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Observations from the Saints' Loss vs Panthers

The New Orleans Saints had an unimpressive close to their season on Sunday as they lost, 33-7, to the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

For the Saints (13-3), this game had no playoff implications because they clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC postseason last week, but it was still a surprisingly dominant effort by the Panthers.

Carolina’s third-string quarterback Kyle Allen was fantastic, going 16 of 27 for 228 yards and two touchdowns as well as another touchdown on the ground. Allen left the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury, but he’d already done enough to put the Panthers comfortably ahead.

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Meanwhile, Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater couldn’t find a rhythm in his first start since the 2015 season with the Vikings. Bridgewater finished the game 14 of 22 for 118 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

What went right: The Saints avoided being shut out in the game. They’ve now scored in 272 consecutive games, which is the longest current streak in the NFL.

Saints backup running back Dwayne Washington looked good with 108 rushing yards on 11 carries.

If you’re looking for more, let’s say the Saints seem to have avoided any serious injuries.

What went wrong: The starting defense was horrendous in the first half. We could debate whether the group cared or lacked motivation, but the Saints’ top defensive players got torched by a third-string quarterback.

The offense was bad, too, as Bridgewater struggled to move the ball behind an offensive line of mostly backups. The Saints were scoreless through three quarters and finally broke the drought in the fourth.

The Saints trailed 23-0 at halftime, and the Panthers added to their lead in the third quarter by going ahead 30-0. The Saints offense eventually scored two touchdowns, but that was after Carolina had the game in hand.

Player of the game: Kyle Allen

In case you missed it: Michael Thomas set a franchise record for most receiving yards in a season with 1,405. In the fourth quarter, he surpassed Joe Horn’s mark of 1,399, which stood since 2004. Thomas this year also set a single-season record with 120 receptions.

Injuries: Saints offensive lineman Andrus Peat exited in the first quarter with a hand injury and did not return. In the first quarter, Saints defensive linemen Sheldon Rankins and Alex Okafor suffered apparent injuries, but they returned to the game. For the Panthers, Allen suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter and didn’t return.

NOLA