DOWN X DOWN › week 15 › Panthers at Saints
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2025
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Week 15 · Sunday 4:25 PM ET · Mercedes-Benz Superdome

CARvsNO

Panthers offensevsSaints defense

Season numbers through Week 22: 18 games for Panthers, 17 for Saints. Ranks are out of 32; #1 is the best offense or the stingiest defense.

How it played out · win probability, snap by snapFinal · CAR 17 · NO 20

The Saints won 20–17 from as low as 9% (Q4 4:45, down 17⁠–⁠10). The Panthers had been 58% favorites at kickoff. The game turned for good at Q4 0:52: T.Shough pass short right to A.Estime to NO 28 for 19 yards (L.Ransom; M.Jackson) (49% → 58%). The biggest single swing came at Q4 0:12, 18 points for the Saints.

At kickoffCAR 58%CAR by 2.5 on the line
NO low point9%Q4 4:45 · down 17⁠–⁠10
Swings past 50%3times the favorite changed
Biggest swing18 ptsNO · Q4 0:12
NO wins50%CAR wins
Q1Q2Q3Q4

The plays that swung it

  1. 1Q4 0:12NOT.Shough up the middle to CAR 44 for 4 yards (L.Ransom). NO-T.Shough was injured during the play. PENALTY on CAR-L.Ransom, Unnecessary Roughness,…56% → 74%+18 NO
  2. 2Q4 2:33NOT.Shough pass short middle to C.Olave for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN.23% → 40%+17 NO
  3. 3Q4 0:06NOC.Smyth 47 yard field goal is GOOD Penalty on CAR-C.Smith-Wade, Defensive Offside, declined.76% → 92%+16 NO
  4. 4Q2 1:18CARB.Young pass short right to T.McMillan to NO 21 for 21 yards (A.Taylor; K.McKinstry).61% → 74%+14 CAR
  5. 5Q4 1:04CARS.Martin punts 40 yards to NO 17, fair catch by D.Pettis. PENALTY on NO-J.Howden, Offensive Holding, 8 yards, enforced at NO 17.40% → 53%+14 NO
  6. ★Q4 0:52NOT.Shough pass short right to A.Estime to NO 28 for 19 yards (L.Ransom; M.Jackson).turning point49% → 58%+9 NO

Win probability is nflverse's model, which starts from the betting line and updates before every snap with the score, the clock, down, distance, field position and timeouts. A swing is the change in one team's chance across a play, in percentage points. Each play is tagged with the team that had the ball; the bar names the team it helped. The turning point is the play after which the winner never fell to 50% again.

Box score · every offensive player who touched the ballWeek 15

B.Young led the Panthers at +10.2 EPA (15 of 24 for 163). T.Shough led the Saints at +13.1 EPA (24 of 32 for 272).

CAR Panthers

PassingC/AYdsTDINTSkEPA
B.Young100%15/2416311+7.7
RushingCarShareYdsTDEPA
R.Dowdle60%1652%491+0.7
C.Hubbard42%826%29-4.8
B.Young100%723%49+2.5
ReceivingTgtShareRecYdsTDEPA
T.Tremble49%420%213-0.5
J.Coker68%420%4601+6.8
T.McMillan84%420%225+1.3
X.Legette74%315%239+2.9
J.Sanders53%210%25-0.7
R.Dowdle60%15%15+0.0
C.Hubbard42%15%19+1.8
J.Jr.7%15%17-0.3

Defense D.Wonnum 2 sacks, C.Rozeboom 1 sack, T.Gipson 1 sack, B.III 0.5 sacks · Kicking R.Fitzgerald 1/1 FG (long 40)

NO Saints

PassingC/AYdsTDINTSkEPA
T.Shough99%24/3227215+8.6
S.Rattler1%0/10+0.1
RushingCarShareYdsTDEPA
T.Shough99%832%32+4.5
D.Neal32%728%281-0.4
E.Hull32%416%12-3.4
A.Estimé36%312%11-0.2
T.Hill22%28%2-0.8
M.Tipton80%14%-4-2.2
ReceivingTgtShareRecYdsTDEPA
C.Olave84%929%6851+3.9
D.Vele55%619%569+9.0
K.Jr.38%516%333+0.5
J.Johnson61%413%430+3.2
A.Estimé36%310%339+1.2
M.Tipton80%26%15-0.6
J.Stoll14%13%17+0.3
D.Neal32%13%14-0.2

Defense C.Young 1 sack · Kicking C.Smyth 2/2 FG (long 47)

Each player's line for this game from nflverse's weekly stats; the percentage beside his name is his share of the offense's snaps. Share is his part of the team's carries or targets in this game. Defense lists sacks and interceptions; kicking lists field goals.

Keys to the game · from the season numbers, not this game alone4 reads
01
Biggest edge

Ground game edge

Panthers average 4.3 yards per carry (14th). Saints allow 3.9 (9th).

02
Opportunity

Deep middle is open

Saints are worst against deep middle throws, allowing +1.24 EPA per attempt. Panthers send 3% of their throws there. That is a small part of their offense so far.

03
Watch out

Third downs favor Saints

Panthers convert 37% of third downs (25th). Saints allow 36% (4th).

04
Wash

Explosive play rate

Call this one even. Panthers create explosive plays on 9% of snaps (24th). Saints give them up at 9% (16th).

The series · Panthers and Saints since 1999, and this season's records55 meetings

The Saints lead the series 31–24 since 1999. They have won the last 2. This game is the latest meeting.

Panthers at home12–15the Panthers' record
In New Orleans12–16the Panthers' record
Most pointsPanthers 45 · Saints 471999 · 2024
Biggest winPanthers by 32 · Saints by 371999 · 2024
Playoffs0–1the Panthers' record

The last 5

2025 · Wk 15CAR 17 at NO 20
2025 · Wk 10NO 17 at CAR 7
2024 · Wk 9NO 22 at CAR 23
2024 · Wk 1CAR 10 at NO 47
2023 · Wk 14CAR 6 at NO 28

2025 records

PanthersSaints
Overall8–96–11
Division3–33–3
Conference6–64–8
Other conference2–32–3
Home5–33–5
Away3–63–6
Last 5WLWLLWWWWL
StreakLost 2Lost 1
Points a game18.3 – 22.418.0 – 22.5

Every meeting since 1999, regular season and playoffs, from nflverse's game list, which starts in 1999; the all-time series goes back further. Franchises that moved count as one team (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams). Home and away are from the Panthers' side. Records are this regular season.

Head to head · CAR offense against NO defense
StatCAR CAR offFavors CAR · Favors NONO NO def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
-0.04#26
-0.06#10+0.01
Success rate
43%#18
42%#744%
Yards per play
5.1#26
5.0#75.4
Explosive play rate
9%#24
9%#1610%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
-0.06#25
-0.05#12+0.01
Sack rate
6%#13
8%#77%
Running
Run EPA per carry
-0.05#17
-0.12#4-0.05
Yards per carry
4.3#14
3.9#94.3
Money downs
3rd down conversion
37%#25
36%#440%
Red zone TD rate
57%#20
55%#1159%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
131#19
122#6140
TE yards per game
37#30
51#1353
TE targets per game
5.8#27
7.4#177.3
RB receiving yards per game
31#14
24#332
Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Panthers: EPA per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+0.497% of throws
+0.243% of throws
+0.455% of throws
Short
-0.0333% of throws
+0.1517% of throws
-0.0234% of throws

Saints: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+0.3145 throws
+1.2412 throws
+0.4235 throws
Short
+0.07158 throws
+0.1567 throws
+0.02169 throws

Green gains more than expected, red loses value. Cells with fewer than 5 throws are grayed out.