Carolina Panthers: Week 7 awards in loss at the Saints

Carolina Panthers Awards: Brian Burns – Defensive Player of the Game

The defense couldn’t stop Alvin Kamara even without the Saints’ two top receivers in Michael Thomas and Emanuel Sanders. This ultimately led New Orleans to victory.

Even though the defensive unit struggled to make big plays, letting the Saints score on five of their seven drives, Brian Burns significantly altered the game.

The Saints were once again driving down the field unimpeded to possibly take a commanding 21-10 lead in the second quarter. At this point in time, New Orleans scored two touchdowns on their first two drives, and nothing looked to change during their third possession of the game as they drove to the Panthers’ 25-yard line.

This was until Burns burst into the backfield to light up Drew Brees in the process, causing a change of possession off a fumble and, more importantly, a shift in momentum for the Panthers. Before the strip-sack, Carolina’s defensive unit looked lifeless and didn’t show any hope of stopping the Sean Payton offense.

The fumble caused by Burns led to a lead-changing touchdown by the Panthers, but unfortunately, the lead was not kept for long. This game-altering play gives the talented pass-rusher the defensive player of the game award. Hopefully, he continues to find ways to impact games in the future on a young defense.