It's been almost two months since we've watched a performance by the New Orleans Saints that wasn't ugly, even in the victories. Sunday's game versus the Panthers was no different. They lost on a game ending field goal, and they didn't deserve to win.
The Saints started the game terribly, per usual, but luckily it didn't cost them too much. The first drive was an interception, and it just continues a streak of the Saints having to try to find momentum as the game goes on.
Final pic.twitter.com/dhhHzQtHIx
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 15, 2026
Same old Saints and it just cost them a divisional game
Panthers kept the Saints in this game early
The Panthers should have had a bigger lead than 7 points in the first half. They were frequently in Saints territory, but they never got anything out of those drives. The Saints put Carolina in scoring position on their first drive after a Tyler Shough interception, which set the tone for the first 30 minutes.
Bryce Young tripped on a fourth down attempt near the goal line that led to a turnover on downs, but it looked like he would have rolled into the end zone if he kept his footing. Holding pushed the Panthers out of scoring range then they chose to pass up on a long field goal attempt. The drive after that Carolina missed a field goal.
Carolina eventually scored a touchdow, but they ended the half with 7 when they reasonably could have been in the double digits. Some of it was Saints making plays, but there were some unforced errors sprinkled in as well.
Tyler Shough likes to target Jordyn Tyson
Chris Olave has been the leading receiver for the team, but he wasn't Shough's favorite target on Sunday. That honor goes to Jordyn Tyson, and this is what we should expect with Tyson on the team.
There's going to be a back and forth component to this wide receiver tandem after spending a top-10 on Tyson. The fact the rookie earned Shough's trust this quickly is a great sign, and it's what we should expect more of this moving forward. However, even with Tyson getting the lionshare of the targets, it was surprising to see Olave be an afterthought for the majority of game.
Tyson took advantage of the targets
Shough targeted Tyson, and the rookie took advantage of the extra attention. He finished the game with 11 catches for 80 yards. The rookie saw action on scramble plays, plays in the intermediate portion of the field, and there were short plays designed to get Tyson involved as the primary read.
There was a conscious effort to get the ball to Tyson. This should be a taste of what we'll get moving forward. There was still a lot of passes shallow and behind the line of scrimmage, but we saw more targets down the field than we did last week.
Alvin Kamara the red zone threat?
In his prime, one of the best parts of Kamara's game was his ability to score the ball. He flashed the ability in this game again. He didn't see the ball much, but he scored two touchdowns on his five touches.
Kamara saw a reception that took us back to his hayday. Watching the future Saints Hall of Famer catch a Texas route felt like the good ol' days, and he still has it when he's used properly.
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