First Look: Panthers at Saints

The Saints host a familiar NFC South foe in the Superdome on Sunday in a game New Orleans can't afford to lose.

Week 14 sees the Saints (5-7) hosting the lowly Panthers (1-11) in an important NFC South matchup, which means New Orleans should not and cannot take them lightly. There's plenty of things we're going to pay attention to with a few days left until game day, which mainly centers around the health of the team. 

Saints Storylines to Follow In Week 14

Sep 18, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Foster Moreau (87) is tackled by Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson (26) in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

QB IN FOCUS

Derek Carr is dealing with several injuries, but the main one is the concussion. It's the second time in three games he's had one, and he also has a shoulder and rib injury that he's managing. Dennis Allen said on Monday that the shoulder is fine and that he's still in the protocol, and Carr was even at Wednesday's practice throwing. Those signs point to him trending in the right direction, but there's still a ways to go.

Jameis Winston is obviously more than ready to step in if his number is called on, and it honestly might be smart turning to him in the first place. This game should be one where New Orleans gets back into the win column and ends their losing streak, so why not allow Carr to get back to full health if you truly are wanting to push for a postseason run?

TAYSOM HILL WATCH

He didn't practice on Wednesday, as he's dealing with a left hand and foot injury. Not having him in the lineup would be a serious blow to the offensive game plan. Hill's ability to help move the ball in a variety of ways, which even includes kick returner right now with Rashid Shaheed (thigh) still out, would be severely missed. We'll see where he's trending this week, but New Orleans is simply dealing with a big injury bug at the wrong time of the year.

Saints Place Maye and Roach on IR, Claim Monty Rice and Sign P.J. Mustipher

THE SUB PLAN

With injuries piling up, there's obviously going to be a big focus on the replacement plans. Marcus Maye and Malcolm Roach went on injured reserve Wednesday, which means the Saints will likely keep going with Jordan Howden alongside Tyrann Mathieu. Of course, Lonnie Johnson Jr. could also get looks there. Losing Roach is also unfortunate, as he has quietly had a strong season and is very underrated. 

New Orleans added a defensive tackle to the roster from Denver in a corresponding move, but this could be a week where we see Jack Heflin elevated from the practice squad. There were 15 players listed on the initial injury report, so who ends up missing the game will obviously be something to monitor.

JUST WIN

The Saints are riding a three-game losing streak, but are still alive in the lackluster NFC South. We pointed out that a path to a Wild Card will be a bit tougher for New Orleans, but in the same breath Dennis Allen said back towards the end of November that the team isn't relying on outside help. 

In short, the Saints have to win and keep winning, and it's on them to get back into the win column over the next two games to even have a shot. If they can't, then that should spell out some futures. Expect a very light and impatient Superdome for this game. You really can't blame the fans for their stance either.

The biggest things we're wanting to see in this game aside a win is complementary football. Perhaps this is the game where they can at least get that right, with an emphasis on a better start defensively and keeping things like the Red Zone execution going offensively.