Saints 2023 Week 2 Recap

Jamie UK • September 19, 2023

Team Stats 

(Saints/Panthers)

Final Score: 20-17

First downs: 23-14

3rd down efficiency: 7/16 - 4/14

Total yards: 341 - 239

Red Zone Efficiency: 2/4 - 1/3

Penalties: 3 for 32 yards - 6 for 35 yards 

Turnovers: 1- 1

Time of possession: 32:49- 27:11


Not perfect but a tough, gritty and frankly ugly win again for the Saints in yet another offensive struggle and defensive masterclass. Even a first down felt like a win for both of the respective offenses. This game had very similar DNA to last week’s win against the Titans, an ugly Carr interception, inept offense in the fast half, elite play from the Saints defense throughout, with the offense finally showing signs of life in the second half and making just enough plays to win.  Let’s dive into the main takeaways.


Takeaways


Offense

        I could almost copy and paste my thoughts on the offense from last week here, this game felt very similar in many ways. Protection issues still loom large however, this week it wasn’t just the left side of the line that was guilty of drive killing plays. Ryan Ramczyk and Cesar Ruiz had two brutal beats; Ramczyk lost quickly to a speed rush early in the game.  Ruiz got blown up by LB Frankie Luvu, badly to remind you Luvu isn’t a pass rusher he’s an off-ball LB and he drove Ruiz back in very unflattering fashion. Penning overall had his issues but was better this week, especially in the run game, which surprised me last week how poor he was in that area.


        Carr struggled mightily in the first half again, he looked even worse than last week. He had yet another head scratching interception where he threw to Chris Olave in triple coverage, the pass was intercepted by former Saints safety Vonn Bell. Red zone woes continued with some of the blame falling at Carr’s door and some again on pass protection. The Saints were 0-2 in the red zone in the first half having to settle for 2 field goals inside the Panthers 10-yard line.


        Fortunately, Carr improved in the second half, finding Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for game changing 40+ yard passes. Olave’s catch being an early contender for catch of the year, his right arm was being held (no flag, shock!) then he tipped the ball to himself with his free arm and completed an incredible catch (see below). 

        Crucially Carr and the offense managed to convert both of these big plays into touchdowns in the red zone, both short runs by Tony Jones Jr (his first NFL touchdowns). Jones Jr. filled in amicably as the Saints only active RB* when Jamaal Williams left with a hamstring injury.


        The * above is to highlight; Yes Jones Jr. was technically the only active RB but he didn’t have to carry the load alone. Taysom ‘Mr. Perfect’, ‘the Closer’ Hill was excellent (as he usually is when used correctly) Pete Carmichael got Taysom’s usage pretty spot on apart from taking him of the field on a 3rd and 2 late in the game with Saints around midfield, Carr was sacked on the play. We can only hope that this usage of Taysom continue, there’s no to stop until somebody proves they can stop it consistently.


        Final point of the offense, Mike Thomas single handily kept the offense alive in the first half, catching 7 passes from 9 targets for 55 yards. All the catches were tough, physical contested catches, truly vintage Mike Thomas plays. Highlighted by a 19- yard catch down the right sideline where Thomas secured the catch right on the boundary. One thing is clear for the offense, they’ve done enough in these first two games but the slow starts cannot continue as they killed the Saints last year and will start to this year if not corrected.


Defense

        The defense was excellent again and until the Saints decided to run a soft, prevent style defense late in the game looked all but certain to finish their second straight game without allowing a touchdown.


        They were not helped by the offense or special teams, with both at times leaving the defense with a short field to defend. They responded by holding the Panthers to field goals and forcing a crucial turnover when Carl Granderson hustled to force the ball free from the scrambling Bryce Young with the Panthers threatening inside the Saints 20.

The defensive line was great again against both run and pass, Cam Jordan looked ageless I counted at least 4 pressures, and he should have had a strip sack of his own, but it was called back due to silly defensive hold by Paulson Adebo. All 4 of the defensive interior looked even more dominant this week than last, with the standouts being Bryan Bresee and Nathan Shepherd. Bresee took a soul on the rush where Cam followed up had the forced fumble. 


        The secondary was really good again specifically Marshon Lattimore, he stated after the game that he was not responsible for giving up a single catch and came away with another PBU to add to his tally. Alontae Taylor looks to be taking positive strides in the slot, he’s particularly showed improvement in his open field tackling and is becoming a real force player near in the line of scrimmage for this defense. To add, he nearly had an interception and would of snagged it if not for some all-pro pass defense from Panthers WR Adam Thielen.


Saints Stock Exchange (Sponsored By… Nobody)
        Just a quick hit section each week to highlight which Saints players have their stock value increasing and decreasing after each game, 3 up and 3 down:


Stock up

Taysom Hill 

Cam Jordan

Chris Olave


        Hill needs no explanation the Panthers couldn’t stop him. Jordan looked brilliant against run and pass and gave RT Taylor Moton (who’s a highly paid tackle) the business, especially with power. Final up for me, is Chris Olave his spectacular catch changed the game for the Saints and looks like a superstar in the making, Pete just needs to make sure he’s involved much earlier going forward.


Stock Down

Cesar Ruiz

Paulson Adebo

Lou Hedley


        It may be harsh to have Ruiz here, but after receiving a new deal you can’t get blown up by an off-ball LB who you have about an 80 pound weight advantage over. Adebo was guilty of 2 of the Saints 3 penalties, the DPI late in the game was soft but the defensive hold that wiped out the Bresee and Jordan strip sack was not soft it was a clear hold and wiped of a huge play that could have changed the game. The Saints would have had 1st and 10 at the Panthers 14, instead the Saints offense ended up starting on their own 3 after a punt (an 83-yard swing in field position) these kinds of penalties have plagued Adebo so far and can’t continue to happen at crucial moments.


        After being an honorable mention in the up section last week, Hedley had a rough week. He gifted the Panthers a short field after a poor 29-yard punt, which the Panthers ended up turning into 3 points. He also punted a 49 yarder into the end zone for a touchback giving the Panthers much better field position than they should have had, which they again turned into 3 points. There was always going to be growing pains for the former Aussie rules player but in games like this you cannot have your punter costing you points.


Make sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion throughout the 2023 season and beyond.

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Saints Pregame Guide: Lions

By Kaden Arkeder • September 11, 2026
It is week one folks, we made it to the 2026 season! This is the first season in a while where personally I feel optimistic going into the season thanks to Tyler Shough and what the Saints were able to show at the end of the 2025 season. Coupled with what the Saints did in the offseason in free agency and the draft the Saints and Saints fans should feel like the team has a real shot at winning the division and making the playoffs. Their first obstacle they will have to overcome on their path to accomplishing the goal is the Detroit Lions. The Lions will prove to be a good litmus test for the Saints in week one. The Lions have been a championship contender the last few years under the stewardship of Dan Campbell and will look to continue their fortune by taking care of business at home against the Saints. The Saints however are not facing the Lions at their peak as they finished last season with a 9-8 win loss record after being a double digit win team the two prior seasons. The Lions will also not have at least two key players in their secondary as both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are on injured reserve while two of their corners are on the injury report albeit listed as full participants as I am writing this. So the Saints will look to capitalize through the passing game with those key players out for this matchup. I expect Chris Olave to be targeted early and often in this game and for the role players around him to come up big on some key plays throughout the game. Speaking of role players I am curious to see if either or both of the rookie receivers in Barion Brown and Bryce Lance have any big moments in the game after having a great offseason and preseason. Outside of the rookie receivers I am curious to see if Juwan Johnson will be able to build on the productive season he had last year. With the absence of Jordyn Tyson to begin the season there should be plenty of opportunity for targets in the passing game outside of Chris Olave’s share. In regards to the running game I expect the Saints to give Etienne a heavy workload against the Lions if Kamara is not active for the game but there is optimism Kamara is ahead of schedule and could play against the Lions. I will be very interested to see how Etienne does in his debut with the team and how he will be utilized in the offense. There was talk during training camp the Saints have a package with both Etienne and Kamara on the field so if both are active I will be keeping an eye out for that personnel package. The Saints will look to start off the season strong on the ground after being one of the least effective teams running the ball last season. Hopefully the addition of David Edwards and Etienne combined with Kellen Moore along with most of the players being in year two of Kellen Moore’s system will aid them in running the ball better this season. Adin Hutchinson will look to be the main challenge the offensive line will face against the Lions defensive line as he had a standout 2025 campaign with 14.5 sacks along with an interception. If the Saints young tackles in Kelvin Banks and Taliese Fuaga are able to hold up well against Hutchinson they should be able to hold up well against the best edge rushers for the rest of the season. On the defensive side of the ball this will be very much a good challenge for them as the Lions have some marquee players on offense the defense will be tasked with slowing down. Amon Ra St. Brown and Jhamyr Gibbs are the two skill position players to key in on for the Saints in this game but role players like Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams can absolutely be a difference maker for the Lions on any given Sunday. I think my two favorite matchups on this side of the ball will be watching Chase Young against Penei Sewell and the Saints young secondary against Amon Ra St. Brown. Chase Young had ten sacks in twelve games last season and will look to continue this success against one of the league’s best tackles in Penei Sewell. Unfortunately his running mate in Cameron Jordan will be unavailable in this game so look for a steady rotation at edge opposite of Chase Young throughout the game. Amon Ra St. Brown is the type of receiver Jared Goff looks for early and often throughout the game and can be moved around their offensive formations even though he plays primarily in the slot. How the Saints plan to contain or slow down Amon Ra will be fascinating to watch. Overall, I expect this to be a close game between the Saints and Lions where both teams should have ample opportunities to put up points against each other. There are so many little story lines to follow as the Saints start the regular season and in this game I can’t wait to follow. Week one usually has a fair amount of chaos to the games so you can never discount a crazy outcome here or elsewhere throughout the league. There should be plenty to discuss coming out of week one. Alright enough from me, talk to you all on the other side and geaux Saints! Injury Designations Lions DB - Christian Izien - Questionable Saints TE - Oscar Delp - OUT Edge - Cameron Jordan - OUT RB - Audric Estime - OUT RB - Alvin Kamara - Questionable

Personal game for Vincent's Warhawks

By Dusty Thibodeaux • September 11, 2026
ULM enters the Saturday afternoon game +9.5 to UAB
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