Panthers fall 47-10 in opener

NEW ORLEANS — It started about as poorly as it could have.

And it didn’t necessarily get any better as the day went along.

The Panthers opened the season with a disappointing 47-10 loss to the Saints on the road, and the theme of the day was established in the opening minutes.

After the Saints put a 59-yard touchdown pass on the board in the first three minutes (on an apparent miscommunication between cornerback Jaycee Horn and Jordan Fuller), Bryce Young followed with an interception on his first pass of the season.

The Saints proceeded to score on all six of their first-half drives, and the Panthers didn’t cross midfield until the final minute of the second quarter, allowing them to tack a field goal on as time expired.

Young also opened the second half with an interception on his first drive.

Young finished 13-of-30 for 161 yards and the two interceptions, and was sacked four times. His 32.8 passer rating is the lowest of his career. Backup Andy Dalton came in for the final two minutes.

The 37-point margin of defeat was the fourth-worst in franchise history, trailing just the 52-9 loss at Oakland in 2000, a 41-0 home loss to Atlanta in 2002, and a 51-13 loss at San Francisco in 2019.

Even things that seemed like good ideas unraveled, such as Jonathan Mingo‘s nifty end-around run ending with a fumble.

Things improved slightly in the second half, with Young scoring his first career rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Even that took some effort, as the ball came out after he crossed the plane, and it was originally ruled a fumble at the 1 before it was changed to a score on review.