The New Orleans Saints know that not all hope is lost…yet. This is a team that has lost six consecutive games, and the fan base is tired of the excuses for another seemingly failed season. However, this group plays arguably the worst team in the NFL for the second time this season, the Carolina Panthers, and there are a few things to talk about ahead of this matchup.
Injuries….Again
First things first, let’s take a look at the injury report. We got a ton of bad news again this week, which isn’t entirely surprising. The Saints will miss Kool-Aid McKinstry, Marshon Lattimore, Rico Payton, Bub Means, Kendre Miller, and likely Jamaal Williams. What does this mean exactly? Well, it means this group will be down their top four cornerbacks, so I’m not exactly sure how this team plans to fill those gaps. It also means that Williams and Miller will miss, meaning Alvin Kamara will need to take the boatload of the backfield touches, unless Jordan Mims can get some nice production (they’re going to need that to happen). Other than that, Derek Carr is expected to be back, but don’t get your hopes up too much. One of the first things he said earlier this week was that he isn’t a savior, so his return might not dramatically change the franchise’s hopes of making the postseason. Still, he gives this group a significantly higher chance of winning this game. Besides that, it’s much of the same story for injuries.
Saints Are Better, But Don’t Count Out Carolina
Now, let’s get into the realistic aspect of this game. The Saints are the better team here. They have dominated the Panthers in the last few matchups against them, Bryce Young hasn’t had any answers for them, and the New Orleans offense is still good enough to outscore them. Here’s the catch, this is a divisional game. Carolina might be considered a bad team, but anything can happen during a rivalry game, especially one that has seen one team lose six straight games. I expect this to be very close, and Young should be able to take advantage of some quick throws due to the severe lack of cornerback depth right now thanks to injuries. If Young gets comfortable early, this one might be lost, which sounds crazy to say given how the Panthers season has gone. Though this also goes to show how poorly the Saints have played since Week 2.
Carr Against A Panthers Defense Out For Revenge
The most important matchup will be the Saints offense against the Panthers defense. Carr is back, but how healthy is he? There is a chance that he struggles to shake off the rust and the pain from his injury, which puts this offense into stagnant mode once more. Thankfully, Olave will be out there along with Kamara, but this isn’t enough to consistently win games. I’ve said that all season long, and I’ll continue to do so. I have doubts about this offense’s ability to create outside of their top three playmakers, as they just haven’t done that at all this season. Carolina might not be a great team, though there is one thing for certain, that defense is playing to upset their opponent on any given night. Plus, we can’t forget that Carr in particular pointed out Jaycee Horn and flaunted how many touchdowns he scored over him in Week 1. These teams have come a long way since then, I’m sure Carolina’s defense has been reviewing that in an effort to give them something to play for. I really wouldn’t count out this Panthers team. Then again, I could just be a reeling Saints fan who thinks any game can be lost at this point.
Management Will Look Too Closely On This Game, For Good And For Bad
One final thing that I’d like to note, I believe the Saints will win this game. However, there is going to be a catch here. This will be one of those matchups that the Saints win, and then both General Manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Dennis Allen will come out and tell the fans that they should keep the faith, that everything is going as expected, that they’ve righted the ship. But that wouldn’t be the truth. Even with a win, this team is 3-6 and out of the playoff picture with numerous injuries that keep them even further from a potential Super Bowl chance. At this point, a ton of fans would prefer to just get a high draft pick and start over, but we all know that this probably won’t happen. Although, a loss to the Panthers could easily be the last straw for everybody involved and cause drastic changes. Sadly, I’ve brought this up for the last three weeks now and nothing at all has been altered (which is astounding given the circumstances).