The Dave Canales era got off to about as poor a start as possible.
The Carolina Panthers got boat raced from start to finish and lost to the New Orleans Saints, 47-10.
First Quarter
It was not what we’d call an ideal start to the season for the Panthers. The Saints started with the ball, and after a few positive plays, Derek Carr found Rashid Shaheed streaking down the middle of the field for a 59 yard touchdown. Jaycee Horn was caught looking for safety help that never arrived.
The Panthers attempt at a response last more than one play. Bryce Young rushed a throw over the middle and it landed in the lap of the Saints free safety. The defense held this time and forced a 57 yard field goal.
The offense had marginally more success on their second drive. Chiba Hubbard had a couple of nice carries, but Young’s rough start continued. He tripped over an offensive lineman on a blown up play, then missed a wide open Diontae Johnson on third down.
The Saints took over after the Panthers punt and met little resistance as they marched down the field. Alvin Kamara hit a big run to the outside, which set up a touchdown pass in which Carr threw across his body into traffic yet still found his receiver.
The quarter ended with the Panthers in a 17-0 hole.
Second Quarter
The second quarter didn’t provide any respite. The Panthers picked up a 3rd and 1 but it was called back for a hold. Young was sacked by an unblocked defender on the replay.
The ensuing Saints drive got jumpstarted by a late hit from Shaq Thompson. They gashed the Panthers defense on the ground and worked into field goal range. The defense eventually stiffened up and forced a field goal attempt.
Jonathan Mingo took an end around on the second play of the Panthers next drive and promptly fumbled it away. It led to another Saints field goal. That’s 23-0.
The Panthers took over and did nothing. The Saints brought a blitz on third down and Young was a sitting duck. The Saints returned the punt inside the red zone and scored on the first play of the “drive.”
The next attempt at a two minute drill went slightly better. Young misses Diontae Johnson on a short pass but found him for a first down one play later. Xavier Legette reeled in his first career catch for another first down over the middle of the field. The duo each caught one more pass to set up an Eddie Pineda field goal to give the Panthers their first points of the half.
Third Quarter
The halftime pep talk didn’t work. Hubbard was stuffed on first down, Young ran around and threw the ball away on second, then overthrew a wide open Adam Thielen and was intercepted for the second time.
The defense looked like they’d get off the field quickly when they got the Saints into a 3rd and 19, but Michael Jackson committed a 31 yard pass interference to keep the drive alive. It got capped off by an Alvin Kamara touchdown.
Young found Legette for a big gain on the ensuing drive and did the same to Mingo, but Mingo had the bar jarred loose once again when he got hit. Fortunately he was touching the sideline while he still was in contact with the ball, so the Panthers retained possession with the ball inside the five yard line. It took four tries, but the Panthers scored on a Bryce Young scramble on fourth down, though he narrowly avoided fumbling the ball before breaking the plane.
The third quarter ended with the Saints driving into field goal range once again.
Fourth Quarter
That would be all the drive would amount to. Thompson blew up a Kamara handoff to force the Saints into their fourth field goal attempt.
The Panthers went 3 and out and got their punt blocked. It only took a few plays for the Saints to run in another touchdown.
The offense worked into scoring range thanks in large part to a long completion to Adam Thielen, but the drive stalled out at the doorstep of the red zone.
The Saints pulled their starters and went 3 and out for their first non-scoring drive of the game. The Panthers got good field position after the Saints interfered with the punt catch, but they turned it over on downs anyway.
The rest of the game consisted of both teams taking turns running out the clock.
Overview
It a was a colossal, embarrassing failure on all fronts. Every element of the team was thoroughly outplayed by the Saints. The defense allowed the Saints to score on every single one of their drives in which the starters played. The offense was bullied in the trenches and the indecision and inaccuracy that plagued Bryce Young in his rookie season was on display again. And the special teams had a punt blocked to add their own contribution to the dumpster fire. It was all so, so bad. Kudos to anyone that watched it all. Double kudos to anyone who had to watch it all and write what happened.
The Panthers will try to be less of a laughingstock at home against the Chargers next week.