Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was pressured throughout the team’s 47-10 loss to the Saints on Sunday and Carolina head coach Dave Canales said much of that falls on coaching.
Young was sacked four times with New Orleans registering five QB hits in the contest. In his Monday news conference, Canales said that some of reading the pressures falls on Young, but as the head coach, he and the rest of the staff did not provide Young enough help.
"[H]onestly, it’s on the coaching staff. It’s on us,” Canales said. “We sat there like we were sitting ducks. We didn’t do enough to put our guys — to give them simpler solutions in some of those. This is one of the best third-down pressure packages that you’re going to go against. We saw it Week 1. We’ve been against it before. We had a plan. [Dennis Allen] had counters. We got out coached in that regard. I take that personal.
“There was one that Bryce could have seen, and he could have flipped the protection. He’s been fantastic doing that. That’s the only one I would say that he could have really fixed the problem. [The Saints] gave us issues with what they did. We need to do better than that. That’s coaching.”
What does Canales mean that he takes it personal?
“For me, I take it personal any time that I feel like I’m putting our players at a disadvantage where they don’t have simple solutions,” Canales said.
In general, Canales said he thought Young had a “solid day” with his footwork.
“As we went through the grades, looking at his footwork and the discipline of it, it was there,” Canales said. “I think he missed a couple of throws. I think that he’s learning some of his guys, and we’ve gotten all these reps and we’ve got to keep accumulating those reps. But what I saw from him was just kind of missing a few of his opportunities that he had there, and I also have to give the Saints credit for covering us really well and they made it hard and it forced accurate throws and that’s something that we have to make sure we cash in on when we have those opportunities.”
Young ended the contest 13-of-30 for 161 yards with two interceptions.
Canales, Young, and the Panthers will try to turn things around when they host the Chargers on Sunday.
Saints Clips
Saints head coach Dennis Allen didn’t want his team listening to outside voices ahead of their opening game against the Panthers and he doesn’t want them listening to it after their 47-10 win either.
Allen said that he wants the team to remember that a lot of the people who are complimenting the team for their play in Week One were the same ones predicting dismal results for the Saints this season, so he’d prefer if players just tune them out across the board.
“I told the team this today: There’s a lot of people outside the building that didn’t think we were capable of doing much,” Allen said, via Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. “Those same people are probably saying a lot of great things about you today that were saying a lot of negative things about you before yesterday’s game. So we try not to pay much attention to that, we’re trying to focus on what our job is, what we need to do, and how we get better. We know we’re going to have an extremely tough challenge this Sunday going up to Dallas.”
Beating up on a team coming off a 2-15 season with a new coach and a roster that’s lacking talent across the board is a good way to feel good about yourself at the start of a season, but it’s not a great measuring stick for the long run and Allen is smart to keep his team’s eyes on what’s in front of them.
Bryce Young and the Panthers had a rough start to the 2024 season with Sunday’s 47-10 loss to the Saints.
Young, the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft, finished the contest 13-of-30 passing for 161 yards with two interceptions. He was also sacked four times before new head coach Dave Canales put in Andy Dalton at the end of the game.
In his postgame press conference, Young noted that the Panthers have to move forward.
“Of course, you want to come out and start on a high note. It didn’t happen today and that’s tough,” Young said. “We’re going to wear that today. We’re going to learn from it when we turn the film on tomorrow.
“But that doesn’t define us. Obviously, [it’s] a long year and we have to attack it with urgency and make sure that we’re urgent about cleaning things up and fix what we’ve got to fix. But we’ve got to turn the page. Again, it’s a tough league. Would’ve been great to win a game — obviously, the goal is to win every one. It wasn’t the case. So, that’s how it is. We’ve got to turn the page and then focus on next week.”
Young was asked if it potentially helps that it’s just Week 1 so that the team can flush what happened to start the year and improve.
“I think we don’t have a choice,” Young said. “Again, we’ve got to get ready for next week. You dwell too long or you let it affect you — obviously, that’s something we can’t do. [In] the league, you don’t have a choice. We have to let it be what it is.
“Again, it’s fresh right now, so you feel the emotions more. But you’ve got to be able to move on.”
Young and the Panthers will host Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh, and the Chargers in Week 2.
Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore has missed a lot of time with injuries the last two seasons, so his early exit from Sunday’s win over the Panthers felt like a return to the familiar for the veteran.
Lattimore appears to have avoided a major injury, however. Lattimore said after the game, via Luke Johnson of NOLA.com, that his hamstring felt good and described himself as “solid” and Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports that it is a minor injury.
While the injury is not severe, it could keep Lattimore from playing this week. The Saints will be in Dallas next Sunday and Wednesday will bring the first word on how much practice work Lattimore is able to do.
Lattimore had two tackles before his injury on Sunday.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara didn’t get the new contract he was looking for this offseason and said last week that it is “too late” to have those conversations.
On Sunday, Kamara showed that the contract issues aren’t impacting him on the field. Kamara ran 15 times for 83 yards and a touchdown in the Saints’ 47-10 rout of the Panthers and told reporters after the game that he’s only focused on what happens between the lines.
“I’m not worried about it. I’m here to play. I’m going to play. I’m going to perform. I don’t got no illness. I don’t got no mystery injury. I’m here. You know what I’m saying? I’m going to play, I’m going to perform, I’m going to be here with my teammates, coaches,” Kamara said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. “Outside of all that, I think the most important thing, I mean, I love this city right? I love the fans. I love these people. They support me. They’ve been supporting me for years now, right? For me, in my head, it would be kind of selfish to not go out there. I mean, I interact with so many people every day. These people love me like I’m family. I feel the same way and vice versa. I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t come out here and try to put on for those people that have been supporting me.”
Kamara’s approach is a different one than other players have taken during their own contract pushes and the Saints benefitted from it on Sunday. If that continues, Kamara will have a good chance of getting what he’s looking for at some point down the road.
The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL in 2023. If Week One is any indication, not much has changed in 2024.
Carolina went to New Orleans for the season opener and got destroyed, in a game that the Saints led 17-0 in the first quarter and 30-0 in the second. The final score of 47-10 actually looked closer than the game really was because the Saints took their feet off the gas in the second half.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is looking more and more like a draft bust. The first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Young had an ugly rookie season and played poorly again today, with some terrible passes that a top pick in Year Two should not be making. Sometimes when a highly drafted young quarterback is struggling you can say they have the physical tools but just haven’t learned to play at the NFL level yet, but Young looks like he lacks the physical tools to be a franchise quarterback.
Saints quarterback Derek Carr played well, completing 19 of 23 passes for 200 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Alvin Kamara had 15 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
But this game appeared to say more about the Panthers than it said about the Saints. Carolina has a long, long way to go. And it may not have its franchise quarterback.
Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is off to a good start on the 2024 season.
On the first drive of the Saints’ game against the Panthers today, Shaheed ran deep downfield and hauled in a pass from Derek Carr for a 59-yard touchdown. The Saints have an early 7-0 lead.
Shaheed blew past Panthers cornerback Jacyee Horn, who appeared to be expecting safety help that wasn’t there. The breakdown in coverage made it an easy downfield pitch-and-catch for Carr and Shaheed.
Last season Shaheed was an All-Pro return man, and the Saints would like to get more out of his big-play ability on offense as well. He showed on the first drive of the season that he’s very capable of big plays in the passing game.
Every week we bring you all the inactives from the 1 p.m. ET games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s status for Sunday’s game has been closely watched all week because the wideout has reportedly been on the fence about playing without a contract extension in place. Chase warmed up on the field before the home game against New England on Sunday morning and he is active for the season opener.
That suggests Chase will play, but there have been a lot of twists and turns with the receiver since the start of training camp so we’ll see if he has his usual role. The Bengals will take as much as they can get with Tee Higgins out and the chance to start the year with a win on the line against the Patriots.
Bengals at Patriots
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins, WR Kendric Pryor, EDGE Cedric Johnson, T Amarius Mims, TE Tanner McLachlan, DT Kris Jenkins
Patriots: QB Joe Milton, WR Javon Baker, LB Curtis Jacobs, G Sidy Sow, T Zachary Thomas, T Demontrey Jacobs, DT Eric Johnson
Cardinals at Bills
Cardinals: WR Xavier Weaver, TE Travis Vokolek, OL Jon Gaines, DB Darren Hall, LB Jesse Luketa
Bills: T Ryan Van Demark, DE Dawuane Smoot, S Cole Bishop, LB Joe Andreessen, LB Eddie Ulofoshio, C Sedrick Van-Pran Granger, DE Javon Solomon
Vikings at Giants
Vikings: CB Fabian Moreau, DB Dwight McGlothern, WR Trishton Jackson, DT Levi Drake Rodriguez, DT Jalen Redmond, T Walter Rouse, QB Brett Rypien
Giants: S Anthony Johnson, CB Tre Hawkins, LB Boogie Basham, G Jake Kubas, QB Tommy DeVito
Titans at Bears
Titans: S Jamal Adams, LB Otis Reese, OL John Ojukwu, TE David Martin-Robinson, TE Thomas Odukoya, LB Ali Gaye
Bears: WR Tyler Scott, RB Roschon Johnson, OL Kiran Amegadjie, OL Bill Murray, DT Zacch Pickens, LB Noah Sewell, DE Dominique Robinson
Panthers at Saints
Panthers: S Jammie Robinson, CB Shemar Bartholomew, C Andrew Raym, G Jarrett Kingston, TE Tommy Tremble, TE Messiah Swinson, DE LaBryan Ray
Saints: WR A.T. Perry, QB Spencer Rattler, DT Khalen Saunders, LB D’Marco Jackson, LB Jaylan Ford, TE Dallin Holker, DT John Ridgeway
Steelers at Falcons
Steelers: QB Russell Wilson, WR Roman Wilson, DB Jalen Elliott, OL Isaac Seumalo, DL Dean Lowry
Falcons: RB Jase McClellan, CB Antonio Hamilton, DL Brandon Dorlus, OL Jovaughn Gwyn, WR Casey Washington, DL Ruke Orhorhoro
Jaguars at Dolphins
Jaguars: S Daniel Thomas, OL Javon Foster, OL Cole Van Lanen, DT Esezi Otomewo, DT Jordan Jefferson, DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
Dolphins: RB Jaylen Wright, CB Ethan Bonner, LB Channing Tindall, LB Mo Kamara, OL Andrew Meyer, WR Malik Washington
Texans at Colts
Texans: WR John Metchie, RB Cam Akers, S M.J. Stewart, LB Jamal Hill, G Nick Broeker
Colts: C Tanor Bortolini, WR Josh Downs, QB Sam Ehlinger, CB Dallis Flowers, T Blake Freeland, K Matt Gay, TE Will Mallory
The Panthers have made several Saturday moves centering on their tight ends — a group that has had injury concerns entering the season.
Carolina placed Ian Thomas on injured reserve, which means he’ll miss at least the next four weeks. He has been sidelined by a calf injury suffered during training camp.
The team signed tight end Feleipe Franks off of the practice squad to the active roster to fill that spot at tight end. The club also added defensive tackle Jayden Peevy to the 53.
Cornerback Keenan Isaac was waived to make room on the roster.
Additionally, the Panthers elevated running back Mike Boone and cornerback Lonnie Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s season opener in New Orleans.
Cornerback Marshon Lattimore’s practice participation is trending in the right direction ahead of the Saints’ Sunday game against the Panthers.
Lattimore was limited in practice on Wednesday because of a hip injury, but he was bumped up to full participation in Thursday’s session. That suggests he’s on track to play in the opener.
Assuming he does, it will be his first appearance since Week 10 of last season. Lattimore missed the rest of the year with an ankle injury and he was limited to seven games in 2022, so the Saint will be hoping that news continues to be positive on the health front.
The Saints made one other change to their injury report. Wide receiver A.T. Perry missed practice with a hand injury after not appearing on the report at all on Wednesday. Linebacker Willie Gay (back) and guard Nick Saldiveri (calf) were limited for the second day in a row while linebacker Jaylan Ford (hamstring), tight end Dallin Hooker (ankle), linebacker D’Marco Jackson (calf), and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (calf) missed practice again.
