Panthers-Saints live updates: Carolina moves to 2-0 by beating New Orleans

Sam Darnold didn’t look like the Sam Darnold of yore last week when he passed for 279 yards in his Panthers debut. Can he build on that performance today (and can Jameis Winston match his five-touchdown Week 1 performance?) when the Carolina Panthers host the New Orleans Saints at 1 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte?

The Panthers have had some close games with the Saints lately, including attempting a 65-yard field goal to tie it at the end of last year’s contest, but have lost eight of their last nine meetings.

The Observer has seven journalists at the stadium covering this afternoon’s game, including beat reporter Jonathan M. Alexander, columnist Scott Fowler and two photographers. For live updates throughout the day, stay tuned here and refresh this page for the most recent news.

Final: Panthers 26, Saints 7

The Panthers are 2-0.

Gonzalez FG: Panthers 26, Saints 7

Zane Gonzalez nailed a 42-yard field goal to extend the Panthers’ lead over Saints to 26-7. The field goal was set up after a Saints turnover on downs deep in their own territory.

The field goal came with 3:26 remaining in the game.

Christian McCaffrey TD: Panthers 23, Saints 7

The Panthers’ star has notched his first touchdown of the 2021 season.

Christian McCaffrey hit a hole and scored from 11 yards out on Sunday to cap a seven-play, 53-yard drive with just over five minutes left in the game. The running back now has 134 total yards — 21 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 65 yards.

Zane Gonzalez missed the extra point.

Panthers DaQquan Jones stuffs Saints promising drive

The third quarter hasn’t yet seen any scoring. But it’s been plenty eventful.

With 8:40 remaining in the quarter, the Saints blocked a 50-yard field goal attempt by the Panthers. And with 5:25 left in the third quarter, the Panthers stuffed the only promising drive of the Saints so far with a DaQuan Jones sack on a 4th and 5.

That makes three sacks on the day for the Panthers, keeping pace (almost) with its six sacks a week ago. The score is still 17-0.

HALF: Juston Burris INT for Panthers keeps Saints scoreless

The Panthers couldn’t quite get set in time for a last-second field goal at the end of the first half — an illegal formation penalty stopped the team from spiking the ball and testing the leg of Zane Gonzalez — but they should be heading into the locker room pretty happy.

Sam Darnold is picking apart the Saints’ defense: He’s 16 for 20 for 216 yards and two touchdowns.

Christian McCaffrey is productive (some might argue too productive, as in being overused): He has notched 50 yards on 15 rushes and two catches for 41 yards. A touchdown has (still) eluded him.

Moore has been targeted eight times — twice as many times as any other Carolina receiver — and has 70 yards receiving and a touchdown to show for it. (The guy with the second most targets is tight end Dan Arnold, who’s notched three catches for 55 yards.)

And the defense has been dominant: The Panthers have only allowed three New Orleans first downs and 65 total net yards. They’ve sacked Jameis Winston twice and intercepted him once, thanks to an errant throw and Juston Burris being in the right place at the right time near the end of the half.

DJ Moore TD catch: Panthers 17, Saints 0

It took them a while, but the Panthers found some short-yardage offense when they needed to.

Just after the two-minute warning, Carolina put a proverbial cherry on top of yet another promising drive orchestrated by Sam Darnold. This one ended with a 2-yard slant to DJ Moore for a touchdown, the receiver’s first of the season, to deliver the Panthers a 17-0 lead.

That was a 72-yard, 10-play drive. Darnold loomed large in it, throwing for 47 of those yards.

Zane Gonzalez FG: Panthers 10, Saints 0

The Panthers’ red zone woes continue.

Carolina earned a first-down inside the red zone early in the second quarter but couldn’t turn it into a touchdown. Instead, newly signed Zane Gonzalez scored his first points as a Panther, hitting a 20-yard field goal. 10-0, Panthers.

That means the Panthers have scored touchdowns on only one occasion in five times inside the 20 this season. (They scored a touchdown from the 20 earlier in the game.)

The points came at a bit of a cost: Pat Elfline, starting Panthers offensive lineman, was injured on the drive and is now listed as “doubtful.”

END OF Q1

The Panthers were in the middle of their third drive when the first-quarter buzzer sounded. And their offense is humming along.

McCaffrey has already notched eight touches — seven rushes for 23 yards and one catch for 32 yards. Darnold is 8 for 10 for 135 yards and a touchdown. And DJ Moore, who’s been targed four times, has three receptions for 41 yards.

Brandon Zylstra TD: Panthers 7, Saints 0

Well, that looked easy: The Panthers went five plays and 75 yards in three minutes of game time on the game’s opening drive to take an early 7-0 lead over the Saints.

The play that punctuated the scoring was a play-action bootleg that ended in a Sam Darnold-to-Brandon Zylstra 20-yard touchdown.

Saints win coin toss

New Orleans elected to defer. The Panthers will receive the opening kickoff.

What uniforms are the Panthers and Saints wearing?

New Orleans is wearing black tops with gold pants. The Panthers are wearing white tops with white paints.

Who’s inactive for the Panthers-Saints game?

Panthers: WR Shi Smith, DT Phil Hoskins, G Michael Jordan, G Deonte Brown, T Trent Scott, TE Colin Thompson, DE Darryl Johnson.

Saints: CB Marshon Lattimore, CB Gardner-Johnson, DT Montravius Adams , QB Ian Book, DE Tanoh Kpassagnon , C Erik McCoy , LB Pete Werner.

Panthers-Saints injury report

Panthers: None

Saints: LB Kwon Alexander (elbow) OUT, DE Marcus Davenport (shoulder) OUT, DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (calf) QUESTIONABLE, Marshon Lattimore (hand) QUESTIONABLE, C/G Erik McCoy (calf) OUT, LB Pete Werner (hamstring) OUT, CB P.J. Williams (back) QUESTIONABLE, DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson (knee) QUESTIONABLE, LB Chase Hansen (groin) OUT.

How to watch Saints-Panthers game

Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff between the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte is being broadcast on FOX. If you’re watching in Charlotte, that means WJZY-Fox 46.

The Panthers-Saints game can be streamed online with a subscription to YouTube TV or Hulu+ Live TV, so long as you are viewing from inside the broadcast footprint — a map of which can be found below via 506 Sports.