Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs where I break down what went right and what went wrong for the New Orleans Saints! This week, I look at the Saints win over the Carolina Panthers.
1st Down: Rhythm and Bruise Contained
When you face off against a team three times over the course of a season, you can key in on the biggest aspects of their game. That’s what happened when it comes to the Panthers and their defensive gameplan.
The Saints run game was very much kept in check with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara rushing for only a combined 45 yards on the ground. However, they were able to change the gameplan early and wound up opening up the passing game. The big issue for the Saints though is that they will need all aspects of their offense to be there for four quarters if they want to advance further and the hit to the depth on the offensive line will affect their plan of attack.
2nd Down: Greg Olsen Continues to Give Saints Fits
In my preview, I mentioned the Saints having to deal with Greg Olsen for the first time all season. The Panthers tight end has caused issues the last couple of seasons and that trend continued with Olsen racking up eight receptions off of 12 targets for 107 yards and a touchdown.
However, his impact was felt more late in the ballgame when Newton kept finding him on third down plays. The defense was exposed late in the matchup and wound up causing issues for the Saints offense because they were unable to put double coverage on him. It’s safe to say that Olsen is becoming a lot like Steve Smith Sr. in terms of how many fits he gives the defense.
3rd Down: Bend, but Don’t Break
If there’s one thing that the Saints defense can hang their hat on is that they didn’t break. Of the Panthers 11 drives, they were within the New Orleans 25-yard line six times. In those six trips, the Saints only allowed 16 points.
You have that kind of performance, you’re winning ballgames.
4th Down: Win and Move On
The final moments weren’t pretty, but the Saints advanced in the playoffs and at the end of the day, that’s what counts. The first thing that needs to happen on Monday is leaving this in the past where it belongs. It’s great to have a win like this where the offense was clicking and the defense was able to keep things under control, but next week needs to be the focus and try to take down Minnesota.
The Vikings made the Saints look like the 7-9 team that many expected to see at the beginning of the season. A lot has changed over the course of the last few months, but the Saints will need to be tunnel vision the rest of the way.
-Clint Domingue