{"id":589264,"date":"2025-12-10T09:41:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T09:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/589264\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T09:41:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T09:41:31","slug":"carolina-panthers-to-new-orleans-go-saints-go-oh-wait-now-you-can-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/589264\/","title":{"rendered":"Carolina Panthers to New Orleans: Go, Saints, Go!! Oh, wait: Now you can stop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Austin Corbett, the Carolina Panthers\u2019 versatile offensive lineman, had a bye week Sunday not all that different from one that a serious NFL fan would have.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had Red Zone on the big TV,\u201d Corbett said, \u201cand then I had the Saints and Bucs on my phone\u2026. And then I started to really get keyed in on my phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

So Corbett and company suddenly found themselves becoming massive supporters of Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough Sunday, as the Saints kept hanging around<\/a> on a rainy day in Tampa.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuarterback Tyler \u2014 I was a big fan yesterday,\u201d Corbett said. \u201cA couple of big runs from him. It was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tyler<\/p>\n

Tyler Shough ran for two touchdowns for New Orleans in the Saints\u2019 24-20 upset of Tampa Bay Sunday.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to be honest, I got a little emotionally involved in the game,\u201d Panthers coach Dave Canales said, who was also glued into the telecast.<\/p>\n

Asked if he had been cheering for the Saints, the coach smiled. \u201cI mean, anything that helps right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wake up today without doing anything,\u201d Corbett said, marveling a little, \u201cand we\u2019re tied for first place. We\u2019ve got everything out in front of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Carolina<\/p>\n

Carolina Panthers center Austin Corbett during a May practice in Charlotte. Corbett said he was glued to New Orleans\u2019 upset win over Tampa Bay Sunday.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing, though:<\/p>\n

Now the Panthers need Shough to stop playing so well. It was go-go-go; now it\u2019s stop-stop-stop. The rookie \u2014 whose last name is pronounced \u201cShuck\u201d in case you\u2019re still getting used to him being such a factor in his playoff race \u2014 already blistered the Panthers once.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

New Orleans pulled off a surprising, 17-7 upset over Carolina in Shough\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Now the Panthers face Shough and the Saints on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. Eastern in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s weird, right?\u201d Corbett said.<\/p>\n

It is, but it\u2019s also what the Panthers and their fans have been missing this time of year. Suddenly, every NFC game seems to have some import. They\u2019ll be in front of their TV screens again Thursday night, cheering on Atlanta against Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t love the Falcons\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s be honest: if you get swept by the Saints (3-10), you\u2019re probably not a playoff-caliber team.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve forgotten that game from a month ago, I don\u2019t blame you.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to get our get-back,\u201d Panthers defensive tackle Turk Wharton said.<\/p>\n

Carolina was outgained 388 yards to 175 in that Week 10 contest. New Orleans smartly decided to stack the box to stop the Panthers\u2019 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\u2019s skill players (the exception was Tetairoa McMillan) played horribly. The Panthers\u2019 coaching adjustments all fell flat, too.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It was embarrassing<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just weren\u2019t locked into the small details,\u201d Ekwonu said<\/a> right after that game. \u201cA couple guys spoke about it. Coach (Canales) spoke about it throughout the week. And you can\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, this Carolina team has showcased the disturbing tendency to follow a terrific game with a terrible one.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, we\u2019ve just got to do it,\u201d said Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette. \u201cWe got four more games. Four more opportunities. We\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

So now, a couple of days after cheering on the Saints, the Panthers will try to beat the stuffing out of them.<\/p>\n

Amazingly, the Panthers are playing December football that matters. Beating New Orleans would ensure that it continues to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Austin Corbett, the Carolina Panthers\u2019 versatile offensive lineman, had a bye week Sunday not all that different from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":589265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2076],"tags":[223,22657,1842,1476,211,260,3838,7,58,896,55,2572,2571,6,7152,397,704,1453,1470,494,283,1505],"class_list":{"0":"post-589264","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-orleans-saints","8":"tag-atlanta","9":"tag-austin-corbett","10":"tag-baker-mayfield","11":"tag-bryce-young","12":"tag-buccaneers","13":"tag-carolina-panthers","14":"tag-dave-canales","15":"tag-football","16":"tag-los-angeles-rams","17":"tag-new-orleans","18":"tag-new-orleans-saints","19":"tag-neworleans","20":"tag-neworleanssaints","21":"tag-nfl","22":"tag-rico-dowdle","23":"tag-saints","24":"tag-tampa-bay","25":"tag-tetairoa-mcmillan","26":"tag-the-panthers","27":"tag-the-saints","28":"tag-tyler-shough","29":"tag-xavier-legette"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115694618935646467","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=589264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/589265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=589264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=589264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=589264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}