The New Orleans Saints embark on the second half of their season ready to forget about the first nine games, but can they write a different story?
The Tyler Shough era continues at QB for New Orleans against a Panthers squad that faced similar questions this time last season. A win over the Saints in Charlotte seemed to jumpstart the Bryce Young/Dave Canales era. Can New Orleans return the favor?
THE GAME | Saints (1-8) at Panthers (5-4)
- When: noon, Sunday, Nov. 9
- Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Series history: Saints lead 32-29
- Last meeting: 2024, Panthers 23, Saints 22
- Betting: Panthers -4.5; over/under 38.5
- TV: FOX
- Listen: WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
- Pregame: First Take with Steve Geller & Charlie Long, 8-10 a.m.; Countdown to Kickoff with Steve Geller & Bobby Hebert, 10 a.m.-noon
With all that in mind, here are the top things I'm looking for in the Week 10 showdown against the Panthers:
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1. Shoughing Forward
There's a decent chance this ends up being my top bullet point for the rest of the season, because there's no more important question than this one: Do the Saints have their QB of the future ... or should they start paying more attention to Saturdays?
Tyler Shough, good or bad, will have the most say in determining that. The results in his first start weren't exactly ideal, but you grade a player on a curve in his starting debut. The Saints went out to L.A. and got taken apart by an impressive Rams defense. They aren't the first and they won't be the last to say that this season.
But there was positivity for the rookie QB, particularly when it came to a touchdown drive before halftime. Shough worked through his progressions quickly and found Juwan Johnson (his third read) for a big play in a moment where the Saints desperately needed something to happen. It was a bright spot in a dreary day, and it was emblematic of the decision-making that had his coaches feeling optimistic heading forward.
"There’s a lot of good things in there and there’s a lot of things to improve on," said OC Doug Nussmeier. "The one thing was it wasn’t too big for him.”
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I'd agree with that. Even in the rough start, I didn't get the sense of a player being overwhelmed, simply of an offense that couldn't get where it needed to go. One or two first downs early in the game and things probably play out differently.
The Saints should face better odds in Week 10, albeit against an upstart Panthers team and stout defense. One thing Carolina doesn't do is harass opposing QBs. The Panthers have just 14 sacks on the year and 83 QB pressures, totals that rank 27th and 30th respectively in the NFL.
I'd really like to see Shough execute well early in this game and get this Saints offense off to the type of fast start that's felt impossible. The rookie took his lumps, which included a hit to the head and a jacked-up jaw that wouldn't close properly until he got some therapeutic needling on Tuesday. That was his welcome to the NFL moment, now it's time to prove he belongs.
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Vele time?
The trade the Saints swung in the preseason to bring in Devaughn Vele drew a fair amount of criticism considering the assets given up (a 2026 4th and 2027 7th) and the age of the player (27 years old), but I've been pretty steadfast in that I liked the move.
The age is the age, but the contract is also the contract. Vele is in his second NFL season and will be with the Saints through 2027. But then there's the production, through 9 games this season he's accounted for 5 catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. Four of those catches have gone for first downs.
He's been a willing blocker and his 6-5 frame allows the Saints to do things on offense you really need a traditional X receiver to do. His primary usage is still going to be in the red zone and in chain-moving situations. Sometimes you draw up a play for him and it goes elsewhere, such as Shough's touchdown throw against the Rams. Vele was the first read, but the Rams doubled it. Shough moved on and found a TD to Juwan Johnson.
It's always going to be a steeper learning curve when a player arrives after camp, and there were a lot of mouths to feed ahead of him, or at least there was. The Saints shipped Rashid Shaheed out of town, and both trades should serve to create a clearer picture: Vele's role in the offense should increase dramatically, and I'm looking to see that begin this week in Carolina.
"We think that he’s a heck of a player, he’s a dawg," WRs coach Keith Williams said. "so I’ve got nothing but love for [Vele] and he’ll be, obviously with [Shaheed] being gone, there'll be an uptick in his opportunities based off that.”
What multiple coaches have pointed to at this stage is his intelligence. He's an older player, and there's very little concern about whether he can handle the workload in the offense. Williams also raved about how fluidly he's able to move with the bigger frame, and that he's got sneaky speed as well. He can run the full route tree, and that'll serve him well down the line.
I don't expect it'll take long to see him impact the offense, and it sure would be nice to see that start to happen a lot more starting in Carolina.
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Playing with pride?
We're just over a year removed from the last time the Saints were up in North Carolina to face the Panthers, and the result of that game finally pushed things over the edge.
The Saints blew a 4th quarter lead. Morale was about the lowest you'll see in the locker room. The team fired Dennis Allen to chart a new course.
That new course hasn't led to more wins, but if you ask team leaders, they'll tell you that things feel a lot different, even if the results are similar.
“The locker room has way better energy this year than we did last year," DE Cam Jordan said. "Last year it felt like we were devoid of energy. I won’t say hope, but this year it’s like, we understand what we have to do and it has to be a we thing.”
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Coaches have echoed that sentiment, and it does seem to be the case when you go around the room and talk with players. At what point does that translate into better play on the field?
A good place to start will be in the run game this week, because the Panthers offense has been pretty straightforward: Hand Rico Dowdle the ball and let him go to work. The journeyman back has pretty much been the Panthers offense during their recent 4-1 stretch, including three 100-plus rushing games.
When the Saints defense has played well this season they've limited opposing run games. Run defense is a lot about energy, reading keys, guys doing their jobs. If the Saints can limit the Panthers rushing attack to under 100 yards, they'll give themselves a chance and also prevent the Panthers from dominating time of possession like the Rams did last week.
LAGNIAPPE
Chris Olave was lobbying earlier this season for more deep ball opportunities. His coaches agreed, and we've seen him getting a much higher share of those shot plays this season. Well, without Shaheed he's now the best option, too. Expect those balls to keep coming. ... The Saints signed Audric Estime to the active roster. The backfield share is still going to be primarily Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal, but he's one injury away from a featured role. ... Veteran WR Dante Pettis beat out young DB Jayden Price for the punt return role. Pettis has been elevated for this week. ... Asim Richards (RT) and Dillon Radunz (LG) will slot into the starting lineup this week. Radunz is a veteran who has played well at guard in his opportunities. Richards is filling in for an injured Fuaga and that'll be a spot to watch.