The New Orleans Saints will head back to the Big Easy to face the Carolina Panthers at Caesars Superdome in Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season. To break it down, Walker Clement of Cat Scratch Reader joins
us to preview Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
NJ: Do you expect the Panthers’ leading rusher, Rico Dowdle, to have a bounce-back game after the Saints were able to contain him during their matchup in Carolina?
WC: Dowdle has been struggling with a three ball juggling act since that loss. He has been dealing with a lagging quad injury, he has been deprioritized more than once by questionable game planning and playcalling, and he has been the focus of more than one defense as the engine of the Panthers offense. That is a lot of balls to keep in the air.
Panthers fans are hoping that the first two balls can be set down after the bye week. An extra week of healing and a head coach who we are praying learned the lessons from and before their upset victory over the Los Angeles Rams could make all the difference in the world.
Add to that a resurgent Chuba Hubbard, and we’re hoping that you see another 40 rushing attempts on Sunday no matter how ready for that the Saints are.
NJ: What has been Bryce Young’s biggest improvement since taking accountability following the Week 10 loss to New Orleans?
WC: I don’t know. He has had good games since then. See the Falcons and Rams contests. But he also looked just as lost as a passer against the 49ers on Monday Night Football as he did at home against the Saints a month ago.
Has he gotten better or just remained inconsistent? It’s frustratingly hard to tell. I want to say that the Saints game will be a deciding moment in his story, but he’s also always struggled against New Orleans in the same way he looks like a Hall of Famer against Atlanta. In a way, Young is the perfect Panthers quarterback because he embodies chaos. Good luck to all of us with that.
NJ: How do you expect Ejiro Evero’s defense to prepare for Tyler Shough’s mobility after his eye-opening game on the ground in Tampa Bay?
WC: I expect to see a lot of plays in their big nickel formation. The Panthers have a surprising strength in their run stopping safeties that has helped mask their weakness at linebacker at times.
I also don’t know if I believe Shough’s production from last Sunday is something that you will see every week. He’s young, so anything is possible, but I’m going to wait to see more before deciding if he’s closer to Michael Vick than Matt Ryan with his legs.
NJ: Which positional matchup do you think will be the most critical in determining the winner of Sunday’s game?
WC: Is it wrong if I say Bryce Young versus himself? This game is entirely different if he is comfortable in his own skin and throwing well compared to whatever he was in Week 10.
I suppose that really means the most critical match up will be our offensive line, which is finally getting a little healthier, against your front seven. If Carolina can get the ground game on track then that opens up everything else for them. If not then we’re talking about a very low scoring game on the Panthers part.
NJ: According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Panthers (-138) are currently 2.5-point favorites over the Saints (+118) in Sunday’s matchup; what is your final score prediction?
WC: The Panthers haven’t won a game they were favored in since 2021. They also haven’t had a winning record this late in the season since 2017. Things are different this year, just as they are still wildly different week to week. But I’m choosing to believe.
Panthers beat the Saints by ten points so that they can face the Buccaneers next week with high stakes and the momentum to clear them.
Thank you again to Walter Clement for joining us to preview this week’s matchup! You can check out the rest of his work here.
