4 critical observations from Sam Darnold’s performance at the Saints

Efficient first-half from Sam Darnold

It was clear from pretty early on that the Carolina Panthers were trying to make things as easy as possible for Sam Darnold. Getting rid of the football quickly was the key component behind this, which saw the quarterback complete his first nine passes – a career-high for the player.

This was helped by efficient offensive line play and a running game that managed to gain some notable yardage off the edge. The first-half problems emerged when Darnold and the Panthers found themselves in third-and-long situations, which resulted in a strip-sack and the USC product failing to move the chains in these scenarios.

The New Orleans Saints managed to secure a field goal on the final play to reduce the deficit to 10-9 at the half. Overall, it was solid if not spectacular from Darnold despite some obvious head-scratching moments.

• 9/12 passing (75%)
• 88 passing yards
• 0 TDs
• 0 INTs
• 3 sacks against
• 1 fumble lost
• 95.1 passer rating (ESPN)

Nobody was under any illusions before this game. It was never going to be a shootout given the complications being suffered by each team on offense, but Carolina found themselves in a solid position at the break considering all their turmoil of late.