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Carolina Panthers: Takeaways from Carolina vs. New Orleans

By Horran Cameron

Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz (3) gestures after his 54-yard field goal with :16 seconds left against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints won 41-38. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz (3) gestures after his 54-yard field goal with :16 seconds left against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints won 41-38. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) catches a touchdown over Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Shaq Green-Thompson (54) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Panthers 41-38. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) catches a touchdown over Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Shaq Green-Thompson (54) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Panthers 41-38. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Carolina’s Secondary Is Suspect

It seems as if Josh Norman‘s departure to the Washington Redskins left a huge void in the Panthers’ secondary.  Sunday was another game where an opposing team’s quarterback and wide receiver decimated the Carolina Panthers’ secondary.

Two weeks ago, Atlanta’s Julio Jones had 12 receptions for 300 receiving yards. Against New Orleans, Brandin Cooks caught seven receptions for 173 yards and one touchdown. New Orleans’ quarterback Drew Brees completed 34 of 49 passes to 10 different receivers for 465 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

Carolina sacked Brees once for a five yard loss. The Panthers are not getting a great deal of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. This gives rise to quarterbacks having a great deal of time to do their check-downs.

Similar to the Atlanta game, New Orleans’ Brees had his way against Carolina; just like Atlanta’s Matt Ryan. The rest of Carolina’s schedule features high-profile quarterbacks including Carson Palmer (Arizona Cardinals), Alex Smith (Kansas City Chiefs), Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders), Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks), Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) and Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins).

The Panthers will face Ryan and Brees one more time each during the regular season as well. Carolina’s defense need to find their identity in order to be victorious.

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