CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tyler Shough threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns as the New Orleans Saints defeated the Carolina Panthers 17-7 on Sunday, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Shough, a rookie who began the season as the Saints’ backup quarterback, connected on a 62-yard scoring strike to Chris Olave and a 30-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson, earning his first win as a starter.
Alvin Kamara contributed 83 rushing yards for the Saints (2-8), while Olave finished with five catches for 104 yards. New Orleans outgained Carolina 388 yards to 175.
For the Panthers, Bryce Young was limited to 124 yards passing and turned the ball over twice, ending his four-game win streak as a starter. Running back Rico Dowdle carried 18 times for 53 yards and scored Carolina’s only touchdown.
Dowdle got the Panthers on the board early with a 5-yard touchdown run on the opening possession. Although it seemed like it might be Carolina’s day, the offense stalled afterward. The Panthers’ next five first-half possessions resulted in just 36 net yards and four punts.
The Saints capitalized on Carolina’s struggles. Olave beat Carolina’s top cover cornerback, Jaycee Horn, for a long touchdown, giving New Orleans a 10-7 lead at halftime. Carolina’s 83 first-half yards were their fewest of the season, and the offense saw little improvement in the second half.
Carolina seemed to get a break in the third quarter after the Saints blocked a Ryan Fitzgerald field-goal attempt. However, one of Carolina’s linemen touched the live ball, and despite recovering it for a new set of downs, the momentum quickly shifted back to New Orleans. Shortly thereafter, Young fumbled a handoff to wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., and the Saints recovered.
The Panthers had another opportunity after Nic Scourton sacked Shough on fourth down, but Young responded with an underthrown pass down the right sideline that was intercepted by Alontae Taylor.
Taking full advantage, Shough found a wide-open Johnson down the left sideline for a 30-yard touchdown, extending the Saints’ lead to two possessions.
**Injuries:**
– Panthers tight end Michell Evans left in the first half with an ankle injury.
– Linebacker Trevin Wallace exited in the second half with a shoulder injury.
**Up Next:**
– Saints: Have a bye next week before hosting the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 23.
– Panthers: Travel to Atlanta on Sunday.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/tyler-shough-throws-2-tds-211118668.html