Saints at Panthers: 3 things we learned

The Carolina Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, 23-20. Here are the three biggest takeaways from this NFC South rivalry game.

The Carolina Panthers managed to hang on to beat their NFC South rival New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football in Week 11, 23-20. Carolina improved to 4-6, while the Saints stumbled to that same record.

There is a lot to dissect from this exciting Thursday night game, but here are the three biggest takeaways from the Panthers’ win over the Saints.

1. If Luke Kuechly misses time, the Panthers have no shot

This win for the Panthers is certainly bittersweet. It keeps the Panthers’ slim NFC Playoff dreams alive, but they might be without their best player for some time. Linebacker Luke Kuechly had to be carted off the field with a concussion, and possibly a lower leg injury, on a hit he sustained trying to tackle Saints running back Tim Hightower.

Kuechly was in obvious pain and was sobbing on the field. Bank of America Stadium was silent the entire time Kuechly was down on the field. It seems like it was the potential concussion more than getting his leg trapped under Hightower that did in him. Losing Kuechly nearly cost the Panthers the game.

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Without Kuechly, the Panthers’ defense becomes progressively worse. Their secondary isn’t close to competent and the entire front-seven runs through its signal caller Kuechly. Without him, the Panthers are going to struggle winning games.

2. The Saints and their kicking game…

It almost happened again. Yes, in consecutive weeks Saints kicker Wil Lutz had a kick blocked that was returned for points. Well, not exactly. It should have been for six Panthers points, but rookie James Bradberry blocked a Saint in the back on what should have been an impressive Kuechly special teams paydirt.

Carolina would score on the turnover on a Cam Newton pass to Ted Ginn, Jr. It was a 10-point swing that the Saints would really like to have back. New Orleans did end up losing by only three points on the road to the Panthers.

This is twice that Lutz has had a kick blocked that cost the Saints the game. The one in Week 10 against the Denver Broncos is certainly more devastating, but one could argue two things on this block: 1) Lutz might start to lose it upstairs. 2) Maybe the Saints spiral out of control after these two defeats that were contingent on special teams’ gaffes?

3. Are we sure Cam Newton is good?

Besides the Cleveland Browns not making the 2016 AFC Playoffs, the only other certainty we know this NFL season is that Newton will not be NFL MVP in 2016. The 2015 NFL MVP has regressed to the point of “Are we sure he’s good?” Seriously. What is up with Cam?

Newton’s team may have won the game, but he stunk on Thursday Night Football. He completed just 42.4 percent of his passes for 192 yards and a touchdown. This was against a Saints team notorious for its defensive ineptitude. Frankly, he looked the same under center as he did last week against a superior Kansas City Chiefs defense. This has to be troubling for the Panthers coaching staff.

The book to stopping Newton is being written in 2106: stop the run, stop Cam. Carolina had only 50 rushing yards in the game and it essentially took last year’s MVP out of the game.

Newton doesn’t throw a catchable ball, and is almost always high on his attempts. He struggles to make secondary and tertiary reads of even bland defensive schemes. Newton has no business being in a Pro Bowl this season. The Panthers have gone 4-6 in spite of his terrible play at quarterback in 2016.