Saints vs Panthers Week 9 Game Preview

Who dat to the who dat nation?

Welcome to the Dome Patrol Podcast,

your podcast for the

New Orleans Saints here on the KB Radio Network.

I am your host,

Kevin Reed,

and this is the week nine preview of the New Orleans Saints versus the Carolina Panthers.

Take two,

our second matchup with the Panthers.

Panthers this season.

We all know what took place in our first meetup in the very first game of the season when the Saints demolished the Carolina Panthers.

You know,

I got to start off with some good karma because I'm being honest with all of you out there.

Thank you all for joining me,

even though I know a lot of you in the Who That Nation really could care less about the Saints.

because they haven't given us much to care about.

But I thank you for joining me and sticking with the squad.

I mean,

it's hard.

These are hard times,

hard times,

but we are still who that through and through.

But it's been so long since it's been something exciting to talk about when it comes to the New Orleans Saints.

And we got to think all the way back to week one.

Yeah,

we won in week two as well,

but,

you know.

clear and present danger we are playing this carolina panther team yet again who we started off the season and it looked like the saints were going to make some noise the saints were going to be something that the league will be talking about for

the remainder of the season well part of that is true the saints are being talked about but not in the sense that we thought

after that week two matchup against the Panthers.

Such a contrast,

you know,

from when we last met.

We were optimistic going into that game,

you know,

start of the season.

How are we going to fare?

It was already predestined that the Carolina Panthers weren't going to be good this season,

so it wasn't a shock that the Saints came in there and won the game.

But...

In the matter that they won,

that's what took everybody like,

my God.

I mean,

the Saints put up,

what,

40-something points in that game,

and it just,

it wasn't even a contest.

It was like we were out there with a high school team.

Well,

I think a high school team would have been more competitive than the Carolina Panthers on that day.

But,

man,

and then you get to week two when you played a better team because,

you know,

after that win,

it was like,

well.

We did that,

but that was against Carolina.

So it really wasn't believable.

But a decent team in the Dallas Cowboys were like,

okay,

can we do this again?

And they did.

They actually did.

So all eyes were on the New Orleans Saints.

But ever since that,

it has been borderline depressing to watch this team play.

And we've been on a six-game losing streak ever since.

And really.

No end in sight,

even though the Carolina Panthers are in our crosshairs right now.

You know,

just to put it out there,

I'm not 100% certain the Saints will win this Sunday.

I'm being real.

At the style of play that they're playing now,

at the injuries that have stacked up against the Saints,

and,

you know,

the coaching that is going on on that sideline,

they are the worst team in football.

A lot of people describe the Carolina Panthers as the worst team in football,

being as though they only won one game.

But we're only one game better than them.

And when we saw this after week one,

it was like,

man,

there's no way we will be fighting for last place,

if that makes any sense,

in the NFC South.

But we are.

The loser of this game will have sole possession of last place in the division.

And.

Man,

this is,

boy,

how the mighty has fallen.

That's all I can say.

The New Orleans Saints,

who are now 2-6,

they look to bounce back this week and reverse their fortunes,

to reverse this six-game losing streak and try to get back to some remnants of what we experienced in the first two weeks of this season by playing their last road contest until December 8th.

And it feels like it's been first.

ever since the Saints played in the Dome.

What was it?

The Thursday night game against Denver was the last time we was in the Dome when everybody left at halftime.

but uh i mean who who cares at this point because i think honestly i don't think a lot of people coming back to that dome when the saints do return no matter what's the outcome of this game but that's neither here or there but

the carolina panthers they're one in seven in a division contest that will take place in carolina at uh bank of america stadium the saints will be looking to improve to three and six you

leading into their three-game homestand and in their division record at 2-2.

And this would require a sweep of the Carolina Panthers for the second consecutive season.

That will be the first time since 2019 that the Saints have swept the Carolina Panthers,

believe it or not.

We have never swept them since

2019. And...

You think about the bad teams in between that time,

in between that five-year period.

And I'm talking about bad team from the Carolina Panthers.

You can go back to last year.

How did we not sweep Carolina?

But we didn't.

We didn't.

And so this will be the first time,

if they're able to pull this off this Sunday since 2019.

The Saints continue to get healthier.

We're getting a lot of...

a lot of players back this week.

We also have a lot of players who popped up on the injury report that weren't here a couple of weeks ago.

So you have that to deal with as well.

The hope is for a return to a complementary style that this football team started off the season with,

with that 2-0 start.

Carolina dropped to 1-6.

just this past Sunday when they lost 28-14 against the same Denver Broncos that we played a couple weeks ago.

But I must say,

I must say this about Carolina.

Carolina plays teams pretty tough,

even though everybody and their grandmother know that they're the worst team in football,

arguably,

debatably.

But they're one of the worst teams in football,

and they still managed to put up a fight.

Every week,

week in and week out,

I can't say the same about the New Orleans Saints.

I can't say the same.

You know,

there's been a lot of debate on social media and whatnot about the Saints effort and whether this team has quit on Dennis Allen and whatnot.

I still,

I will go to my deathbed to say that the 2024 New Orleans Saints,

eight weeks into the season,

they quit on Dennis Allen.

They quit.

Yeah,

nobody can tell me different.

I don't care what Cam Jordan get up there and say.

I don't care what Dennis Allen get up there and say.

Demario Davis get up there and say.

They all have spoke on this.

Of course,

they're going to say,

no,

nobody's quitting.

You know,

everybody's putting in 110%.

No,

no,

you're not.

The poor tackling,

the poor execution,

the being out of.

position on plays and no accountability.

There's nothing going on that screams that this team is putting forth their best effort.

If you put forth your best effort and you're 2-6,

Why?

Because they're trying their best.

You look at this past Thursday night.

The Jets were taking on the Houston Texans.

And the Houston Texans are an up-and-coming team that is...

Uh...

really taking the AFC by storm.

I'm a big fan of that franchise.

You know,

D'Amico Ryans as the coach,

he's doing an excellent job.

CJ Stroud,

the quarterback there,

is an amazing young quarterback.

They have a lot of pieces.

They also have some injuries too,

but at the same time,

they are a well-coached,

hard-fought team,

physical team.

And the Jets,

who are 2-6,

just like the Saints going into that game.

fired their coach a couple of weeks ago uh it looks like the team was in disarray uh aaron rogers were pouting on the sideline and all this other foolishness and it looks like all was lost but they fired their coach they

made a trade for uh uh davante adams who we were in play with but it didn't work out which is understandable i don't see where he can fit in on the team anyway but that's neither here nor there

They do all this.

The first week,

which was last week,

they lost again.

They could have threw in the top.

But I watched that game this past Thursday night with the Jets and the Texans.

Jets played hard.

They played hard last week.

I forgot who they were playing.

I think it was the Dolphins.

Oh,

it could have been somebody.

I can't remember.

But they played hard in that game.

They just came up short.

Actually,

Aaron Rodgers was throwing picks out of the wazoo.

I don't know what was his problem,

but everybody else was playing hard.

This week,

they played hard.

And they played like they were an actual playoff contending team.

Even though you can pretty much say their season is done at 3-6.

You know,

in the AFC,

that's a tall task.

They'll have to win out in order to have a chance at a playoff berth.

But they're trying.

Whereas the New Orleans Saints,

they're not trying.

And you look back on the games that the Saints have played,

the teams that they have played,

you can't tell me that...

The

Los Angeles Chargers are better than the Saints.

At best,

I'll give them their equal,

but they weren't better than the Saints.

They won the game,

but they weren't trying.

I mean,

they had the same.

If you look at the stats from last week's game against the Chargers,

they were identical.

They had the same amount of yardage.

I mean,

rushing yardage,

passing yardage,

yards average per play,

and all that.

All of it was close to identical,

maybe off by five or ten yards here or there,

but they were the same team,

and the Saints still couldn't manage to win that game.

They still lost by double digits and only could manage two field goals in that game.

Couldn't get in the end zone.

So that's effort,

that's coaching,

that's everything all around.

There was nothing about that game.

you can take away and say,

okay,

the Saints can still build on this.

No,

you can't.

Nothing.

Defense look bad.

Offense look bad.

Special teams even look bad in that game.

But,

yes,

it's just been disappointment after disappointment.

Saints have found a way to lose all six games.

They did not lose any of these six games the same.

That takes skill.

I'll give them that.

They lose.

effort there it was its effort to lose a game a different way six different times in a row and the saints managed to pull that off um going around the nfc south this weekend the atlanta falcons who are five and three they're at

the top of the division right now and just so happened after we play carolina this week atlanta comes to the dome next week they will play the dallas cowboys who are three

four right now they played this sunday um the tap of bay buccaneers who are four and four they have to uh travel to kansas city to play the undefeated kansas city chiefs on monday night football just like we had to play them on monday night or do they play at kansas city it

don't matter they can play on the moon uh kansas city is their beast man but um looking at those two games

You look at those two games,

if we're going to play the optimistic game here,

that can put the Saints back in position to do something,

take advantage of this situation.

Because the Cowboys,

yeah,

they're kind of up against it right now.

They're struggling as well.

But

Dallas can beat Atlanta.

It's possible.

Atlanta has not impressed me.

I'm sorry.

And,

yeah,

part of this is hate.

But

most of it is the fact what impressive win has Atlanta pulled off

Tampa maybe the two times they played Tampa

I'll give them those two games they look good in those two games um but you can make the argument that Baker Mayfield looked horrible in both of those games that's why they won but they haven't impressed me when we played them they didn't impress me they

have not had that signature win yet now

they're five and three all respect due to them you know congratulations to them i'm wish i'm wishing and hoping and praying that we can get up there i wish we were five and three right now but no uh luck

just favors them for some strange reason you know think back to that philly game against atlanta when philly philly just gave them the game we virtually gave them the game i mean it's a lot of things that just did not

Well,

there's a lot of things that just went their way.

I'll put it that way.

That's a winnable game for Dallas.

And if you want to go to Tampa versus the Chiefs,

I mean,

come on.

I mean,

Tampa don't have no receivers right now.

Baker Mayfield looks like

Baker Mayfield from Cleveland.

The last year in Cleveland,

he looks horrible right now.

And the Chiefs are the Chiefs.

The Chiefs haven't had a signature win,

I would say,

you know,

just to be fair and balanced here.

You know,

same as Atlanta.

but the Chiefs go out and win.

Chiefs find a way to win.

Nothing is given to them.

They find a way to win.

Unlike what people may say,

that the refs help them out as well,

but whatever.

But that's a winnable game for the Chiefs,

which could give

Tampa a loss.

Now,

let's say that happens.

That means that Atlanta will fall to 5-4.

That means Tampa will fall to 4-5.

And if the Saints can pull off this victory against the,

and I know that sounds crazy,

pull off a victory against the

Panthers, that means there'll be three and six,

one game behind Tampa and two games behind Atlanta with them coming into the dome the following week.

So there's a lot into play here.

You know,

like I said,

if we're going to play the optimistic game,

let's play the optimistic game.

But none of that means diddly if the Saints don't come out victorious against the Carolina Panthers.

Let's go over this injury report.

And wouldn't you know it,

there's a name on this report,

or should I say a lack of a name on this report,

that may make some of you happy.

No Derek Carr in sight.

There's no Derek Carr on this list,

which means Derek Carr is returning.

Yes,

ladies and gentlemen,

all your fears are put to bed.

Halloween is over.

And so now we have got our savior of the franchise.

And I say that sarcastic.

Even he joked about it at his press conference when the reporters asked him about it.

And I give it to Derek Carr.

He said,

no,

that's not my job.

My job is to be the leader.

My job is to be the quarterback.

And,

you know.

all the PC answers that you can give,

rightfully so.

Plus,

what else he was going to say?

Because if you say anything to the contrary and they lose,

he's really going to look like an idiot.

But whatever,

he touched the hem of the garment.

Now he is conveniently back against the worst team in football.

Unfortunately,

not everybody on the Saints team were so lucky.

We have four.

members of the Saints team that have been ruled out for Sunday's game.

Starting off with Marshawn Lattimore with his hamstring.

He has been ruled out.

Bud Means,

broad receiver,

ankle injury,

ruled out.

Kendri Miller,

who was just put in,

is ruled out with a hamstring injury.

And rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKendry with a hamstring has been ruled out.

of Sunday's game also on the injury list questionable we have cornerback Rico Payton a right receiver Cedric Wilson Jr.

guard Nick Salivari and

Sean Lemieux guard as well they are questionable for Sunday's matchup doubtful running back Jamal Williams with a groin injury

That's not good because that means that this is all going to fall on Alvin Kamara.

Now,

the Saints did bring back Jordan Mims this week,

you know,

with all of this news with the running back situation.

And Jordan Mims was a pretty solid running back,

you know,

throughout camp and preseason.

So he can help.

But,

man,

I shouldn't be too upset about the

Jabal Williams.

situation because they don't use him anyway i don't know how he heard his drone they don't use him he gives what two touches a game and that's a good that's a good production from him two carries a game basically yeah

they do not use him it is it is ridiculous but uh yeah that's your injury report for the new orleans saints going into sunday's matchup against the carolina panthers let's go over the team leaders

Starting with passing yardage and the returning Derek Carr is still

After missing six weeks of the season,

still the leading passer on this team with 989 yards passing and eight touchdowns and four interceptions.

Leading rusher is of course Alvin Kamara with 505 rushing yards this season with six,

is it six?

Yeah,

six touchdowns this season.

Leading receiver is Chris Olave with 387.

yards receiving and only one touchdown,

believe it or not.

And as far as defense is concerned,

our leading tackler on the team is Paulson Adivo with 52 tackles.

He's also the leading interception getter with three.

And I guess it's going to stay at that because he's out for the season.

So there you have that.

Let's go through the league rankings.

So far through eight weeks of the season,

we know that the Saints are 2-6,

the Panthers are 1-7.

Scoring average,

Saints ranked

16th in the league,

23.5,

to the Carolina Panthers,

29th ranked in the league with 15.5.

Opponent scoring average,

Saints are

25th in the league,

allowing 25.8 to Atlanta's dead last.

I didn't realize that,

but they were dead last at 32,

allowing 33.9.

Total offense,

Saints are 20th in the league in total offense.

The Carolina Panthers are 29th.

Rushing offense,

Saints are

21st. Carolina is 24th.

Passing offense,

Saints are 19th.

The Carolina Panthers are 30th.

Total defense,

Saints are dead last.

still um but right ahead of them right ahead of them by a smidge at 31 is the carolina panthers rushing defense saints of 28 carolina is dead last um at 32 passing defense saints are once again 28 carolina is 25th the

turnover margin saints are 11th in the lead with a plus two carolina is

29th in the lead

with a minus six.

Going back to my preseason predictions,

I had the Saints winning this game against the Carolina Panthers in week nine,

and I'm sticking with that.

The Saints will come out victorious.

My keys to victory this week,

Saints need to figure out how to run the ball.

And I don't know if it's,

I don't know if it's fate or being cursed or whatever,

but it's weird that

our running back situation is the way that it is and the key to winning this game is running the ball we we have to control this game control the tempo of this game and if

derrick carr comes back you can't ask derrick car to come back and throw the ball

40 times you know let's ease him back into this and virtually do what you did the first time you played the carolina

Panthers because the Derek Carr didn't drop back like that.

Derek Carr only took shots when it was there.

You set it up with the play action and you set up the play action with the run.

You have to run the ball.

Carolina defense is just like the Saints defense,

not that good.

Not that good this year.

Running the ball will be paramount.

It's going to be a little difficult on defense.

even though Carolina really don't have any quote-unquote weapons to be concerned about on the offensive side of the ball but with two corners out and another well actually three three corners out and one that's kind of iffy going into this game it's gonna be it's

gonna be a tough one you know not to take advantage of that if you're Carolina and so uh they're gonna test whoever we have out there

to replace Lattimore and Kool-Aid and Adibo.

So it's all going to fall on Elante Taylor's shoulders.

Can he handle it?

Maybe.

But that takes away from your

Blitz packages because they love to Blitz.

Well,

let me take that back.

When they do Blitz,

they use Elante Taylor.

Saints don't Blitz,

so whatever.

I think this is a game Saints can win.

This is a game that Saints should win,

even though

We look like hot garbage for the past month and a half.

We still should come out victorious in this game.

With that being said,

if the Saints don't win this game,

the question will be moving forward.

What are you going to do,

Mickey Loomis?

What's your move now?

That will be a seven-game losing streak.

Seven.

Seven,

if you can't beat Carolina,

you can't beat nobody.

Let's just be real.

And with all due respect to the Carolina Panthers,

but let's be real.

If you cannot beat Carolina and beat them convincingly now,

look,

I would take a win right now any way I can get it.

I think we all feel that way.

But come on.

You've got to wipe the floor with the Carolina Panthers.

You have to take out all your frustrations on the Carolina Panthers.

You have to get right in this game.

This is the get right game.

This is to put things back in order.

Put things back the way they used to be,

the way they were when we started off the season.

I'm not asking the Saints to go out here and win 47-7.

I'm not asking them to do that.

But what I am asking them to do is look like.

a team that wants to win i mean i'm not asking a lot here we're not asking a lot here but we shall see man i'm not i'm picking us to win but trust me i'm

not putting a penny towards us if i was a gambling man this would be one i would stay away from because i i am not 100 confident that the saints will win you

Should they?

Yes.

Will they?

I have no earthly idea.

But

I would like to know from all of you in the Houdac Nation,

what do you think about this game going forward?

Do you think the Saints can bounce back?

Or do you just think it's another game?

Or have you checked out?

And

I can't blame you for that.

I'm going to be honest with you,

I had to talk myself up to do this show today.

I really did.

I sat down to do this I got some notes together sat down to do this and uh twice before I actually started recording and I got up the previous two times I was like I'm not doing this it

did uh about an hour go by I sat back down like you gotta do it you gotta do it so

I started a little while and I just it wasn't there the energy wasn't there for me so I got up again you

how you raised everything uh i said nah not doing it they didn't laugh again and it hit me and i just i don't know it was like a voice in my head was like this is your team you love your team even though your team sometimes act like they don't love you uh

this is your team go ahead do the show so here i am i did the show i i had to talk myself up to do it it's hard man this is hard this is a hard season this is probably one of the hardest seasons to

watch in a long time in the Houdat Nation.

This is hard,

and I think it's their own fault.

Well,

I know it's their own fault for a number of reasons.

Number one,

the way you started off the year.

You started off the year on fire.

Like,

you was the greatest team to ever touch the field.

You was the greatest show on earth 2.0,

you know?

I'm like,

man,

this is going to be an exciting year.

And then it just went.

Down here,

how can you look like the best team in the league to the worst team in the league in a matter of a month and a half?

I never seen anything like this.

But anyways,

I went on that little tangent there.

But

I asked the question,

what do you think about this game?

This game.

Let's not worry about what happened in the past.

Let's worry about this game.

What do you think is going to be the end result,

if I can talk?

Is this going to be the end result of this game?

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orleans saints here on the kb radio

Network.

Everybody,

thank you for joining me for this preview of the week nine matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers.

Don't forget to join me after the game as we celebrate a Saints victory,

hopefully and prayerfully.

I want you all to enjoy the game.

I hope everybody enjoyed their Halloween.

And at the time of this recording,

it's All Saints Day.

And you know what that means?

It is the fifth.

the eighth anniversary of the new orleans saints becoming an nfl franchise it's it's the saints birthday today so maybe that will inspire them to win who knows we'll see but

uh i'm excited i'm excited going forward because you know why it's you know another week means we're a week closer to ending this season from going through this misery you

Yet again.

But

I don't know,

man.

I hope this team can turn it around,

despite the fact that sometimes I feel like throwing a brick through the window over there on airlines.

But even though I get mad,

even though

I am disgusted,

even though

I am emotionally checked out at times with this team,

like.

everybody else in the who that nation i'm still gonna be screaming to top of my lungs who that

Saints vs Panthers Week 9 Game Preview

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