Carolina
Panthers
0-1
38
FINAL
17
New Orleans
Saints
0-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a commanding performance, the Carolina Panthers secured a decisive 38-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 of the 2027 season. This matchup was crucial for both teams as they sought to establish early momentum in the competitive NFC South. The Panthers’ offense proved too potent for the Saints, allowing them to pull away in the second half.
Chuba Hubbard was the standout performer for Carolina, rushing for 94 yards and consistently finding gaps in the Saints' defense. Tyler Shough of New Orleans showed promise with his passing game, throwing for 213 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not enough to keep pace with the explosive Panthers. Jaylen Waddle contributed significantly in the receiving game, logging 69 yards and helping to facilitate key drives.
While the Panthers' offense thrived, it was their defense that ultimately set the tone for the game. The Saints struggled to contain Carolina's scoring onslaught, and despite Alex Anzalone's impressive eight tackles, New Orleans couldn't find the rhythm needed to mount a comeback. The turning point came late in the second quarter when a critical stop by the Panthers' defense shifted momentum, allowing them to take a commanding lead into halftime.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 35 | 19 | 54% | 213 | 2 | 0 | 91.7 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 30 | 18 | 60% | 206 | 1 | 0 | 91.8 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 15 | 94 | 6.3 | 50 | 2 | 27 | 0 |
| Trevor Etienne | HB | 11 | 68 | 6.2 | 23 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 15 | 48 | 3.2 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 6 | 46 | 7.7 | 28 | 1 | 32 | 0 |
| Joel Joyner | HB | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 33 | 1 | 38 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Caleb Douglas | WR | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrance Carter Jr. | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barion Brown | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Waddle | WR | 5 | 69 | 13.8 | 11 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Caleb Douglas | WR | 6 | 67 | 11.2 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 4 | 66 | 16.5 | 16 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 3 | 47 | 15.7 | 9 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Terrance Carter Jr. | TE | 3 | 47 | 15.7 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 1 | 41 | 41.0 | 29 | 1 | 41 | 1 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 18 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| KJ Duff | WR | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Skyler Bell | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zack Baun | LEDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Bresee | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jackson Kuwatch | MIKE | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leonard Moore | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Trey Moore | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | SAM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bud Clark | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Carl Granderson | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Amare Campbell | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Murphy | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Lloyd | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kobie Turner | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maxwell Hairston | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Hancock | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vernon Broughton | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nic Scourton | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pete Werner | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | REDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Taylor | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Carlson | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 35 |
| Jason Myers | K | 1 | 1 | 5 | 43 |

