A 3-10 New Orleans Saints squad looks for back-to-back wins for the first time since Weeks 10 and 11 of the 2024 season when they host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The Saints are coming off a road upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carolina is coming off their bye and is tied with the Buccaneers for the NFC South lead at a 7-6 mark. This is a rematch of Week 10, when the Saints won in Carolina by a 17-7 score.

New Orleans won that game on the defensive side, holding the Panthers to just 175 yards of total offense and forcing two turnovers. The Saints come into Week 15 with the league’s 12th-ranked defense. Carolina counters with an offense that ranks 23rd overall. Their passing attack has had more struggles than their running game and is where we focus this breakdown of Sunday’s matchup.

Panthers Passing Attack185.7 yards per game (25th)63.8% completion percentage19 touchdowns (16th)10 interceptions (18th)30 sacks

Third-year quarterback Bryce Young already has a career-best in touchdown passes (18) and is averaging a higher completion percentage and yards per game than at any point in his career. That doesn’t mean he’s been good. Young threw for a career-high 448 yards in a victory over Atlanta and 328 yards in Week 2 against Arizona, two of only three times in a 42-game career he’s eclipsed 300 yards passing. In his other 10 games of 2025, Young has averaged a laughably low 156 passing yards. He’s still not proven that he can read defenses consistently, and rarely maintains poise or accuracy when under pressure.

Carolina has made the effort to surround Young with weapons. Their 2025 Round 1 choice, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, leads the team with 57 receptions for 826 yards and 6 touchdowns on 98 targets. Xavier Legette, a second round pick in 2024, has not been nearly as productive. Legette has 28 catches on 53 targets for 287 yards and 3 scores. Hunter Renfrow and Jalen Coker provide wideout depth, but have a combined 33 receptions and 51 targets for 313 yards.

Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, a 2024 fourth round pick, is beginning to emerge as a matchups weapon for Young and the offense. Sanders has missed some time with injuries but has caught 25 passes for 176 yards. Rico Dowdle has proven to be a big offseason addition at running back. Dowdle leads the Panthers in rushing, but has also provided Young a solid target out of the backfield with 29 receptions for 254 yards. Backup back Chuba Hubbard has also been a reliable check-down option with 194 yards on 23 receptions.

Saints Pass Defense182.6 yards per game (6th)65.6% completion percentage21 touchdowns (19th)8 interceptions (18th)27 sacks55 QB hits

One of the few areas New Orleans has been exceptional in this season is against the pass. They aren’t without flaws here, however. The Saints are worse than the league average in sacks, touchdowns allowed, and completion percentage. This team has been particularly strong in its coverage, where a young secondary has come of age quickly.

Second-year cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry is developing into a top coverage corner. McKinstry has 3 interceptions and 10 passes broken up, both leading the team. His 61.4% completion percentage against him is a bit deceiving, as several completions were heavily contested throws. As McKinstry continues to develop and can reverse some of those plays, he could be one of the NFL’s top corners. Rookie fourth round choice Quincy Riley has quietly had a fantastic year. Riley has just 1 interception and 6 pass breakups, but has routinely forced opposing passers to look away from him in their progressions.

Alontae Taylor is a playmaker at nickelback and as a hybrid safety. Taylor can have lapses in coverage but has 2 interceptions and 7 throws broken up. Additionally, he is a tremendously disruptive blitzer and has a sack along with 5 tackles for loss. Rookie safety Jonas Sanker has had some struggles in recent weeks but has flashed good range and instincts on the back end. Veteran safety Justin Reid didn’t play well early in the year but was starting to come on before a knee injury sidelined him last week. He’s returned to practice and looks like he’s trending towards playing against Carolina.

Linebacker Demario Davis remains solid in coverage in his 14th year. Davis has elite instincts and anticipation that makes up for perhaps losing a step in the open field. He also causes chaos as a blitzer. Second-year linebacker Isaiah Stalbird has seen more reps in obvious passing situations, getting the liability of Pete Werner off the field against the pass. A former safety, Stalbird has a good feel for NFL coverages. He’s been most effective as a blitzer, where he has a sack and several pressures.

Pressure is an area where the Saints need to finish better. Chase Young has been playing the best football of his career and is the team’s most consistent pass rusher. Young has 5 sacks but a team-high 20 pressures. Veteran legend Cameron Jordan has shown that he still has some great football left. Jordan leads the Saints with 6.5 sacks along with 9 QB hits. Carl Granderson had a fantastic start to the year before completely disappearing. However, Granderson had a fantastic outing against the Buccaneers and is capable of providing good disruption on the edge with Young and Jordan.

On the inside, Nathan Shepherd and Bryan Bresee have been the only players to provide interior pressure when the team doesn’t blitz a linebacker. Shepherd has only 2 sacks but a team-best 10 QB hits. Bresee has added 8 QB hits and 2.5 sacks. If an opponent doubles Young and Jordan on the outside, Bresee and Shepherd have at least proved capable of flushing quarterbacks out of the pocket.

After starting the game with 8 straight completions against New Orleans, the Saints held Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield to just 6 of 22 for 38 yards. In their first meeting against Carolina, Bryce Young was held to 124 passing yards and pressured 7 times by the Saints. Repeating those kind of performances could be a direct path to a second straight win for the Saints.