The Carolina Panthers almost rallied from a huge deficit against the New Orleans Saints, but they came up just short, losing 34-31 on a late field goal.
Here are a few takeaways from the loss.
Christian McCaffrey continued his phenomenal season
The Saints came into this week having not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 36 consecutive games. McCaffrey was unbothered. While they were mostly able to contain him on the ground, McCaffrey torched the Saints as a receiver. He caught all nine of his targets, totaling 133 yards from scrimmage and scoring two touchdowns. This is one of the greatest seasons any NFL running back has ever had. Carolina fans should be enjoying that if nothing else about this year.
Kyle Allen did his job
When Allen makes gruesome mistakes like he did against Atlanta and San Francisco, he deserves the lion’s share of the blame. He also deserves credit when he does well, as he did today in New Orleans. Allen’s pass protection was atrocious (he was sacked four times and hit six times) but he played with poise and made solid throws throughout the afternoon. He avoided committing turnovers and took what the defense gave him, especially on underneath routes to McCaffrey. Allen finished the game 23/36 for 256 yards, three touchdowns and a 112.7 passer rating. His numbers against Arizona were better. This was his best game yet, though.
Carolina’s secondary is not as good as we thought
James Bradberry is doing his best to carry them, but repeated mistakes by the other defensive backs are bringing the group’s performance down. Eric Reid and Donte Jackson both bit on a play action fake in the first quarter, leading to another easy touchdown for New Orleans. Reid was burned again by Jared Cook for a score later on, shortly after Tre Boston committed a costly penalty. These aren’t isolated incidents, either. This unit started the season strong. They need to show more discipline, though.
D.J. Moore is officially a monster
Make that four remarkably productive games in a row for Moore. Kyle Allen has settled into a rhythm with No. 12 recently and it’s the best thing the Panthers have going on offense outside of McCaffrey right now. Moore took the top off with multiple 50+ yards plays and finished with six catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Moore’s dramatically improved route running is the main reason he’s flashing so much. He’s averaging over 100 yards a game over the last month.
Special teams are becoming a serious problem
Special teams were probably the biggest reason why Carolina’s comeback came up short. A muffed punt and a missed extra point by Joey Slye helped put the Panthers in an early hole. At halftime, Ron Rivera told sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson that this area needs to be cleaned up. Slye missed another extra point kick not long after that and a short field goal attempt in crunch time that could have potentially won the game.
The injury bug bit hard
The Panthers’ front line has been the strength of their defense this year, despite missing Kawann Short for most of it. Their depth is about to be tested even more. Dontari Poe suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter and it appeared to be serious, so he may miss significant time. The offensive line also took a couple of hits, with left guard Greg Van Roten going down in the first half and the tackles shuffling late. Reid also suffered an ankle injury. We’ll see how the team adjusts this week.
