New Orleans
Saints
0-0
38
FINAL
28
Carolina
Panthers
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling season opener, the New Orleans Saints topped the Carolina Panthers 38-28, setting the tone for the 2027 campaign. With both teams looking to establish themselves early, the Saints jumped ahead with an impressive offensive performance that secured their first victory of the year.
Tyler Shough was the standout for New Orleans, throwing for a staggering 380 yards and four touchdowns, showcasing his ability to connect with his receivers. Bryce Lance was a key target, racking up 158 receiving yards and demonstrating his playmaking skills. Meanwhile, Travis Etienne Jr. contributed on the ground with 50 rushing yards, providing a balanced attack for the Saints.
Defensively, the Saints forced crucial stops and limited the Panthers' scoring opportunities, with Christen Miller leading the charge with a sack. The game’s turning point came late in the second quarter when the Saints intercepted a pass, allowing them to extend their lead and shift the momentum decisively in their favor. The Panthers' Paulson Adebo made a commendable effort with six tackles, but it wasn’t enough to contain New Orleans' offensive firepower.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 45 | 28 | 62% | 380 | 4 | 0 | 118.7 |
| Joe Milton | QB | 34 | 22 | 65% | 235 | 2 | 0 | 104.4 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 12 | 50 | 4.2 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 9 | 48 | 5.3 | 16 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Joe Mixon | HB | 8 | 33 | 4.1 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Owen Wright | HB | 5 | 20 | 4.0 | — | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Joe Milton | QB | 5 | 11 | 2.2 | — | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Jaydn Ott | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 3 | 2 | 0.7 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Barion Brown | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ Vonnahme | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Lance | WR | 11 | 158 | 14.4 | 47 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 2 | 92 | 46.0 | 82 | 1 | 84 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 4 | 78 | 19.5 | 41 | 1 | 34 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 8 | 75 | 9.4 | 20 | 2 | 16 | 1 |
| Jalen Coker | WR | 4 | 47 | 11.8 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 4 | 40 | 10.0 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| DJ Vonnahme | TE | 4 | 39 | 9.8 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 5 | 26 | 5.2 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Johnny Wilson | TE | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | — | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Joe Mixon | HB | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Mitchell Evans | TE | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Lloyd | WILL | 6 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr | SS | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paulson Adebo | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ Turner II | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrion Arnold | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dane Belton | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bryan Bresee | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DeMarvion Overshown | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decamerion Richardson | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dylan Stewart | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Cole | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Carl Granderson | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Princely Umanmielen | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Khristian Boyd | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darrell Jackson Jr | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Stutsman | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Murphy | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ben Roberts | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Braswell | REDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tershawn Wharton | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylan Ford | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Wright | P | 1 | 1 | 5 | 25 |
| Brock Taylor | K | 2 | 2 | 2 | 45 |

