Who were the big winners and losers from the Carolina Panthers’ Week 2 victory over the New Orleans Saints?
It was a tale of two halves once again but for the first time since 2017, the Carolina Panthers are 2-0 after their 26-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Sunday was also the first time since 2018 that Carolina got a win over the Saints.
New Orleans entered the game banged up on defense and missing almost a dozen members of their offensive coaches due to COVID protocols, and the Panthers took advantage, jumping out to a 17-0 first-half lead.
The Carolina offense stalled in the third quarter. However, a fourth-quarter Christian McCaffrey touchdown and Jaycee Horn interception all but sealed the game.
It was another solid game by quarterback Sam Darnold and another elite day by the Panthers’ defense. Saints quarterback Jameis Winston, who was coming off a five-touchdown day vs. the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, looked like the player of old, struggling under pressure and throwing two interceptions.
There is still plenty to be worked on before Carolina’s Thursday night game at the Houston Texans this week. But a win is a win and it’s been an impressive start to the 2021 season.
So, without further ado, here is a look at this week’s three winners and three losers.
Haason Reddick – Carolina Panthers OLB
The defense as a whole deserves to be here because they were incredible in maintaining the New Orleans Saints offense, but after making the defensive line a winner last week, I decided to single out one (maybe) defensive player today and give the honor to linebacker Haason Reddick.
Reddick had the best game among all the Carolina Panthers’ defenders and his performance from the get-go helped set the tone for the day.
In total, Reddick had three tackles, one for a loss and 1.5 sacks. He signed as a free agent this offseason and his ability to play defensive end or as an outside linebacker has helped the defense be elite in the first two games.
The former Temple star now has three total sacks in two games, proving his career-year with the Arizona Cardinals last season was no fluke.
Reddick applied pressure on Jameis Winston the entire game and basically made his life miserable with the help of Brian Burns, Morgan Fox, and DaQuan Jones.
Winston was limited to 111 passing yards on 11-for-22 completions. Reddick’s presence was just a huge part of his struggles.
Dennis Daley – Carolina Panthers OL
Last week, Dennis Daley started at right guard in place of John Miller who had COVID, and he wasn’t great.
On Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, Daley was called upon to play left guard when starter Pat Elflein was injured in the first half. He didn’t show anything that could prove why the lineman deserves to be a starter for the Carolina Panthers.
In his third NFL season, Daley entered the campaign simply as guard depth for the Panthers and there were some who believed he could be on the verge of a breakout year.
Daley has experience playing all over the protection but with back-to-back performances of struggling at both guard positions, it wouldn’t be surprising if head coach Matt Rhule decides to activate guards Deonte Brown or Michael Jordan in future games for more depth.
The former sixth-round pick struggled in the blocking game against New Orleans, fell on Christian McCaffrey at one point, and even had to leave the game briefly due to an injury.
It was just a mess. Daley did nothing to help his case on Sunday.
Brandon Zylstra – Carolina Panthers WR
How many people had Brandon Zylstra as the guy hauling in the Carolina Panthers’ first touchdown of the day on Sunday?
Yeah, me neither.
Being a potential preseason cut before the season, Zylstra made Carolina’s 53-man roster thanks to his abilities on special teams and rookie receiver Shi Smith being injured. But he was involved in the game plan in a big way against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, catching three passes for 44 receiving yards and a touchdown.
His first career touchdown was a beautiful 20-yard pass from Sam Darnold and his two other receptions were pivotal catches to gain a first down.
Many on Twitter were even calling it “The Brandon Zylstra Game“.
In a wide receiver room that consists of D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, and Terrace Marshall Jr., it’s quite impressive that Zylstra was able to be involved so much.
If there was any doubt about why he’s on the roster, Zylstra proved Sunday that he’s here to stay and he might warrant more involvement in the weeks and months ahead providing he builds on this positive outing.
Zane Gonzalez – Carolina Panthers K
And the kicker troubles continue where the Carolina Panthers are concerned.
Zane Gonzalez was the latest victim to struggle as the Panthers kicker, having one of his three field-goal attempts blocked and missing one of his three extra-point attempts.
Gonzalez was signed a week ago after Carolina opted to release Ryan Santoso, and he didn’t fare much better. Even though it did save the organization from giving a seventh-round pick to the New York Giants.
It’s possible that Gonzalez gets another shot against the Houston Texans with this week being a short one but if Matt Rhule’s face on the sideline when the field goal was blocked proved anything, it’s that the kicker position might be a problem for a while this season.
Not only did Gonzalez get a field goal blocked and miss an extra point, but his kickoff attempts were also awful. After he was blocked, his kickoff landed on the 15-yard line.
We’ll see what happens, but this position battle is starting to get ridiculous. Something the Panthers need to solve at the earliest possible opportunity if they want to harbor realistic ambitions of reaching the postseason.
Morgan Fox – Carolina Panthers DL
Okay, you didn’t really think I would only name one defensive player as a winner, right?
Of course not. I wish I could name more.
But defensive end Morgan Fox, who was signed as a free agent this offseason had his coming out party with the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and was all over the field in the dominant defensive performance.
One of the more underrated additions this offseason, Fox had three total quarterback hits and half-a-sack.
Stats don’t do Fox justice, though.
He impacted the game in a tremendous way by applying pressure, assisting his fellow defensive line teammates, and helping control the line of scrimmage.
Spending his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, Fox is finally getting a chance to prove what type of player he is as a full-time starter and so far, the results have looked extremely good.
If he keeps this play up, the Panthers’ defense will continue to be elite and Fox will become a hugely significant piece of the puzzle along the way.
New Orleans Saints offense
It’s hard to name another Carolina Panthers loser so it’s gotta be the New Orleans Saints offense since it was basically inept on Sunday.
In total, New Orleans was held to just 128 total yards, six first downs, and seven points.
It’s not often that we’ve seen the Saints’ offense struggle so much since Drew Brees has been the quarterback. But Sunday’s game could be the first of many such games with Jameis Winston now under center.
Carolina sacked Winston four times for a loss of 31 yards and allowed a mere 48 rushing yards to New Orleans. Star running back Alvin Kamara was limited to five yards on eight attempts and 25 receiving yards on four receptions.
The Saints got their lone touchdown in the third quarter but couldn’t do much else, averaging just three yards per play.
In comparison, the Panthers had 28 first down completions compared to New Orleans’ six.
The Saints had to have left this game shaken up, especially considering they were riding on the crest of a wave following their exceptional Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers. However, it’s now back to the drawing board for Sean Payton and New Orleans ahead of their next contest.