4 keys to victory for the Panthers at the Saints in Week 7
By Dean Jones
Early momentum for Teddy Bridgewater
There will be plenty of attention on Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday. The quarterback is playing his first game in New Orleans since leaving the Saints in free agency in favor of a move to the Carolina Panthers and although he is saying all the right things, he wouldn’t be human if there weren’t some nerves coming into this one.
The Panthers need to get themselves off to a good start. This has been the catalyst behind their success this season and it bears more significance at the Saints given what is at stake for both teams.
Bridgewater will be at the heart of this, so he must play the game and not the occasion. It will be vital for offensive coordinator Joe Brady – another former Saint – to get him going early on with some easy throws to build confidence and ensure the Louisville product generates momentum for the rest of the contest.
That might be easy said than done. Nobody will know more about Bridgewater’s strengths and weaknesses than Sean Payton, who traded for the player and gave him the starting job in Drew Brees’ absence during the previous campaign that contributed largely to his big-money move to the Panthers.
He also has the added benefit of knowing Brady’s scheme like the back of his hand, which is similar to the one Payton uses in New Orleans. Bridgewater will be all-too-aware of this, but he has to get off to a hot start.