointing down to the turf emphatically after a decent throw late in the fourth quarter, as if to say “I do this,” or “This is my house,” was foolish. Even in the moment it didn’t feel as gratifying as the score would read.
It’s because the Saints didn’t play good football, and they likely would have lost if they weren’t facing the Panthers on Sunday. The 6 points scored by Carolina feels pretty accurate. There were some missed opportunities by rookie quarterback Bryce Young, but the New Orleans secondary also made their fair share of plays as well.
Offensively this was a poor performance. 28 points is a trick (and one of those scores came from a head’s-up play on special teams). Carr didn’t have even 40 passing yards until there 8:12 seconds left in the 4th quarter. The offense learning Jimmy Graham is a red zone threat at the end of the season doesn’t take away from how ugly this game was. It all started with a missed field goal on the opening drive. New Orleans scored two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter that made the score look much better.
They didn’t win this game in dominant fashion. Sunday’s performance was reminiscent of their win over the Bears a month ago. The Saints offense just isn’t effective frequently enough. This is a game you were supposed to control if not dominate. New Orleans didn’t do either. The score would suggest you did both, and that’s why it’s fool’s gold.
