New Orleans Saints: Complete roster breakdown vs. Carolina Panthers
By Jason Reed
Offense:
Quarterback: Advantage, New Orleans Saints
There really is not much of a debate here. On one hand, you have a Hall of Fame quarterback that will go down as one of the best ever in Drew Brees and a rookie quarterback in Kyle Allen that just recently won this job.
To be fair, Allen has been pretty good for Carolina in replacing Cam Newton but he is still no Drew Brees.
Running back: Advantage, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are one of few teams that have the running back advantage over the Saints and that is because of Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey has been so good this year that he is on pace to break the yards from scrimmage record and has inserted himself in the MVP discussion.
The Panthers would not be 5-5 if they did not have McCaffrey and the biggest key to beating Carolina is limiting (because you cannot fully stop) McCaffrey. Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray are one of the best duos in the league, if not the best, but still are not McCaffrey.
Wide receiver: Advantage, New Orleans Saints
The Panthers have McCaffrey and the Saints have Michael Thomas, who is finally getting the credit he deserves and if the chips fall correctly, could actually be in the running to make history as the first-ever wide receiver MVP.
The rest of the receiving corps is not great and the Panthers have a solid duo in D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel, but Thomas edges the Saints over.
Tight end: Advantage, Carolina Panthers
This one was tough as both teams have pass-catching veteran tight ends in Greg Olson and Jared Cook that are at similar stages of their careers. However, Olson has had a much better year than Cook and is overall the more proven veteran tight end.
With Josh Hill questionable for this game, it is really hard to give the edge to the Saints on this one.
Offensive line: Advantage, New Orleans Saints
The Saints have one of the best offensive lines in football if not the best offensive line. The team is missing Andrus Peat, which could be a big deal (we will explain why later) but overall, the advantage still goes to New Orleans.
Carolina does not have a bad offensive line, but I would not say they have a great one, either. They have one that does enough to get the job done but does not take the offense to a new level like the Saints’ O-line has done.