Saints soar to victory over Panthers, 28-6

By Gianna Forbis, WRAL Sports contributor

Carolina Panthers	6
New Orleans Saints	28
Final

Welcome to the three way tie of the NFC South, where the New Orleans Saints seal their deal to be a part of the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers record of 6-7, after beating the eliminated Carolina Panthers today 28 to 6.

Carr raises the Bar

Derek Carr was listed as questionable to play today against the Panthers, but less than 24 hours later - the rib, right shoulder, and concussion all seemed to be of a past life for Carr.

Carr started off on a slow trudge to victory, but the second half really turned him into a new beast on the deep ball and the touchdown drive monster.

He completed 18 of 26 passes, with 119 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception.

What is the difference between Derek Carr and Bryce Young today? The simple answer is making the plays and throwing the ball.

Carr's touchdowns surrounded around:

RB Alvin Kamara: 12 carries, 56 yards, 1 touchdown

WR Chris Olave: 4 receptions, 28 yards and 1 touchdown

TE Jimmy Graham: 2 receptions, 16 yards, 1 touchdown

Young Struggles

Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger. This is the story wanted by Panthers fans, and needed by rookie quarterback Bryce Young.

Difficulties on offense have continued to be a struggle for the 1-12 Panthers now. From miscommunication, to missed catches, and overthrown passes - Bryce Young has had to adjust to running the ball.

Young went 13 for 34 with 137 yards and 0 touchdowns. The first half was a struggle with a sack-fumble from Saints LB Pete Werner putting Carr and his offense in good field position to score.

Determined Defense & Special Teams

In the first half, Panthers defense looked like they were coming out with all four of those qualities, but after a solid run game by Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams, the fatigue was visible.

Defensive tackle Derrick Brown came up with a great swat down and interception on Derek Carr, putting Carolina in great position to end the half, but ended up unable to capitalize.

A forced fumble returned for a touchdown by D'Marco Jackson on the Saints also made the ladder of the lead harder to climb for the Panthers offense, even when it came to special teams.

A missed field goal by Saints kicker Blake Grupe gave the Panthers a great break to start off in the first quarter, but another three and out was the story for Carolina

Pounding Panthers

There were two obvious leaders today amid the loss to the Saints on Carolina.

Chuba Hubbard continues to be a leading running back with almost 100 yards today and 23 carries. However, a 43 yard run by running back Miles Sanders really set Bryce Young up for greatness on the one-yard line.

However, the Saints defense was able to contain Young and create an enormous amount of pressure in the pocket.

Adam Thielen continues to be good on the out-route and Bryce Young found this as a way to get past the Saints defense.

Thielen had 5 receptions for 74 yards today, with 0 touchdowns.

Up Next

The Carolina Panthers will finally come back home after their three game road stretch, playing a division game against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 17 at 1:00 p.m.

The game will be at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Scoring Summaries:

Quarter 4: Saints: Chris Olave 7 yard receiving touchdown, (B.Grupe kick), 5:59. TE Jimmy Graham 4 yard receiving touchdown, (B. Grupe kick), 4:29. Panthers: E. Pineiro misses 42 yard FG attempt. Saints 28, Panthers 6.

Quarter 3: Panthers: E. Pineiro 29 yard FG made, 4:57. Saints 14, Panthers 6.

Quarter 2: Saints: RB Alvin Kamara 9 yard rushing touchdown (B. Grupe kick), 14:55. A blocked punt returned for a touchdown by D'Marco Jackson, (B. Grupe kick), 4:37. Panthers: E. Pineiro 47 yard FG made, 9:16. Saints 14, Panthers 3.

Quarter 1: Panthers 0, Saints 0.

Preview:

After just one game as the Panthers interim head coach, Chris Tabor has found the secret to winning on the road in the NFL.

"I mean, the secret is, it's not a big secret," Tabor said. "You want to win on the road; pack a good team.

"What we're just trying to do is make sure that we get our guys ready."

Carolina is coming up on the final game of its current three-game road trip. The Panthers will try to knock of the New Orleans Saints in the Caesars Superdome at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Panthers put forth a decent effort in their first meeting against the Saints (back in Week 2), and last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The problem in each 3-point loss is that they struggled to throw the ball.

Quarterback Bryce Young is averaging just 159 yards passing against divisional opponents this season, and has failed to reach the 200-yard mark in each of the last five games.

It's been a frustrating run for the rookie, but he says he's looking inward to find his balance and deal with adversity.

"Just being consistent in what you're doing and not being results-based," Young said. "It's hard, and it is a results-based business so you accept that, but you can't let the results change your process. There are circumstances you can't control or, if things are going bad, you can't do less, you can't care less, you can't focus less, you can't give less."

One thing that could help Young and the passing game find its groove down the stretch is the emergence of fellow rookie Jonathan Mingo.

The second-round receiver out of Ole Miss is coming off his best game as a pro (six catches for 69 yards against the Bucs), and credits improved conditioning for his recent uptick.

"I take care of my body better now," Mingo said. "I even felt like, in college, classes and stuff like that intervened with the time taking care of your body. So, when I get done with football now, I've got more time to get myself right."

On the other side of the ball, it's still a mystery which Saints quarterback the Panthers will face on Sunday.

Regular starter Derek Carr is in concussion protocol for the second time in a month, but did practice in a limited capacity.

If he can't go, it will be Jameis Winston, who is 5-7 all-time against the Panthers, under center for New Orleans.

"You've got to prepare for both of them," Tabor said. "You're talking about two seasoned veterans that have won a lot of football games, played in a lot of big games that can get streaky at any time."

Keys to the game: Panthers at Saints

1. Get after the QB: Carolina's defense tied a season-high with four sacks during the Week 2 matchup against the Saints. Whether it's a banged-up Carr or Winston who gets the start Sunday, the Panthers need to at least match that effort this Sunday.

2. Find Taysom Hill: Everybody knows about Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave, but it was actually Taysom Hill who killed the Panthers in their last meeting. Hill led New Orleans with 75 rushing yards on just nine carries, including several key first downs. Carolina needs to always be aware of where Hill lines up pre-snap, and hopefully limit him to 50 total yards this time around.

3. Ride Chuba Hubbard: The Saints have allowed at least 113 rushing yards in each of their last seven games. Hubbard is coming off 104 yards last week and has taken the lead role in the Panthers backfield. Carolina needs another 100-yard game from Hubbard to help them reach 150 yards as a team on the ground.

Numbers to know

- The Panthers and Saints are almost dead even in the all-time series. New Orleans carries a 29-28 edge in the regular season, with a 14-14 record at the Superdome.

- The Panthers secondary is allowing just 6.6 yds/pass attempt this season, good for seventh in the NFL.

- The Saints are holding opposing quarterbacks to a 77.2 passer rating and have 14 interceptions this season. Both rank second in the league.

- Mingo has been the team's top receiver the last two weeks with 10 catches for 129 yards on 16 targets. Adam Thielen has been held to four catches for 27 yards on nine targets in that span.

- Kamara averages 6.7 catches, 7.7 targets and 45.9 receiving yards per game. All are tops among NFL running backs,