The Panthers got a road win over the Eagles, and by the time it was over, Bryce Young had put together the kind of stat line that gets attention around the league: 281 passing yards and two touchdowns. It didn’t come easy. The Eagles, as the source notes, may be the best defense Carolina has seen this season, and the Panthers had to work for every bit of that result.
Still, Young came out of it as the bigger story. He now leads the NFL in yards per game after making a sizable jump in his fourth season, and the praise is starting to build around him. Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard has already planted his flag in Young’s corner as an MVP candidate.
“He’s a one-of-one player,” Hubbard said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “Each year, he’s just gotten better.
But I’ve said it since Day 1, been in his corner, he’s a special type of guy. He can make plays that not everyone can make.
… And he’s cool, calm, collected in all moments. So it brings confidence to the offense and we’re lucky to have him.”
In New Orleans, Week 6 carried a little extra weight before the Saints even took the field against the Giants. Owner Gayle Benson had called the team’s 1-4 start “unacceptable” the week before, and head coach Kellen Moore made it clear he had heard her. The Saints’ win on Sunday came at the right time, and Moore revisited Benson’s comments afterward.
“The one thing is you always have to put it in perspective, we all want the same thing,” Moore said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “We all want to win games ultimately.
That’s what we all want. We have the same goals and aspirations.
And so, for our guys, I think it was just a week of really focusing on ourselves and focus on the task at hand. And I love the way our guys practiced.
I thought there was physicality and energy and juice.”
In Other News...
Saints Win Turned On One Offensive Choice And Two Huge Defensive Plays
The Saints found a way to steady themselves after an early hole at MetLife Stadium, leaning on a mix of timely offense and dependable kicking to keep the Giants from fully separating. New Orleans answered the opening punch with touchdowns from Tyler Shough and Jameis Winston, while Daniel Carlsons field goals helped keep the pressure on a New York team that kept finding answers of its own.
The turning point came when the defense started changing possessions, with interceptions by Martin Emerson Jr. and Julian Blackmon giving New Orleans extra chances in a game that had already swung back and forth. Once those takeaways arrived, the Saints were able to keep pushing the pace and protect a lead that held up through the end. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Just Saw How Messy The Giants Backfield Has Become
The Giants backfield has taken another turn, and for a Saints team that already had a close eye on the NFC landscape, it is the kind of roster shuffle that stands out. New York is now down to Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary in the running back room, a group that has been in flux as the Giants continue to sort out how they want to distribute touches.
Najee Harris had been part of that mix until the latest change, even after the Giants made some unusual calls with his usage in recent weeks. His role had already been in question after Week 6, when the workload never matched what many expected, and the move leaves even more uncertainty around how the Giants plan to handle the position going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Game Just Intensified The Giants J.J. McCarthy Debate
Adam Thielen said the mood inside the Giants locker room was buoyed by J.J. McCarthys fourth-quarter surge against the Saints, even though the comeback effort came in a loss. McCarthy was making his first real impression after landing in New York from Minnesota, and for a stretch he looked every bit like a quarterback who could change the conversation around a team searching for a reset.
For New Orleans, the bigger issue is how quickly McCarthy turned a late, lopsided game into something worth dissecting. Thielen pointed to the reaction around the Giants after McCarthy stepped in for Jameis Winston and suddenly energized the offense, a reminder that one strong finish can ripple well beyond the final score and fuel an already uncomfortable debate about what comes next. [Read more 🡒]