First place in the NFC South is on the line when the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers square off in the Superdome on Sunday. Both the Saints and Panthers enter the game with 3-5 records, a half game ahead of the 3-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. The Saints swept the series over the Panthers last season and are 10-4 against Carolina since 2019.
New Orleans has looked nothing close to the defense that ranked fourth against the pass and ninth overall in 2025, ranking 29th overall this season. Their struggles against the run have been well documented, but they've also done poorly against the pass. In Carolina, the Saints are facing an offense that is ninth overall with much of that success through the air. We analyze that aspect
of this NFC South matchup now.
Panthers passing game
▪︎ 261.1 yards per game (4th)▪︎ 60.4% completion percentage▪︎ 16 touchdowns (6th)▪︎ 6 interceptions (16th)▪︎ 26 sacks
Quarterback Bryce Young has quietly had the best of his of his four seasons so far. Young has eclipsed 300 passing yards twice with four more outings of at least 275 yards. His yards per game, average per attempt and completion, and touchdowns-interception ratio are the best of his career by a wide margin. Young seems to have a firm grasp on coach Dave Canales offense in their third season together.
Second-year wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is Carolina's most productive target. After last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, McMillan is picking up right where he left off with 46 catches and 625 yards with 3 touchdowns. A big and physical receiver with good agility, McMillan has two 100-yard games with two more of at least 75 receiving yards.
Underrated wideout Jalen Coker has been a strong number two. Coker has 31 receptions for 393 yards and has the speed to take the top off defenses, allowing McMillan to work underneath. Xavier Leggette has been activated off injured reserve and expected to play against the Saints. A 2024 first round pick, Leggette has the size and speed that coaches love but lacks route precision and has been largely a bust so far. John Metchie III and rookie third-round pick Chris Brazzell II were added last offseason to boost the speed in the receiving corps. Only Metchie has produced so far with 14 catches and 154 yards, but the development of undrafted third-year pro Brycen Tremayne as a fourth receiver has been a pleasant surprise.
Carolina lines up two tight ends often with Darren Waller and Tommy Tremble. Waller is the bigger receiving threat and has 23 catches for 299 yards. However, Tremble combines excellent blocking abilities with underrated intermediate receiving skills, evidenced by his 21 catches and 179 yards. Mitchell Evans, with 12 receptions of his own, has emerged as a quality third tight end. The Panthers don't throw to their running backs by design often, but Chuba Hubbard is a trustworthy check-down option with 26 catches for 167 yards.
Carolina struggles to protect Young, who also has a tendency to hold the ball and has a poor feel for pressure. The Panthers have quality interior blocking with former Saint Luke Fortner at center along with the guard combination of Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt. However, the tackle spot is banged up with Ikem Ekwono (left) and Taylor Moton (right) each missing numerous games. First round choice Monroe Freeling is getting starts at right tackle but still developing.
Saints pass defense
▪︎ 236.6 yards per game (28th)▪︎ 65.5% completion percentage▪︎ 13 touchdowns (21st)▪︎ 4 interceptions (24th)▪︎ 23 sacks▪︎ 48 QB hits
A few atrocious coverage breakdowns from the Saints secondary nearly turned victory into defeat against Cleveland last Sunday. Two weeks earlier, the same type of breakdowns nearly caused a loss to the Giants. New Orleans safeties have been consistently ineffective, at best description. Julian Blackmon has been adequate, but Justin Reid has been downright awful, with Jonas Sanker not much better. All three are capable of better play, but have usually a disaster in tackling (especially Reid) and have shown very little playmaking skills in coverage, though Blackmon does have 2 interceptions and has been the best of the three.
Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. Emerson has the team's other 2 picks and has proven to be a solid offseason signing, taking over primary corner reps from Quincy Riley. In his second season, Riley had some early-year struggles but would still be a much better option at the nickelback spot than Sanker in coverage. Why Staley has refused to make the switch has been incomprehensible. Kool-Aid McKinstry has also had some wild ups and downs as the number one corner, but does lead the defense with 4 pass breakups. The fact that Saints corners have a combined 13 passes broken up is a testament to how excruciatingly passive Brandon Staley's coverage schemes have been.
Staley's soft coverage has allowed opposing quarterbacks to often have an easy pitch-and-catch to their receivers. It's also hindered the pass rush, with the lack of tight coverage not forcing passers to hold the ball longer. In spite of this, edge rushers Chase Young and Carl Granderson have been outstanding and the bright spots on the defensive unit.
Chase Young ranks second in the NFL with eight sacks, along with recording 13 QB hits, and is well on pace to surpass his 2025 career-best production. Granderson is also having a career year with 7.5 sacks, third in the league, while equaling Young's 13 pressures. Both have been consistently in opposing backfields weekly. If New Orleans owned a better record, Young would likely be among the mid-season favorites for NFL Defensive MVP.
Inside linebacker Kaden Elliss is the only other New Orleans defender to consistently make plays. Elliss can provide pressure as a blitzer and is the team's best coverage linebacker, along with the top run defender. Thank goodness, because fellow linebacker Pete Werner has been abysmal at all three. Werner is a major liability, yet Staley refuses to give his early-down reps to Danny Stutsman or turn to the athletic Isaiah Stalbird in passing situations.
New Orleans defensive linemen have also made next to no impact. Legendary veteran Cameron Jordan is but a shadow of his Hall of Fame form. Nathan Shepherd and Vernon Broughton have not made nearly their expected contributions. Nose tackle Khristian Boyd is one of the few interior linemen who has created some disruption. The lack of pressure from the position and ineffectiveness against the run has had a trickle-down effect on the entire defense.
The Saints have had a ton of success when facing Bryce Young, who is only 1-5 against New Orleans. In those six matchups, Young has a 55.2% completion with 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions while averaging just 151.5 passing yards per meeting and getting sacked 16 times. He's never thrown for as many as 175 yards against New Orleans, being held to under 150 yards twice. Young is 0-3 at New Orleans, completing only 45.6% of his passes with 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and an average of 153 yards while getting sacked 9 times in those contests. To continue that success, the Saints must get the same disruption they've been getting from Young and Granderson, put pressure in his face with Elliss, and play far more effectively in the defensive backfield.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints look to continue defensive success against Panthers Bryce Young
