ChrisXVI

New Orleans Saints
— All eyes were on Luke McCown as Drew Brees missed his first start since sitting out a meaningless Week 17 game in 2009. As backups go, you could do far worse than McCown did against the Panthers. Highlights will focus on the fourth quarter interception that all but ended the game, yet McCown was surprisingly effective, especially in the intermediate range, where he completed 8 of 9 for 124 yards. The Saints likely don’t have the roster to win consistently with him under center, but if Brees misses more time they appear to have at least a solid replacement on hand.

— Despite getting a decent chunk of guaranteed money this offseason, Brandon Browner has been a disappointment in the bayou thus far, earning his third straight grade in the red. Though he only conceded four catches, they went for nearly 35 yards per catch, surrendering big ones to both Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn. Adding in an illegal contact penalty, it begs the question of whether it was worth signing the veteran corner. So far, the signing has been abysmal.

— With Jimmy Graham in Seattle, the Saints have become perilously thin at tight end, as the 34 year old Ben Watson was given the lion’s share of snaps in this game. He’s had a solid career, but this was the second week in a row that he struggled in the run game. While he caught all four passes thrown his way, only one of those moved the chains and another resulted in a lost fumble. The Saints lack a real difference maker in the receiving corps, and this issue will continue to test Sean Payton this season.

Top performers:

LT Terron Armstead (+3.8)
DE Cameron Jordan (+3.6)
CB Delvin Breaux (+3.2)
CB Damian Swann (+1.5)
C Max Unger (+1.5)

In addition, Armstead made their Team of the Week and Browner made their Worst of the Week.