Although it wasn’t the prettiest of wins for the Saints on Sunday, they did just enough to sneak by the Carolina Panthers to nab win number four of the Kellen Moore era.
Saints Rookie QB Tyler Shough Has Career Day In Win
After taking over as the Saints’ starter back in week 9 versus the Los Angeles, rookie QB Tyler Shough has been nothing short of excellent. The former Louisville Cardinal finished with 272 yards passing and a touchdown while leading the Saints down the field for a game-winning field goal.
Shough also made franchise history with his 12-yard touchdown pass to Wide Receiver Chris Olave in the fourth quarter of today’s game. That touchdown officially tied Shough with Archie Manning for the most touchdown passes thrown in a rookie season in Saints history. Shough was the highest-drafted QB the Saints have taken since Manning, who was selected No. 2 overall in 1972.
Panthers Blow Opportunity To Increase NFC South Lead
Coming into the game, the Carolina Panthers had a 0.5 game lead over the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South. The loss today officially puts the Panthers in a tie with the Bucs for the division crown heading into the final stretch of the season.
Much of the loss today can be attributed to the Panthers’ inability to generate on offense. Panthers QB Bryce Young had a decent outing for Carolina, finishing with 163 yards passing to go along with 1 passing touchdown and 39 yards rushing.
The Panthers also saw both Running Back Rico Dowdle and rookie Wide Receiver Tetairoa McMillan have their worst games of the season. Dowdle only managed to rush for 49 yards, while McMillan finished with 2 catches for 25 yards in the worst outing of his young career.
Saints Starting To Show Signs Of Life Under Head Coach Kellen Moore
After starting the season 2-9 with not much to be happy about regarding the team’s overall performance, the Saints have seemed to find a bit of rhythm as of late. This win against the Panthers represented the Saints’ third win in five games, with the Saints’ offense looking better and better in each win.
While four total wins on the year is nothing to be exactly proud of, the performances of Shough and the offensive ingenuity of Moore should give Saints fans some much-needed hope for the future.
The Saints have seen a slight uptick in their offensive ranking over this five-game stretch, going from 26th to 20th as Shough has continued to string together solid performances each week since being under center.
Panthers Playoff Hopes Officially On the Line
After dropping a game that they were heavily favored to win, the Panthers’ playoff hopes are now hanging by a thread with three games to go. The path that lies ahead for the Panthers is about as tough as you can get, as Carolina will face off against Tampa Bay in two of the next three games. The Panthers will also match up against the 11-3 Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.
If the Panthers want any chance of snapping their eight-year playoff drought, they need to win two of the next three games, with both wins coming against Tampa Bay.
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