The New Orleans Saints earned an excellent win over division rival Carolina Panthers, and although there were many great performances, there were also disappointments. The Saints were down 17-7 at one point, and some of their performances contributed to that.
Luke Fortner
When star C Erik McCoy went down with a season-ending injury, C Luke Fortner had to step up and did not disappoint in his role. Still, the run/pass blocking has been an issue, and the penalties are starting to really show up.
Against the Panthers, Fortner was called for a false start at least twice, including on fourth-and-short, which led to a Saints punt. These types of mistakes really hurt the New Orleans offense throughout this game.
The pass blocking was also really suspect at times, and, combined with the other interior offensive linemen struggling, it looked ugly.
Carl Granderson
The Saints’ defensive line as a whole struggled on Sunday, but there were a number of times the weakness of EDGE Carl Granderson’s game popped up.
After the last game’s excellent performance, there was some hype around Granderson, but Panthers QB Bryce Young had his number. Throughout the game, there would be times that Young would have to start scrambling out of the pocket, and Granderson would be the one defender near him, but the QB was able to maneuver right by him.
This has always been a central issue in Granderson’s game, but when he needed to make an impact, he did so, especially in run defense.
Defense on 3rd/4th Down
This is where the Saints struggled for nearly the entire game, which brought back flashbacks for fans. Earlier in the season, New Orleans made stops on first and second down, but on third or fourth down, the Saints could not get off the field. They were able to fix this issue, now ranking 8th in the league for 3rd/4th down conversions allowed according to PFSN’s Defensive Impact Metric, but this game was different.
Facing Carolina, you can beat their offense, but their defense just kept letting the Panthers convert when they needed to.
On the other hand, when it mattered most, the Saints’ defense made clutch stops that led to New Orleans’ win. It was a clutch performance from the defense, but these struggles to get off the field will be something to watch for the rest of the season.