New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers: New Orleans Grades, Notes and Quotes
Still seeking their first win of the season, the New Orleans Saints went on the road and battled the Carolina Panthers to the wire on Sunday afternoon, but head coach Sean Payton's squad eventually fell 27-22.
With the loss, the Saints fell into an 0-3 hole to start the season, while the Panthers improved to 3-0.
New Orleans was without injured quarterback Drew Brees in this one, but in his stead, backup Luke McCown stepped up and performed admirably.
McCown and the Saints got out to the early lead in the contest, and they went up 10-0 on Mark Ingram’s five-yard touchdown run and the ensuing extra point early in the second quarter.
New Orleans was in control of the game for the first quarter-and-a-half. Then Cam Newton and the Carolina offense picked up the pace and tied things up at 10 just before the half.
In the third quarter, the Saints received a big play from their special teams. Rookie return man Marcus Murphy brought a Carolina punt back 74 yards to pay dirt, and New Orleans reclaimed the lead. The Saints botched the extra point, however, and the score stood at 16-10.
The Panthers came roaring right back on their next series, as a Newton pass to Greg Olsen for a touchdown followed by a successful extra point gave coach Ron Rivera’s club a 17-16 advantage.
Carolina added a field goal late in the third quarter and a touchdown early in the fourth to take a 27-16 lead.
The Saints still had some fight left in them, however, and New Orleans went 80 yards in 10 plays to pull to within five on a Khiry Robinson touchdown run with just under five minutes remaining.
After a Carolina three-and-out, the Saints put together one final march, and they advanced deep into Panther territory. An underthrown ball by McCown—his lone glaring mistake of the contest—was then intercepted in the end zone by Josh Norman with just one minute and nine seconds to play.
The Saints forced another three-and-out on Carolina’s next possession, but they didn't have the time they needed to put together another shot at the end zone. The Panthers remained unbeaten.
Read on for a closer look at this Week 3 NFC South clash, complete with grades, notes and quotes.
Grades
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| QB | A- |
| RB | C |
| WR/TE | D |
| OL | C |
| DL | D |
| LB | C- |
| DB | D |
| Special Teams | A- |
| Coaching | C- |
Offense
With Brees out of the starting lineup, the Saints turned to McCown, who hadn’t started a game in the NFL since 2011. The 12-year veteran surpassed all expectations with an impressive all-around performance. He hit on 31 of 38 passes for 310 yards, and he masterfully directed the Saints offense to touchdown drives of 94 and 80 yards.
His only significant mistake was the late-game interception to Norman in the end zone on a pass intended for Brandin Cooks.
While McCown was solid, the New Orleans running game was again subpar. If they were going to give themselves a chance to win with their star quarterback out, the Saints needed more than the 70 yards they finished with on the ground.
Granted, the Panthers' front four posed a stout challenge for New Orleans—especially with starting right guard Jahri Evans out of action—but the Saints were only able to manage 2.9 yards per carry.
However, the play of Evans’ replacement, Senio Kelemete, was noteworthy. He had a respectable performance in his first NFL start.
The offensive line protected McCown fairly well for most of the game, but the Saints’ inability to get their rushing attack rolling on a consistent basis was once again a major issue.
As is becoming commonplace this season, costly mistakes were a thorn in New Orleans’ side on Sunday, and the Saints’ offensive veterans committed more than their share of errors.
New Orleans was plagued by three dropped passes on the day, two of them by wideout Marques Colston. Right tackle Zach Strief drew two flags for false starts, while tight end Benjamin Watson coughed up a third-quarter fumble that led to a Carolina field goal.
Defense
While Newton’s running ability was undoubtedly a huge concern of Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, it was the Carolina quarterback's arm that did most of the damage on Sunday.
Newton completed 20 of his 31 attempts for 315 passing yards and two touchdowns, and he added 33 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
The chief issue for Ryan’s unit, as it has been all season thus far, was its lack of a consistent pass rush.
Rookie linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha dropped Newton for New Orleans’ only sack, while linebacker Ramon Humber and defensive tackle Tyeler Davison each delivered hits on the Panther quarterback. Other than that, Newton enjoyed exceptional pass protection throughout the afternoon.
In the secondary, New Orleans played more zone than usual, and with the Saints unable to pressure him, Newton found the holes time and time again. Olsen had an outstanding day, hauling in eight receptions for 134 yards and two scores.
The Saints' defensive backfield seemingly had no answer for the Carolina tight end, but the poor play of veteran cover man Brandon Browner was especially noteworthy.
The heralded offseason free-agent pickup struggled in coverage throughout the game, and by the end of the third quarter, he had been exposed as New Orleans’ biggest liability in the secondary.
Special Teams
The Saints’ special teams displayed noticeable improvement from their first two outings, and the punt return team was especially outstanding.
Marcus Murphy’s 74-yard touchdown off a third-quarter punt by Carolina gave the Saints lead, although a bobbled snap by McCown on the ensuing extra-point attempt left the score 16-10.
As for Murphy, the rookie running back finished his day with over 150 total yards on kickoff and punt returns.
Meanwhile, punter Thomas Morstead, who had underperformed so far this season by his standards, redeemed himself this week by posting a 46-yard average on two punts, both of which were downed inside the opposition's 20-yard line.
The Saints' coverage units were also outstanding, as the Panthers were unable to get anything going in the return game.
Damian Swann Continues Solid Play in Secondary
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The New Orleans defense has experienced its share of struggles in the early portion of the 2015 season, and Sunday’s poor showing against Newton and the Panthers was perhaps the unit’s most disappointing outing to date.
The Saints defense hasn’t been entirely devoid of quality play, however, and through three games, rookie cornerback Damian Swann has been one of the unit’s few bright spots.
Against Carolina, Swann recorded a tackle for loss and a pass deflection, and he displayed solid coverage in the secondary on multiple occasions.
A fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft, Swann received less hype coming in than fellow draft pick P.J. Williams, a corner out of Florida State who was selected in Round 3.
Injuries hampered Williams’ development in training camp, however, and it was Swann who made the most of his opportunities in the preseason and worked his way onto the field.
The former Georgia Bulldog continues to turn in impressive performances, and he and fellow rookie Delvin Breaux give the Saints two talented young cover men who could one day start opposite each other on the outside.
Murphy Punt Return Gives Saints Spark
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With the game tied at 10, the Saints forced a Carolina punt on the Panthers’ first possession of the second half.
Rookie running back Marcus Murphy fielded the punt on his own 26-yard line and brought it all the way back for a touchdown.
After the Panthers had wrestled the momentum away from the Saints late in the second quarter, the big play from the rookie appeared to reenergize a New Orleans squad fighting for its first win of the season.
Of course, the Panthers would come right back and reclaim the lead on the ensuing possession, but the return by Murphy still has to be viewed as a positive moment in an overall disappointing outing for the Saints.
For starters, it was the first punt returned for a touchdown by a New Orleans player in 66 games. The Saints struggled in the return game throughout last season, and their punt return unit was largely unproductive through the first two games this year.
According to NewOrleansSaints.com, Murphy joins Tyrone Hughes (1993) and Reggie Bush (2006) as the only rookies to return a punt for a score in Saints history.
New Orleans may suffer from a shortage of playmakers on offense, but in Murphy, the Saints appear to have a legitimate special teams scoring threat opposing teams will have to account for in the weeks to come.
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Sean Payton on the Saints' Coverage on Greg Olsen
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Midway through the third quarter, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen had already eclipsed his career high for receiving yards. He finished with 134 yards on eight receptions, two of which went for touchdowns.
Saints coach Sean Payton was asked about Olsen's performance during the postgame press conference.
"Listen. He’s a good football player," he said. "Certainly the plan coming in was to make sure we knew where he was at. There are certain routes he runs well and yet he was still able to come away with enough big plays."
The Saints, who zoned it up for much of the afternoon, repeatedly allowed Olsen to find the holes in their coverage for big gains.
Meanwhile, Newton was allowed to sit back in the pocket—often untouched—and scan the field for his favorite target.
The fact that the Saints allowed Olsen to make play after play was startling, and Payton may not be able to dismiss these plays so easily when he analyzes the tape.
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