[GAME_DETAIL_202511005]

Big Dill Sports coming to you from Charlotte, where the Saints rolled into Bank of America and walked out with a rock-solid 17–7 dub over the Panthers. Carolina came in feeling frisky off that Packers upset, while New Orleans had folks wondering about Alvin Kamara’s ankle and how rookie QB Tyler Shough would handle a loud road barn. Spoiler: the kid had answers, and AK looked plenty spry when it mattered. (espn.com)

Carolina actually threw the first punch—new lead back Rico Dowdle capped a crisp opening drive with a 5-yard rumble to make it 7–0. From there, Shough settled in and started dealing. A 52-yard strike to Juwan Johnson lit the fuse for an early field goal, then came the haymaker: Shough uncorked a rainbow to Chris Olave for a 62-yard touchdown that flipped the script and the scoreboard, 10–7 Saints at the break. Olave finished with a clean 5 catches, 104 yards, 1 TD, while Shough stacked a poised line: 19/27, 282 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT.

The turning point came in the third when the Panthers, down three, had a 48-yarder blocked and later marched to the Saints’ 15—only for Pete Werner to pounce on a Bryce Young fumble. That defensive stubbornness set up the dagger in the fourth: Alontae Taylor jumped a sideline throw for the lone interception of the day, and two snaps later Shough hit Johnson on a rope for a 30-yard score. With the lead at 17–7, New Orleans let Kamara salt it away, and he delivered the closer’s workload: 22 carries for 83 yards plus 3 grabs for 32—a workmanlike 115 scrimmage yards while the defense (hello Cameron Jordan and Nathan Shepherd) kept Young hemmed in.

Big Dill of the Game: Tyler Shough. On a day the Saints needed composure and a couple of big-time throws, the rookie gave ’em both—two TDs, zero mistakes, and that deep shot to Olave that changed the temperature in the building. That’s a clutch road recipe, and around here, that’s a Big Dill. Until next time, keep it locked—because ballin’ is a big dill.