Let’s start the breakdown for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers!
Last week, Banks had an extremely difficult matchup against the Rams, and he did really well. Some snaps were not the best, but for most of the game, he looked great, which is excellent for a rookie. In the next game, against the Panthers, Banks should be able to have a good performance. The biggest worry is rookie edge Nic Scourton, who has really improved throughout the season.
QB Tyler Shough made his NFL debut last week against the Rams, and although it was a challenging game to evaluate due to the little time the Saints had the ball. Still, it was a really good start for Shough, and the only glaring issue of the day was how he dealt with pressure, and that only showed up in the first quarter. The good news is that the opposing pass rush is not as good as it was last week. The bad news is the Saints may be without Taliese Fuaga this week. Hopefully, the Saints can still allow less pressure and give Shough time to control the game.
Against the Panthers, Jonas Sanker’s primary focus will not be against the pass. Obviously, he still needs to play well in pass defense, but the main way Carolina wins games is through the run game. Panthers RB Rico Dowdle has played very well this season and has been one of the best RBs in the league. The Saints have already had issues stopping the run, but this could get ugly if they allow Dowdle to hit a big play. This is where Sanker can make big plays to stop this from happening.
Like with Banks, Quincy Riley should have a relatively easy day, unless he is put on Tetairoa McMillan. The rookie WR has proven to be a dangerous offensive weapon who can take over games simply by being given the ball. When Riley is covering McMillan, this will be what he has to face up against. QB Bryce Young has not had the best season so far, so Riley could have a chance of getting another interception in this game.
This portion may sound very similar to last week, but it has to. The Saints’ running game once again struggled, but there were some times in the game against the Rams when it didn’t, and that was when Devin Neal was given the ball. There was a clear positive difference when Neal was in the game, but once again, the Saints went away from him. There is ongoing confusion surrounding the Saints’ offense right now, and they need to commit to Neal much more against the Panthers.
Moliki Matavao & Fadil Diggs
Both players have been on and off the practice squad, so it is unknown if they will play on Sunday.
