Panthers @ Saints
Final Score: Saints 28, Panthers 6
Writer: Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL on Twitter)
In a division matchup between one team struggling to stay in playoff contention against another team that traded away what will end up being the first overall pick in the draft, fans were treated to a sloppy game that somehow still resulted in 34 points. New Orleans scored on a blocked punt late in the second quarter to give them a 14-3 lead that never felt like it was in jeopardy. The game was 14-6 midway through the fourth quarter, then Derek Carr threw touchdowns to Chris Olave and Jimmy Graham to put the Panthers to bed once and for all.
Zero Up
- Really, I don’t have anyone to highlight here. Statistically it should be Derek Carr, but I thought he looked awful and scared to be in the game. Nobody stood out in this one
Three Down
- Bryce Young – Terrible in the box score but it was mostly a result of poor protection against New Orleans’ blitzes
- Alvin Kamara – Scored a touchdown to salvage a day in which he wasn’t anywhere near featured
- DJ Chark Jr. – Had two egregious drops in big spots
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Bryce Young: 13/36, 137 yards, 4 sacks, fumble (lost) | 3 carries, 40 yards
The numbers are terrible for Bryce Young, no doubt about it. He was really bad at times in this game, especially when the pocket broke down around him. New Orleans seemed to dial up the pressure more often than other teams have against Young in recent weeks, blitzing him early and often and Young had no answers. The Saints brought eight in pressure and completely overwhelmed him on their second drive, leading to a strip sack that fortunately did not lead to points. Anytime pressure was in his face, Young looked completely lost. It’s a problem that could be solved by improving the offensive line in the offseason, but that’s easier said than done. When given time to throw, Young was usually pretty food. He was hurt by multiple drops by DJ Chark Jr. on good balls, but he also overthrew a wide open Jonathan Mingo right before halftime that would have resulted in an easy touchdown. Mingo had his guy beat. He did make some nice throws to Adam Thielen on the sideline that looked like the type of throw you would expect a number one overall pick to make, so the talent still is there. I’m still holding out judgement on Young due to the terrible offensive line that’s currently trying to protect him.
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard: 23 carries, 87 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards
Chuba is not an elite talent by any means but he continues to get plenty of touches in this offense. He’s yet to really break out an explosive, signature play to announce himself to the rest of the league but he has been solid. This was a tough matchup but he was still getting to the second level consistently in this game. After Miles Sanders got them down to the one yard line after a 48 yard run, Chuba didn’t get another carry and Carolina settled for a field goal. It was a frustrating sequence for anyone who started Hubbard this week but rest assured he’s going to continue being a flex play with upside due to his heavy involvement.
Miles Sanders: 10 carries, 74 yards
Sanders showed off his quick, elusive feet on a 48 yard run that he very nearly punched into the end zone for a touchdown. It was a display of ability that simultaneously wowed me and also made me sad that he’s not doing it consistently on a team that’s desperate for playmakers. Seriously, watch this run and tell me he doesn’t have something left in the tank.
Miles Sanders breaks a big run to the one-yard line!
📺: #CARvsNO on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pWMED8SAQa pic.twitter.com/LlUMDw129r— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2023
I could still see the Hubbard/Sanders duo lighting up teams in 2024.
Raheem Blackshear: 1 carry, 4 yards | 2 targets, 2 reception, 4 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Adam Thielen: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 74 yards, fumble (recovered)
With time in the pocket to allow Adam Thielen to get open downfield, Bryce Young was able to deliver a strike to him on multiple occasions. That’s really been the issue for Young/Thielen in recent weeks – Young just hasn’t had time to let anything to develop downfield where Thielen does his best work. In past weeks, the issue has been Young scrambling out of the pocket and having to throw the ball away. This week, Young wasn’t able to scramble nearly as often because New Orleans blitzed the heck out of him. Different tactic, same result. Until Young is able to regularly stand in the pocket and let Thielen get open downfield, this connection is going to be tough to trust in fantasy.
Notes
- Thielen found himself wide open over the middle of the field on one attempt, but linebacker Demario Davis batted the ball away near the line of scrimmage. It would have been a big gain deep into New Orleans territory.
Jonathan Mingo: 9 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards
Did you know Jonathan Mingo is averaging over seven targets per game in Carolina’s last five games? He is heavily involved in this offense but can’t quite get on the same page with Bryce Young. He was overthrown on two deep balls in this game, both of them on plays that he beat his defender and had a shot to score. He is getting peppered with targets right now and one of these week’s it’s going to pay off in a big way for fantasy purposes.
DJ Chark Jr.: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 26 yards
Tommy Tremble: 3 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards
Stephen Sullivan: 4 targets
He didn’t convert any of his targets in this game but I’ll say the same thing I’ve said the last few weeks about Sullivan – keep an eye on him. He’s popped off the screen a few times this season and I really like what I’ve seen. If Young can turn around the offense at some point I wouldn’t be surprised if Sullivan starts getting more mainstream love. In Dynasty, jump on the bandwagon if you have a spot open.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette: 1 target | 1 carry, 10 yards
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 18/26, 199 yards, 2 TD, INT, sack
Derek Carr looked terrible in this game despite the two touchdown output. He came into Sunday’s action having cleared concussion protocol, while also nursing injuries to his ribs and throwing shoulder. He was without Rasheed Shaheed and Taysom Hill to boot, though I don’t think either of those players would have helped alleviate Carr’s fear of getting hit in this game. Seriously, every time Carr felt pressure he wilted like a sunflower in a snowstorm. I have never seen a quarterback look so scared to get hit. He got better as the game went on but this man is not healthy right now and probably shouldn’t be playing.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 12 carries, 56 yards, TD | 5 targets, 3 receptions, -11 yards
Kamara’s touchdown was sprung by left guard James Hurst, who exploded off the line of scrimmage and pushed Carolina’s nose tackle Shy Tuttle nearly ten yards downfield. Kamara saw his opening and took it, pounding it in for the score. This felt like a game that New Orleans never thought they were in danger of losing and therefore didn’t want to overwork Kamara against a tough run defense that is better than people give it credit for. His reception yardage total is not a typo – two of his catches were for -10 and -6 yards, and his third went for five. The touchdown salvaged an otherwise low volume day.
Jamaal Williams: 11 carries, 43 yards | 1 target
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chris Olave: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 28 yards, TD
Chris Olave was one Jaycee Horn deflection away from a big day. Olave’s only incompletion was a deep ball down the right sideline that was placed beautifully by Derek Carr, except Horn made a diving attempt at the ball and was able to knock it away at the last moment. It would have been a huge chunk play and likely put him into WR1 territory for the week. Sometimes that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Otherwise, he did take a big hit on his touchdown catch and was a bit slow to get up. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still dealing with the lingering effects of his concussion from a few weeks ago.
Jimmy Graham: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards, TD
Juwan Johnson: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Foster Moreau: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards
With Taysom Hill missing this game, these three tight ends combined for a respectable fantasy performance. Unfortunately, it was spread out among three players. Jimmy Graham‘s two catches were the most notable – his first came on a critical 3rd and nine deep in Carolina territory, a great catch that he went up to make over two defenders. It led to a touchdown by Chris Olave on the next play that put the game away once and for all. On the following drive, Graham slithered his way past a defender into the end zone and found himself open for the score.
A.T. Perry: 1 target, 1 reception, 44 yards
Perry made a great diving grab on a deep ball that was just out of his reach. It was his only target of the game.
Lynn Bowden Jr.: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 24 yards