Last week, our heroes mounted on the backs of Titans to start their journey to greatness. As the team rides, a dark storm begins to brew. Bolts of lightning begin striking the titans. The sudden bombardment forces our heroes to climb back down and continue on foot. The group finds themselves in a mystical forest with glowing blue trees. The path leads to a grand oak sitting on a hill. When the team gets closer, an invisible panther reveals itself sitting on the branch. The panther slowly creeps down the tree toward the group. Perhaps it could be of use.
The lights are shining bright for the Saints. A primetime game vs a division opponent in the Panthers. The last time we saw these two face off was in The Ultimate Dumpster Bowl, where somebody unfortunately had to win and it was Carolina. But this is a new season with new changes to both teams, specifically with the number one draft pick, Bryce Young. This game would help shape the NFC South and is a mustwin for the Saints if they want to keep pace for the number one spot. With all that being said, how did the game go? Extremely rough. For the second week in a row, the Saints’ defense helped get the job done as the offense stalls for the first half. However, the Panthers played the exact same way. Both teams recorded 4 sacks, and only Carolina got an interception. It played out like two armadillos fighting by curling up into balls – no attacking and insanely tedious. Some people call these types of defensive struggles “exciting.” I, like most people, find it extremely painful when the only reason it’s a struggle is because Derek Carr has a wheel stuck in the mud. In his defense, he was constantly under pressure. Yet he finished the day going 21/36 for 228 yards and one interception. The offensive drive came from their rushing attacks. Jamaal Williams left the game with a hamstring injury, and with Alvin Kamara still suspended, someone has to run the ball. The running game came from Taysom Hill and Tony Jones Jr. from the practice squad. Jones Jr. didn’t take his chance for granted and got two touchdowns in the second half to put the team up by eleven points late in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, this is a Saints game, and it has to come down to the wire, no matter what. Young hit Adam Thielen in the endzone to score a touchdown, and they converted the two points to make it a threepoint game. Fortunately, no damage was done as the Saints hung on to win. The win puts the team up 2-0 and keeps us in the race with the Bucs and Falcons, with the division lead up for grabs. Despite the team continuing its sluggish offense/ great defense trend of last week, there is one great improvement. They utilized Taysom Hill much better. It’s great to see him throw the ball, along with running. The dude can ball, but the next opponent might not be such an easy foe.