Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers disappointed many when they lost 17-7 to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon.
Going into the matchup, Carolina was riding high on momentum. They were coming off a stunning 16-13 road win over the Green Bay Packers, a team that is in the mix for possible Super Bowl contention. Taking on a Saints squad that has one of the worst records in the NFL, anything that doesn't involve a win would have been disappointing for the Panthers.
Unfortunately for Carolina, the team dropped the ball in its home matchup. They only reached the end zone once throughout the encounter, going silent throughout the last three quarters while New Orleans scored in the second and fourth periods.
One Carolina reporter expressed frustration towards the loss, namely Joe Person. He did not hold back on the consequences of the squad losing to the likes of the Saints.
“Panthers lose 17-7 to Saints team that came in with one win. Pathetic performance. Uninspired coaching. They fall to 5-5. At Atlanta next week,” Person wrote.
How Bryce Young, Panthers played against Saints
Bryce Young and the Panthers will have plenty of self-reflecting to do after losing to the Saints despite beating the Packers in Week 9.
Even head coach Dave Canales voiced his issues about the loss during his postgame press conference, via reporter David Newton. He pointed out the turnovers and missed opportunities for them to capitalize on New Orleans' mistakes.
“We turned the ball over twice. They didn't. … Missed opportunities across the board. And I look at it: I gotta do a better job. I gotta do a better job that we have answers and complements to our run game. They did a fantastic job of taking care of that part of it. And we hit a couple of passes but not enough. I gotta make sure that we put our heads together and game plan so that we have answers for when a team (stops us from effectively) running the ball,” Canales said.
Dave Canales: ‘’Missed opportunities.’’ pic.twitter.com/I81USocLQd
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) November 9, 2025
Young had a brutal day as the Saints' defense applied pressure on him all game. He completed 17 passes out of 25 attempts for 124 yards and an interception.
Rico Dowdle was the team's major bright spot on offense. He had 18 carries for 53 yards and the lone touchdown while catching three passes for 10 yards. Four players made three or more receptions throughout the matchup. Tetairoa McMillan led the way with five catches for 60 yards. Ja'Tavion Sanders came next with five receptions for 32 yards, while Jalen Coker caught three passes for 21 yards.
The Panthers will look to bounce back in their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. ET.
