The Carolina Panthers had a very productive bye week.
While they were resting and recharging for the final four games of the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were losing to the New Orleans Saints and dropping into a tie with the Panthers (7-6) for first place in the NFC South.
Carolina can stay in first place by beating the Saints on Sunday in New Orleans.
“Every game is a championship opportunity,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “We have one right in front of us on the road against a familiar opponent.”
Even though the Saints (3-10) are tied for the fourth-worst record in the NFL, no one knows better than Carolina that New Orleans shouldn’t be overlooked.
Not only did the Saints beat the Bucs last week, but they went into Charlotte and beat the Panthers on Nov. 9 after Carolina had won four of its last five games.
The Panthers drove for a touchdown on the first possession of the game but didn’t score again. New Orleans had 122 rushing yards, while the Panthers had 73.
“They beat us at our own game,” Canales said, referring to his preference for being the more physical team in the run game on both sides of the ball.
Bryce Young passed for just 124 yards with an interception and no touchdowns. But the Panthers are 2-1 since that game, with Young passing for 448 and 206 yards in wins against the Falcons on Nov. 16 and Rams on Nov. 30, respectively. He had three touchdown passes and no interceptions in each contest.
“We haven’t had the consistency I would like to see from the entire (offensive) group, and certainly Bryce is a part of that,” Canales said. “That’s the challenge that we have in front of us, and that’s what we’ve been attacking for weeks now.”
The Saints’ victory against the Panthers started their best stretch of the season, as they have split their last four games after starting 1-8.
“We’re getting better,” New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore said. “We’re playing cleaner football. We’re executing better on first and second down, and that’s making things easier on third down. The defense is creating turnovers, and we’re taking care of the football.”
In the rain against the Bucs, rookie quarterback Tyler Shough had the fewest passing yards of his five starts (144), but he had a season-high 55 rushes on seven carries and ran for two touchdowns.
“There’s a lot to continue to build upon,” Shough said. “It’s the NFL. Whether you’re fighting for a (playoff) spot (or not), what you put on film matters. That’s the mindset of everybody, and myself specifically. We feel like we’re building and continuing to get better. You want to play your best against division opponents.”
Two Saints starters — running back Alvin Kamara, who has missed the last two games because of knee and ankle injuries, and safety Justin Reid, who missed last week’s game because of a knee ailment — missed practice Wednesday. Devin Neal, who replaced Kamara, was limited because of an abdominal injury suffered against the Bucs.
Another starter, right tackle Taliese Fuaga (ankle), returned to practice on a limited basis after missing the last game. Asim Richards, who started in Fuaga’s place last week, did not practice because of an ankle injury suffered against Tampa Bay.
Two Carolina starters — center Cade Mays (ankle) and linebacker Christian Rozeboom (hip/hamstring) — were full participants Wednesday after missing the last two games. Starting cornerback Jaycee Horn, who missed the game against the Rams, remained in concussion protocol but did participate on a limited basis.
