It took Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints some time to get rolling on offense against the homestanding Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football. Rookie quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers never got going on offense.
The end result was a 20-17 road win for the Saints and their first 2-0 start since all the way back in 2013 under Sean Payton. As for Carolina, it struggled on offense for the second consecutive game to open the Frank Reich era.
Below, we recap this game with the top takeaways, highlights and performances from the two NFC South rivals to conclude Week 2 of the NFL season.
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Top performances from New Orleans Saints win over the Carolina Panthers
Chris Olave, wide receiver, New Orleans Saints
Olave opened his sophomore season by recording eight receptions for 112 yards in last week’s win over the Tennessee Titans. The former Ohio State star was back up to his old tricks against Carolina on Monday night. That included an absurd one-handed catch.
All said, Olave caught 6-of-11 passes for 86 yards from Derek Carr in the narrow 20-17 win. A game that saw Carr dink-and-dunk it down the field included Olave actually adding some solid play-making ability. It’s something the Saints will need moving forward.
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Frankie Luvu, linebacker, Carolina Panthers
This veteran linebacker was all over New Orleans’ backfield in the first half of Monday night’s game. He got to Carr for two quarterback hits and two sacks. Luvu also recorded nine tackles, including three tackles for loss in a solid all-around performance.
With two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns struggling (zero QB hits, zero sacks), the Panthers needed someone else to step up. Luvu did just that in a narrow home loss to New Orleans.
Taysom Hill, athlete, New Orleans Saints
With Alvin Kamara suspended and after Jamaal Williams went down to injury early Monday night, the Saints needed another skill-position player to step up. Sure, Tony Jones had two rushing touchdowns. But it was Hill who did his thing on the ground.
The quarterback/tight end/running back gained 75 rushing yards on nine attempts, including a 19-yard scamper to spearhead a Saints rushing attack that surprisingly tallied 134 yards. Hill is a gadget player. That much is known. But his ability to impact the game Monday night can’t be ignored.
Top New Orleans Saints takeaway
New Orleans scored only one touchdown on three red-zone possessions against the Titans last week. Carr and Co. struggled in that regard. It didn’t start better Monday night with the Saints having to settle for two field goals to open the game. Both game with the Saints having seen their drives stall inside the Panthers’ 11-yard line.
The good news? After showing some outward frustration during the early portion of the game, Carr helped the Saints score touchdowns on their final two drives that made it into Carolina’s 20-yard line. The drives went for 75 and 79 yards, respectively. He also completed 6-of-6 passes for 103 yards during that span, actually taking some chances down the field in the process. This bodes well for New Orleans heading into next week’s road date with the Green Bay Packers.
Related: NFL defense rankings heading into Week 3
Top Carolina Panthers takeaway
Prior to leading Carolina down the field on a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, Bryce Young had done nothing of substance. He struggled finding open receivers, was under pressure throughout the game and missed some open throws.
During a five-drive span in the second and third quarters, the Panthers gained 67 total yards. The good news here is that Carolina was able to get scores on its final two possessions. Perhaps, that could act as a harbinger of things to come next week against the Seattle Seahawks.
New Orleans Saints stats
- Derek Carr: 21-of-36 passing, 228 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 65.5 QB rating
- Taysom Hill: 9 attempts, 75 yards
- Tony Jones: 12 attempts, 34 yards, 2 TD
- Chris Olave: 6 receptions, 86 yards
- Rashid Shaheed: 4 receptions, 63 yards
- Michael Thomas: 7 receptions, 55 yards
Carolina Panthers stats
- Bryce Young: 22-of-33 passing, 153 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 87.1 QB rating, 34 rushing yards
- Miles Sanders: 14 attempts, 43 yards
- Adam Thielen: 7 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD
- Chuba Hubbard: 5 receptions, 34 yards