Austin Corbett, the Carolina Panthers’ versatile offensive lineman, had a bye week Sunday not all that different from one that a serious NFL fan would have.
“I had Red Zone on the big TV,” Corbett said, “and then I had the Saints and Bucs on my phone…. And then I started to really get keyed in on my phone.”
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The reason? As Corbett and many other Carolina players and coaches watching the game live knew, if New Orleans could somehow upset Tampa Bay, Carolina and the Bucs would be tied for first place in the NFC South at 7-6.
So Corbett and company suddenly found themselves becoming massive supporters of Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough Sunday, as the Saints kept hanging around on a rainy day in Tampa.
“Quarterback Tyler — I was a big fan yesterday,” Corbett said. “A couple of big runs from him. It was awesome.”
Tyler Shough ran for two touchdowns for New Orleans in the Saints’ 24-20 upset of Tampa Bay Sunday.
Shough had touchdown runs of 34 and 13 yards as New Orleans did exactly what the Panthers wanted, upsetting Tampa Bay, 24-20. All around the Carolinas, the cheering could be heard, as former Carolina quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers went down.
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“I’ve got to be honest, I got a little emotionally involved in the game,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said, who was also glued into the telecast.
Asked if he had been cheering for the Saints, the coach smiled. “I mean, anything that helps right?”
“We wake up today without doing anything,” Corbett said, marveling a little, “and we’re tied for first place. We’ve got everything out in front of us.”
Carolina Panthers center Austin Corbett during a May practice in Charlotte. Corbett said he was glued to New Orleans’ upset win over Tampa Bay Sunday.
Here’s the thing, though:
Now the Panthers need Shough to stop playing so well. It was go-go-go; now it’s stop-stop-stop. The rookie — whose last name is pronounced “Shuck” in case you’re still getting used to him being such a factor in his playoff race — already blistered the Panthers once.
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New Orleans pulled off a surprising, 17-7 upset over Carolina in Shough’s very first NFL start on Nov. 9, with the Panthers playing so badly they were booed off the field at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte both at halftime and at the end of the game. Shough threw for 282 yards in that one, including passes of 52 and 62 yards, and thoroughly outplayed Bryce Young.
Now the Panthers face Shough and the Saints on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. Eastern in New Orleans.
“It’s weird, right?” Corbett said.
It is, but it’s also what the Panthers and their fans have been missing this time of year. Suddenly, every NFC game seems to have some import. They’ll be in front of their TV screens again Thursday night, cheering on Atlanta against Tampa Bay.
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I don’t love the Falcons’ chances there. But based on the result of that game, Carolina will enter Sunday in New Orleans either a half-game ahead or a half-game behind Tampa Bay. In any case, Carolina will play Tampa Bay twice in the final four weeks, and that will be the biggest determiner of who wins the NFC South.
And let’s be honest: if you get swept by the Saints (3-10), you’re probably not a playoff-caliber team.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave celebrates a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Nov. 9th after hopping into the end zone seats of some Panthers fans. The Saints won, 17-7, and outgained Carolina, 388-175.
If you’ve forgotten that game from a month ago, I don’t blame you.
“We want to get our get-back,” Panthers defensive tackle Turk Wharton said.
Carolina was outgained 388 yards to 175 in that Week 10 contest. New Orleans smartly decided to stack the box to stop the Panthers’ running game and Rico Dowdle and dared the Panthers to think up and execute something else. In theory, that should have opened up the passing game, but both Young and most of the team’s skill players (the exception was Tetairoa McMillan) played horribly. The Panthers’ coaching adjustments all fell flat, too.
New Orleans QB Tyler Shough (left) and Carolina QB Bryce Young talk after their Nov. 9, 2025 game, when Shough led the Saints to a 17-7 win in Charlotte.
It was embarrassing. It got even more embarrassing after offensive tackle Ickey Ekwonu and a couple of other teammates noted that the preparation leading up to the game had a lot to be desired.
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“We just weren’t locked into the small details,” Ekwonu said right after that game. “A couple guys spoke about it. Coach (Canales) spoke about it throughout the week. And you can’t get days back. If you have a tough day on Thursday, tough day on Friday, or whatever, you can always look forward. But you can’t get that day back. So that preparation, or lack thereof, is going to add up. And unfortunately, that just cultivated to what we saw today.”
New Orleans quarterback Tyler Shough triumphantly leaves the field in Tampa Bay Sunday after his team upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-20. The win did Carolina a favor in the NFC South race.
Since then, Carolina has put up 31 points in a huge win over the Los Angeles Rams, who still may be the best team in the NFL. So confidence is high, and the Carolina locker room was a very happy place Monday as the players teased each other after getting a rare weekend off.
Nevertheless, this Carolina team has showcased the disturbing tendency to follow a terrific game with a terrible one.
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“I mean, we’ve just got to do it,” said Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette. “We got four more games. Four more opportunities. We’ve just got to stay into the play on all four of them, because the same way how we (are) in it, we can be out of it.”
So now, a couple of days after cheering on the Saints, the Panthers will try to beat the stuffing out of them.
Amazingly, the Panthers are playing December football that matters. Beating New Orleans would ensure that it continues to.