Welcome everyone to another edition of #4Downs! In this edition we’ll be breaking down the Saints loss to the Carolina Panthers.
1st Down: McCown’s Time to Shine
A lot has been said about how art is imitating life with the Verizon Wireless commercials starring perennial backup QB Luke McCown. But the former Louisiana Tech QB held his own against the Panthers in what might have been one of the best offensive performances by the Saints in quite some time. Outside of that interception in the closing minutes, McCown was 31-of-38 for 310 yards. But what was amazing was how consistent McCown was from the first play from the line of scrimmage going for 5-5 before stalling in the redzone. Even in the loss, McCown’s performance is a good sign for the Saints if Brees has to miss a significant amount of time.
2nd Down: Defensive performance too little too late
The Saints were able to get the ball back in the closing minutes twice because of the defense forcing three-and-outs. But this was a case of too little too late for the defense. This was another week where the Saints defense allowed too many of the big plays, especially through the air.
3rd Down: Inability to Capitalize on Panthers Mistakes
For a change, the Saints didn’t have as much laundry as usual, but the Saints were unable to capitilize on some of the mistakes the Panthers had. The Panthers on the other hand were able to take advantage of the mistakes that the Saints made because of the fact that several of the penalties the Saints had on the defensive side were automatic first downs, extending several drives.
4th Down: Murphy breaks loose
For the first time since 2011, the Saints got a special teams touchdown. Marcus Murphy, who many people have drawn comparisons to former Saint Darren Sproles (who had the last special teams touchdown). The undrafted rookie finally proved those critics right. Murphy has a lot of speed on his side which is a huge plus for this Saints team who has shown an inability to score on the offensive side of the ball.
-Clint Domingue