The lights were clearly too bright for the Carolina Panthers against the New Orleans Saints.
They had the opportunity to take a massive step toward their first division title since 2015. But despite wins over the NFC-topping Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams, another dismal loss to the Saints summed up the team's inconsistencies.
When it really mattered, the Panthers’ defense could not get off the field. This has become synonymous with Ejiro Evero’s reign as defensive coordinator.
While the coach deserves immense credit for the improvement after a historically bad 2024 season, there are still fundamental issues in his scheme that played a significant role in the Panthers' backbreaking defeat.