CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Things may be starting to look up for the New Orleans Saints following a six-game losing streak.
Not only are the Saints expected to get a jolt from the return of veteran quarterback Derek Carr, who has been out since Week 5, but they have a chance to get back on track against the NFL-worst Carolina Panthers (1-7) on Sunday.
While the Saints (2-6) certainly don’t resemble the world beaters they looked like in the season opener when they ran out to a 30-0 second-quarter lead and trounced the Panthers 47-10 at the Superdome, they seem to have Carolina's number.
The Saints are 3-0 against Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and have won the last two games by a combined 59 points.
Saints coach Dennis Allen said his team's dominant Week 1 win means nothing heading into this week.
“Zero,” Allen said. “That game was eight weeks ago. It matters what we do this week in practice. It matters what we do in the game.”
The Panthers haven't shown much improvement on either side of the ball under first-year head coach Dave Canales. Only three teams have surrendered more points through eight games in the Super Bowl era, and the offense remains near or at the bottom of the league in most statistical categories.
Carr, who completed 19 of 23 passes for 200 yards and threw first-half touchdown passes in the first matchup, will look to exploit Carolina's leaky secondary that has allowed 17 TD passes – tied for the most in the league.
But he is trying to avoid the temptation to take on an outsized role in an offense that is desperate to emerge from its recent rut.
“I am no savior,” Carr said. “I am here to be a great leader and to be a great teammate and do my job to the best of my ability. Do I feel confident in what I can do? Absolutely.”
The previously benched Young will make his second straight start with 37-year-old Andy Dalton still recovering from a sprained right thumb he sustained in a car crash last week.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft is 2-17 as an NFL starter and has more interceptions than touchdown passes during his brief, disappointing career. Although trade rumors continue to swirl around Young, the Panthers don't appear interested in moving on from him at this point.
“I’m excited for Bryce to have another opportunity to build on the things (and) continue to just grow and get that experience that is invaluable – to be on the field, to be calling the plays and doing it," Canales said.
Carr said pain wasn’t his big issue the past three weeks.
His strained oblique was simply too weak to allow him to maintain proper throwing mechanics. At first, the recipe for recovery was rest, meaning he couldn’t even pick up his kids, which he said was "probably the hardest part.”
“There was literally nothing that I could do but wait and let it heal,” Carr said.
During the past couple of weeks, he has gradually ramped up throwing in an effort to avoid a setback.
The Panthers traded No. 1 wide receiver Diontae Johnson to Baltimore earlier this week and will lean heavily on rookies Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker moving forward. There's a chance that veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen will be back in the lineup this week after missing the last five games with a hamstring injury.
Legette said Young showed more trust in Coker and him last week against Denver by throwing the ball up and allowing them to make plays. Legette and Coker both caught TD passes in Carolina's 28-14 loss to the Broncos.
“I definitely trust (Xavier); I trust all of our receivers," Young said. “In this league, it’s a lot of bang-bang plays, a lot of tight windows and tough throws.”
Saints defensive back Alontae Taylor, who has spent much of the past two seasons transitioning from cornerback to nickel back, appears likely to return to defending the perimeter this week.
That’s partly because it’s not clear if cornerback Marshon Lattimore will be able to return from a nagging hamstring injury.
“I’m back at home, I guess you could say,” Taylor said. “But I’m really trying to figure out what can I do to maybe give us a better chance of winning games.
With cornerback Paulson Adebo out for the season because of a broken leg and Lattimore struggling with his injury, Taylor is now one of the more experienced and prominent defensive backs in the lineup.
“I think the best thing I can do is just continue to fly around,” Taylor said. “I have to make sure I give a better example to the younger guys and lead them in the best way possible.”
The Panthers have been cautious in bringing along rookie running back Jonathan Brooks, their second-round draft pick, as he recovers from a torn ACL sustained last year at Texas.
But there’s a possibility that Brooks could make his NFL debut on Sunday against the Saints.
Brooks would bring a home-run threat to the Panthers' backfield they are currently missing. Chuba Hubbard has been solid, reliable and arguably the team’s most productive player this season.
Yet Brooks offers an explosive style that could lead to some big plays.
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