A 3-1 start to the season was sealed with a somewhat frustrating 16-14 victory against the now 0-4 Carolina Panthers. The Saints were without running backs Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush and the safeties were dropping like flies. Roman Harper was already out with a hamstring injury, while Pierson Prioleau and Chris Reis were both injured during the game.
Injuries aside, the Saints let the Panthers hang around with some ill-timed turnovers. First, it was Lance Moore fumbling at the goal line. Next, it was running back Chris Ivory losing a fumble for the second straight week. They both ended good-looking drives by the Saints offense. Thankfully, the defense stepped up both times to prevent the Panthers from taking advantage.
Ivory (12 carries for 56 yards) was very effective running the football. But the youngster from a small school has to learn how to hold on to the football. With Thomas and Bush out, the Saints have to rely on Ivory and veteran Ladell Betts (13 carries for 47 yards). If Ivory can’t hold on to the ball, Betts will have to take a more prominent role.
Drew Brees (33/48, 275 yards, 1 TD, 90.2 QB Rating) was very solid. He didn’t seem bothered by the brace on his left knee (injured last week against the Falcons), but he was victimized by some key dropped passes. The Saints just didn’t seem like they were in much of a rhythm. Of course, the loss of your two top backs may play a role in that.
The Saints defense was solid, if not spectacular. They sacked Panthers rookie QB Jimmy Clausen 3 times, but he did hold up pretty well. Clausen was 11/21 for 146 yards, 1 TD and a 90.6 QB Rating. The 55 yard TD pass to a wide open Jonathan Stewart was the biggest blemish for the defense.
Overall, they held down the struggling Panthers attack quite well. DeAngelo Williams did bust a 39 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter, but the Carolina attack was inconsistent.
One area where the Saints were pretty true to form was special teams. Veteran kicker John Carney took over for the slumping Garrett Hartley, and was 3-3 in field goals. They were all short range, but so was Hartley’s key miss last week in overtime. Carney looked steady, and that’s what the Saints need right now.
The special teams also forced a fumble on a 3rd quarter punt return by Captain Munnerlyn that led to a Carney field goal.
It’s hard to complain about a 3-1 start, even if it wasn’t as pretty as we’re used to seeing from the Saints. Still, this team hasn’t clicked on all cylinders just yet. It was already tough to lose Reggie Bush, but the Saints really missed Pierre Thomas today. Not just his running, but his receiving skills and ball security make a big difference.
I got the feeling during this game that if the Saints had played an opponent who wasn’t struggling as much as the Carolina Panthers, the outcome may not have been the same. The Saints have got to clean up the mental mistakes from the past 2 weeks as they move on to the second quarter of the season. Too many promising drives have ended up in turnovers and they’ve let their opponents off the hook.
Thankfully, the team is still 3-1 and there’s no reason to hit the panic button.
Who Dat Awards:
Sedrick Ellis – He is wreaking havoc in the middle of that defensive line this year. Whatever diet he’s on, I want some!
Remi Ayodele – Also creating some havoc and batting away passes.
Drew Brees – Stayed true to his “Cool Brees” moniker out there today. He made some outstanding throws and avoided mistakes.
Ladell Betts – He looked fairly spry out there, coming off of major knee surgery. This guy’s a player.
John Carney – The wily one added some stability with 3 field goals.
Usama Young – Saw some time at safety and did a nice job. Even recorded a sack.
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