4 primary scapegoats from the Carolina Panthers loss vs. Saints in Week 2

How did the Carolina Panthers fail to meet expectations during their disappointing Week 2 loss against the New Orleans Saints?

Another disappointing performance is behind the Carolina Panthers. Despite the team's efforts on the field, it is hard to argue that their 0-2 start is anything but deserved.

The team has shown some positive signs from the first two games that can be built upon. But the negatives heavily outweigh them.

With that said, let's delve deeper into four primary reasons why the Panthers lost against the New Orleans Saints.

Carolina Panthers defense gave up too many big plays

The Carolina Panthers' defense was hung out to dry by the lackluster offense on Monday night, but that does not mean that they aren't partially responsible for the loss. There were a few long plays given up that were momentum-killers.

Donte Jackson and C.J. Henderson were both victims of 40-yard strikes. The first was an incredible catch by Chris Olave that eventually led to the first touchdown of the game to give New Orleans the lead. And it was on third down - a stop there and Carolina gets the ball back tied at six rather than down seven.

The other two plays were even bigger that came on the drive when the Saints made it a 20-9 game late in the fourth quarter. Jackson was beaten by Rashid Shaheed for a long play that set up New Orleans on the Panthers' side of the field. On the next play, the Saints ran Taysom Hill for 19 yards to kill the game off.

Despite those plays and losing Shaq Thompson to injury halfway through the game, Carolina's defense held their end of the bargain against New Orleans. The offense, however, did not.