New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers: What's the Game Plan for New Orleans?
The New Orleans Saints will take on the home-standing Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon, and coach Sean Payton’s club is looking to pick up its first win of the year in this NFC South divisional clash.
In Week 2, New Orleans fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a sixth straight home defeat. The loss was especially damaging to the Saints season on the injury front, as quarterback Drew Brees suffered a significant shoulder injury. Payton announced in his Friday press conference, which was posted on NewOrleansSaints.com, that Brees has been ruled out for Sunday’s game.
With their star signal-caller out of the lineup, the Saints will need to be on point in multiple areas if they want to upset the 2-0 Panthers.
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New Orleans will not only have to execute, but it must dramatically reduce the penalties and other costly mistakes that have plagued the team thus far this season.
Payton and his staff will also need a sound game plan. Carolina has stockpiled a considerable collection of talent on both sides of the ball, and New Orleans will need to take away some of the Panthers’ top plays in order to have a shot at a win.
Let’s take a look at a few things the Saints might do come Sunday afternoon.
Defense
The Carolina offense presents a different challenge to NFL defenses than most teams, thanks to the ability of quarterback Cam Newton to execute zone-read running plays.
When running the zone read, Newton, upon taking the snap from the shotgun, will mesh with the running back in the backfield. He’ll then read the opposing edge defender and either keep the ball in an attempt to beat the defense to the corner, or he'll hand it off to the back.
Carolina’s offense includes a variation of this play that calls for Newton to run up the middle when he doesn't hand off, giving the defense a taste of the inverted veer.
The Panthers' zone-read running plays pose a considerable threat, and the Saints' ability to defend them will be one of the keys to the game.
Former Saint Junior Galette, for all his raw talents as a pass-rusher, consistently struggled to defend the zone read correctly, especially against Newton and the Panthers.
Now, rookie outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha will get to try his hand at defending the play, as will fellow outside linebacker Kasim Edebali.
The key for the New Orleans edge defenders is to break down and “slow-play” the zone read when approaching the mesh point between Newton and the running back. By flying recklessly into the backfield, the defender puts himself at risk of overshooting the play and giving up a big chunk of yardage in the process.
In taking a more cautious approach, the defender has a chance to make a play on either the quarterback or the running back, depending on what the quarterback decides to do.
As for Newton, the Panthers quarterback can beat defenses in a number of different ways, including the quarterback draw up the middle. He can also scramble out of the pocket when his pass protection breaks down, which is always disheartening for a defense.
The Saints must be prepared for the full repertoire, but if they can minimize his success with the zone read, that will be one less choice play for the Panthers to count on come Sunday.
Offense
Carolina will likely be without star linebacker Luke Kuechly, who's doubtful for the game, according to Panthers.com staff writer Max Henson.
The Panthers should still be quite capable on defense, however, with battle-tested Thomas Davis and athletic rookie Shaq Thompson helping Kuechly’s replacement, A.J. Klein, hold down the fort at linebacker.
With Brees out of the lineup, look for Carolina to bring the heat on Saints new starting quarterback Luke McCown. The 34-year-old veteran will likely see a heavy dose of the zone blitzes that Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott is known for.
As for the Saints, they'd certainly benefit from the establishment of a running game, especially with Brees sitting this one out. New Orleans has struggled to rev up its ground attack thus far in 2015, although they did turn it up a notch in the second half of last week’s loss to the Buccaneers.
One way for the Saints to loosen up the Carolina defense, thus allowing themselves a chance to run more effectively, is through the use of the short passing game. By hitting the Panthers with a series of short passes into the flats, New Orleans can gradually draw the Carolina linebackers out toward the sidelines. This will eventually open up the middle of the Panthers defense for the draw play.
Another option for the Saints is to utilize one of their most successful offensive plays of the Payton era, the tried-and-true screen pass.
Often used to combat an aggressive pass rush, the screen to the running back can be used to keep defenses honest. New Orleans has enjoyed great success with the play in recent years, and it has a full stable of backs with which to run it.
Not only is the newly acquired C.J. Spiller an effective screen back, but Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson have also proven themselves capable of ripping off big gains off the screen. Rookie Marcus Murphy can execute the play, as well.
By loosening up the Carolina defense with short passes and screens, the Saints can give themselves a fighter’s chance at establishing a ground game and controlling the clock.
Prediction
With the face of the franchise standing on the sidelines, New Orleans is staring down a stiff challenge Sunday afternoon. The Panthers come in riding a wave of momentum, while the Saints are struggling to find an identity.
New Orleans may be able to make this one interesting, especially if the defense is able to create some turnovers while taking away at least some of the Panthers' top offensive plays.
In the end, however, this task appears too tall for the Saints. Playing on the road against an undefeated divisional rival is difficult enough, but doing so without Brees under center makes the situation even tougher.
Look for the Saints to have some success with the short passing game, but it won’t be enough to get the job done.
Panthers 27, Saints 13
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