CHARLOTTE — This past Sunday, there were no bigger fans of the New Orleans Saints outside the Crescent City than those in the Queen City. Panthers fans were tuned in to the Saints' matchup against the Bucs, as New Orleans pulled off the 24-20 win, a game that dropped Tampa Bay in the standings and tied the Panthers at the top of the division.

But those chummy vibes ended as soon as the clock hit zero and the Saints' and Panthers' attention turned back to each other. Carolina will travel to New Orleans this weekend to take on the Saints Sunday afternoon. It will be their second matchup of the season; the Saints infamously won the first game in Week 10, beating the Panthers 17-7 in Charlotte.

The Panthers are 29-33 all-time against the Saints. Carolina is 15-16 at home and 14-17 on the road. Carolina is 1-0 in overtime against New Orleans. The last time these two teams played in the Caesars Superdome was to open the 2024 season, in a disappointing Week 1 loss for the Panthers early in the year. The two split the series last season, with the Panthers winning in Week 9.

Now Carolina will try to do the same this season. A win on Sunday against the Saints goes a long way towards staying atop the division standings. This is a New Orleans team that has changed, though, even since Week 10, when they last faced off. With that in mind, get to know this week's foe.

Tyler Shough It

When the Saints drafted Shough in the second round of this year's draft, many questioned the decision to take a 25-year-old rookie (he's now 26) from Louisville. He began the season backing up Spencer Rattler, but was named the starter in Week 9. He got his first NFL win the next game, against the Panthers.

He's now 2-3 as a starter, with one of those losses coming in a four-point defeat to the Dolphins. As a starter, he's thrown 105-of-152 (69 percent) for 1,084 yards, with five touchdowns to four interceptions.

Shough was at his most effective on Sunday, though, when he was willing to use his legs. He rushed seven times for a career-high 55 yards and two touchdowns in Week 14, becoming the first player this season with touchdowns on both a designed run and a scramble in the same game, according to Next Gen Stats.

On his scramble score, Shough was hit 9.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, the furthest distance behind the line of scrimmage on any touchdown run since Week 5, 2022.

The Rookie Running Back

With Alvin Kamara sidelined for a second week in a row due to an ankle and knee injury, the Saints have accelerated their plan to implement Devin Neal. The last two weeks have seen Neal's numbers jump significantly, as he started both games. During this two-game span, Neal has 33 rushes for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Neal attended college at Kansas and was drafted in the sixth round of this year's draft.

Kamara hasn't practiced since leaving early in the Saints' Week 12 game. Statistically, this has been one of Kamara's least productive seasons, though; he had 471 yards on 131 carries through the first 11 games, averaging 3.6 yards per carry, with just one touchdown.

Defense is getting stingy

Linebacker Demario Davis said playing Sunday in the rain was "like being a kid," and that's how free his unit was playing against the Bucs. They never sacked Baker Mayfield and, on the season, are in the middle of the pack with 28.0 sacks. But two quarterback hurries by Nathan Shepherd flushed Mayfield into awkward plays.

The pass-rush kept Mayfield on the move most of the day—including six quarterback pressures on the final three drives, during which Mayfield went 1-of-4 through the air—and the secondary took advantage with seven passes defended, including an interception. One of those passes defended came from Cam Jordan, who jumped into the lane for a batted pass.

On the edges, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor have combined for 17 PDs and five interceptions. The Saints' defense played man coverage at a season-high 37.1 percent in their Week 14 win over the Buccaneers, holding Mayfield to three completions for 19 yards on 11 pass attempts against man coverage.