Panthers payback sputtering Saints: 3 key takeaways from a wild Week 9 win

The Carolina Panthers have won a home game for the first time in nearly a full calendar year.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 03: Chuba Hubbard #30 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates a touchdown during the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

The Carolina Panthers are finally back in the win column for the first time in six weeks. Today they traded blows and leads back and forth with the New Orleans Saints right up until the last minute, coming out on top by a score of 23-22.

Here are a few key takeaways from today's victory for Carolina, which puts them at 2-7 on the season.

Bryce Young stacks another strong game

The biggest headline is that the team's number one overall pick Bryce Young looked nothing like the quarterback we saw in Week 1 against this same Saints team. Overall Young was more aggressive, more confident and more decisive than we have seen him play in some time. On the surface, Young's numbers may not look so great - he finished the game 16/26 for 171 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a 77.6 passer rating.

However, Young was robbed of a touchdown on a bad drop by David Moore and the "interception" was actually more of a strip/fumble of rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette by a Saints DB than a pick by Young. In both cases Young's pass was pretty close to perfect. While there were a few wobblers and off-the-mark throws, this showing represents a chance for Young to build momentum for the rest of the season and start really living up to his status as a top overall pick.

Panthers run defense beyond all hope

The bad news is that on the other side of the ball things are pretty much still hopeless - especially when it comes to stopping the run. The Saints ran at will practically the entire game, and Carolina's defense had a particularly tough time stopping Alvin Kamara (155 yards on 29 carries). New Orleans totaled nearly 200 yards on the ground as a team. Truthfully, the Saints left at least eight points on the field by throwing the ball on their two early drives when it was readily apparent the Panthers had no answer for Kamara.

Dave Canales deserves no credit at all

Even more concerning than Carolina's run defense was the performance of head coach Dave Canales, who called an atrocious game on offense. The worst of it came on his Surrender Ball decision late in the second quarter when he had a 4th and 2 inside Saints territory but elected to try to draw them offsides rather than running a play. They didn't, and then he punted.

Canales' playcalling in general was uninspired, especially on third down. You could even be forgiven for thinking Canales doesn't want to see Bryce Young succeed after watching this one. The Panthers were also totally unprepared to an obvious fake punt situation in the second half and the only reason they really won this game is because the Saints are playing even more poorly right now - they have now dropped seven games in a row.

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