The Carolina Panthers lost an absolutely crushing game to the New Orleans Saints. Stop me if you’ve heard that before. Another embarassing loss to the Saints all but buries the Panthers’ chances of getting to the playoffs, and this team probably doesn’t even deserve that. Here’s who stood out.
Stud: Bryce Young
At first, it looked as if Bryce Young was in for a slower day. The game plan was once again to ride Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard all day, but the Saints did a decent enough job making that challenging. So Young rose to the occasion, making big plays on clutch downs routinely. The offense was largely just Young bailing them out a lot.
Dud: Christian Rozeboom
Dec 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Audric Estime (30) is tackled by Carolina Panthers linebacker Trevin Wallace (32) and linebacker Christian Rozeboom (56) during the second quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Christian Rozeboom had another mediocre outing. He made a few plays, but by and large, he missed tackles and failed to make big plays. The linebacker had a forced fumble land literally in his hands and he couldn’t corral it, which was emblematic of his entire game. Rozeboom drew a penalty for being blocked 10 yards downfield and being taunted, which was maybe the best thing he did all day.
Stud: Jalen Coker
Jalen Coker had his second straight breakout game. If only judging based on those two games, Coker is the WR1 in this offense. McMillan took a bit of a backseat, and the chemistry between Young and Coker was once again on full display.
Dud: Pass-rushing department
The Panthers allowed so many third-and-10 or more conversions today because the Saints had all day to throw. Tyler Shough didn’t face much pressure, and the few times he did, he scrambled easily and hurt the Panthers. Too many times, Shough had all day to dissect the coverages. They did record a few sacks, but other than those plays, they rarely got to Shough and made anything happen.
Stud: Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson was one of the better coverage players the Panthers had on Sunday, and he was pretty active in the run game, forcing a fumble as well. He was consistently in good position even if the Saints made a crazy catch over him.
Dud: Dave Canales
The game plan worked out decently well enough, and Canales was mostly aggressive, but it never felt like he was coaching well. Additionally, some of the play calls were interesting, as well as the stubbornness with running on second and long over and over again.
If not for Young’s wizardry on third and fourth, this might’ve been an entirely different outcome. Plus, his terrible fourth-down call early in the fourth totally changed the game. It came after a failed challenge, too. The situational playcalling was pretty rough, too. With more talent and a recent bye week, he was arguably outcoached by Kellen Moore.
Bonus Dud: Jaycee Horn
Jaycee Horn did not have a good day again. He committed a bad penalty, struggled in coverage, and got beat for the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. It’s the second time he’s been burnt against the Saints, as last time he allowed both offensive touchdowns while in coverage.
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