Get to know Panthers’ Week 18 opponent: Saints are rebounding after listless start

The Carolina Panthers are nearly at the finish line of their 2022 campaign.

The whirlwind season will conclude with a road matchup against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at 1 p.m. While both teams are no longer eligible for the playoffs, Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks will want to finish out his temporary tenure as strongly as possible.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen — who has dealt with rumors of Sean Payton’s potential return for the past month — will want to do his best to finish strong as well.

Here are five things to know about the Panthers’ Week 18 opponent:

Saints are riding a three-game winning streak

After a lackluster start to the season, the Saints — led by quarterback Andy Dalton — have started to surge down the stretch. While that rebound wasn’t enough to land New Orleans in the playoffs, Allen and company clearly care about finishing the season strong.

That outlook is largely due to the fact that the Saints don’t own their 2023 first-round pick. New Orleans traded that selection — along with some other premium picks — to the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire a second first-round pick in this past year’s draft. So, the Saints have nothing to lose by beating up on opponents late in the season.

The Saints coughed up Matt Rhule’s only win of the season in September. Starting the season off 3-7 was rough, but the Saints have now eclipsed the Panthers in the standings by winning four of their past six games.

A down year for Alvin Kamara

Through 14 games (12 starts), Kamara hasn’t been the scorer that he has been in the past. He has four combined touchdowns entering the final week of the season, which is easily a career low.

While Kamara is still effective and dangerous as a runner and a receiver, he’s not the all-out juggernaut he has been. He has produced 791 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns this season to along with 56 receptions for 487 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

The Panthers have a done a nice job against the run over the past few weeks, and containing Kamara will be a priority. They’ll also need to tackle well in space, because Kamara can break tackles and pick up huge gains.

Taysom Hill is still a problem

Gadget weapon Taysom Hill has been effective in multiple areas of the offense this season.

Hill can throw, run and catch — making him a nightmare for defensive coordinators. Hill has 10 total touchdowns on the season, as he’s scored as a passer, a runner and a receiver.

He has compiled 240 passing yards, 551 rushing yards and 75 receiving yards to go along with those scores.

Panthers defensive coordinator Al Holcomb will need to design a game plan specifically for when Hill is on the field. Hill can line up at running back, tight end, wide receiver and quarterback, so every member of the defense will need to account for his whereabouts.

Hill has a tendency to make opposing play-callers look foolish, and the Panthers need to avoid getting duped by his trick plays.

Watch out for the rookie

First-round pick Chris Olave has played as advertised this season. The rookie from Ohio State has easily been the Saints’ top receiver, and he has rewarded the franchise with a stellar campaign.

Through 14 games (nine starts), Olave has collected 67 catches for 982 yards and three touchdowns. With Panthers missing top cornerback Jaycee Horn, Olave presents one of the biggest challenges of Week 18.

Holcomb is likely to put cornerback C.J. Henderson on Olave. As seen with Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans in Week 17, Henderson isn’t always the most reliable starter.

New Orleans brings the pressure

The Saints have done a swell job of getting to the quarterback this season. Entering Week 18, New Orleans is tied for fifth in the NFL with 46 sacks.

That’s an impressive total because of how often the team has trailed in games this season.

After protecting Sam Darnold extremely well for a month, the Panthers’ pass protection leaked quite a bit against the Buccaneers last week.

The Panthers need to shore up their blocking this week as defensive end Cam Jordan is known for causing problems up front. Jordan leads the Saints with 8.5 sacks on the season.

This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 5:00 AM.

Mike Kaye

The Charlotte Observer

Mike Kaye writes about the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. He also co-hosts “Processing Blue: A Panthers Podcast” for The Observer. Kaye’s work in columns/analysis and sports feature writing has been honored by the North Carolina Press Association (NCPA). His reporting has also received recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE).Kaye previously covered the entire NFL for Pro Football Network, the Philadelphia Eagles for NJ Advance Media and the Jacksonville Jaguars for First Coast News. Support my work with a digital subscription