New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers: 2017 Week 3 Recap

Game story

In Week 3 of the 2017 NFL season on 2017-09-24, the New Orleans Saints took care of business against the Carolina Panthers, pulling away with a 34–13 final that controlled the game from start to finish.

The highest-scoring period was Q3 with 28 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

C. Newton (Carolina Panthers) paced the passing game, with -13.72 total EPA, and -1.5% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, D. Brees (New Orleans Saints) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +11.74 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-19.6% win probability) landed in the second quarter when Carolina Panthers changed the game: (7:58) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short right intended for 17-D.Funchess INTERCEPTED by 26-P.Williams at CAR 31. 26-P.Williams to CAR 24 for 7 yards (10-C.Samuel; 84-E.Dickson).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 D. Brees · New Orleans Saints · Passing · +11.74 total EPA · 31 snaps · +0.38 EPA/play
2. 2 M. Thomas · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +9.35 total EPA · 8 snaps · +1.17 EPA/play
3. 3 A. Kamara · New Orleans Saints · Rushing · +4.06 total EPA · 2 snaps · +2.03 EPA/play
4. 4 T. Ginn · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +3.48 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.16 EPA/play
5. 5 C. Fleener · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +2.79 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.79 EPA/play
6. 6 B. Coleman · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +2.05 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.05 EPA/play
7. 7 C. Samuel · Carolina Panthers · Rushing · +1.84 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.84 EPA/play
8. 8 C. McCaffrey · Carolina Panthers · Receiving · +1.60 total EPA · 11 snaps · +0.15 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New Orleans Saints — M. Thomas (D. Brees pass) (Q1 45:29)
• New Orleans Saints — B. Coleman (D. Brees pass) (Q2 35:48)
• New Orleans Saints — T. Ginn (D. Brees pass) (Q3 26:18)
• Carolina Panthers — C. Newton (Q3 16:26)
• New Orleans Saints — A. Kamara (Q4 4:50)

Field goals

• Carolina Panthers — G. Gano (Q1 51:23)
• Carolina Panthers — G. Gano (Q2 40:52)
• New Orleans Saints — W. Lutz (Q2 30:05)
• New Orleans Saints — W. Lutz (Q4 12:03)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 7–3. Carolina Panthers connected on a field goal from the NO 14 (Q1 51:23) — (6:23) 9-G.Gano 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-J.Jansen, Holder-5-M.Palardy.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the CAR 5 (Q1 45:29); New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the CAR 15 (Q1 45:22) — 3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead..

The second quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 10–3. Carolina Panthers connected on a field goal from the NO 30 (Q2 40:52) — (10:52) 9-G.Gano 48 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-J.Jansen, Holder-5-M.Palardy.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the CAR 11 (Q2 35:48) — (5:48) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 16-B.Coleman for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the CAR 15 (Q2 35:42) — 3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead.; New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the CAR 15 (Q2 30:05) — (:05) 3-W.Lutz 33 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead..

The third quarter: Carolina Panthers won the period 21–7. New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the CAR 40 (Q3 26:18) — (11:18) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep left to 19-T.Ginn for 40 yards, TOUCHDOWN [93-K.Love].; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the CAR 15 (Q3 26:09) — 3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead.; Carolina Panthers found the end zone from the NO 3 (Q3 16:26) — (1:26) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton left end for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Carolina Panthers added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q3 16:18) — 9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-44-J.Jansen, Holder-5-M.Palardy.; Carolina Panthers found the end zone from the CAR 75 (Q3 16:18) — (1:18) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 19-T.Ginn pushed ob at NO 29 for 4 yards (58-T.Davis).; Carolina Panthers found the end zone from the CAR 71 (Q3 15:46) — (:46) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep left to 13-M.Thomas to CAR 45 for 26 yards (54-S.Thompson)..

The fourth quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 10–0. New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the CAR 31 (Q4 12:03) — (12:03) 3-W.Lutz 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the CAR 25 (Q4 4:50); New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the CAR 15 (Q4 4:42) — 3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Carolina Panthers (Q2 37:58) — (7:58) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short right intended for 17-D.Funchess INTERCEPTED by 26-P.Williams at CAR 31. 26-P.Williams to CAR 24 for 7 yards (10-C.Samuel; 84-E.Dickson). [WPA -19.6% · EPA -5.45]
• New Orleans Saints (Q1 49:40) — (4:40) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 13-M.Thomas to CAR 46 for 16 yards (24-J.Bradberry). [WPA +9.0% · EPA +2.51]
• Carolina Panthers (Q2 41:31) — (11:31) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short left to 10-C.Samuel to NO 30 for -2 yards (20-K.Crawley). [WPA -7.2% · EPA -1.69]
• New Orleans Saints (Q1 45:29) — (:29) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 13-M.Thomas for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on CAR-26-D.Worley, Defensive Pass Interference, declined. [WPA +6.8% · EPA +1.74]
• Carolina Panthers (Q1 52:02) — (7:02) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton sacked at NO 14 for -6 yards (94-C.Jordan). [WPA -6.6% · EPA -1.70]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Carolina Panthers (Q2 37:58) — (7:58) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short right intended for 17-D.Funchess INTERCEPTED by 26-P.Williams at CAR 31. 26-P.Williams to CAR 24 for 7 yards (10-C.Samuel; 84-E.Dickson). [WPA -19.6% · EPA -5.45]
• Carolina Panthers (Q4 7:09) — (7:09) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short middle intended for 17-D.Funchess INTERCEPTED by 32-K.Vaccaro at NO 35. 32-K.Vaccaro to CAR 35 for 30 yards (70-T.Turner). [WPA -3.5% · EPA -4.86]
• New Orleans Saints (Q3 26:18) — (11:18) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep left to 19-T.Ginn for 40 yards, TOUCHDOWN [93-K.Love]. [WPA +4.8% · EPA +4.32]
• New Orleans Saints (Q4 9:02) — (9:02) 3-W.Lutz 56 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Left, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead. [WPA -2.7% · EPA -3.39]

Quarterback report card

C.Newton led all passers in efficiency for Carolina Panthers, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• C.Newton (Carolina Panthers) · 31 dropbacks · 54.8% completion · -1.5% CPOE · -0.44 EPA/play · -13.72 total EPA
• D.Brees (New Orleans Saints) · 31 dropbacks · 71.0% completion · +11.9% CPOE · +0.38 EPA/play · +11.74 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, New Orleans Saints generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.19 vs -0.17), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Carolina Panthers: 10 drives, -12.11 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
• New Orleans Saints: 10 drives, +13.88 total EPA, 6 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New Orleans Saints leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• D. Brees (New Orleans Saints) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• D. Brees (NO) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Carolina Panthers FG (+3) — Q1 51:23 · NO 14 · Score 0-3
   (6:23) 9-G.Gano 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-J.Jansen, Holder-5-M.Palardy.
2. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q1 45:29 · CAR 5 · Score 6-3
   (:29) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 13-M.Thomas for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on CAR-26-D.Worley, Defensive Pass Interference, declined.
3. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q1 45:22 · CAR 15 · Score 7-3
   3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead.
4. Carolina Panthers FG (+3) — Q2 40:52 · NO 30 · Score 7-6
   (10:52) 9-G.Gano 48 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-J.Jansen, Holder-5-M.Palardy.
5. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q2 35:48 · CAR 11 · Score 13-6
   (5:48) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 16-B.Coleman for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q2 35:42 · CAR 15 · Score 14-6
   3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead.
7. New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q2 30:05 · CAR 15 · Score 17-6
   (:05) 3-W.Lutz 33 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead.
8. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q3 26:18 · CAR 40 · Score 23-6
   (11:18) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep left to 19-T.Ginn for 40 yards, TOUCHDOWN [93-K.Love].
9. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q3 26:09 · CAR 15 · Score 24-6
   3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead.
10. Carolina Panthers TD (+6) — Q3 16:26 · NO 3 · Score 24-12
    (1:26) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton left end for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
11. Carolina Panthers XP (+1) — Q3 16:18 · NO 15 · Score 24-13
    9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-44-J.Jansen, Holder-5-M.Palardy.
12. Carolina Panthers TD (+7) — Q3 16:18 · CAR 75 · Score 24-13
    (1:18) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 19-T.Ginn pushed ob at NO 29 for 4 yards (58-T.Davis).
13. Carolina Panthers TD (+7) — Q3 15:46 · CAR 71 · Score 24-13
    (:46) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep left to 13-M.Thomas to CAR 45 for 26 yards (54-S.Thompson).
14. New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q4 12:03 · CAR 31 · Score 27-13
    (12:03) 3-W.Lutz 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead.
15. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q4 4:50 · CAR 25 · Score 33-13
    (4:50) 41-A.Kamara right tackle for 25 yards, TOUCHDOWN. The Replay Official reviewed the runner was in bounds ruling, and the play was Upheld. The ruling on th
16. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q4 4:42 · CAR 15 · Score 34-13
    3-W.Lutz extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-6-T.Morstead.