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Some readers are going to take this with derision. Others could argue rookie pass rusher Payton Turner should get the nod, and I’d tend to agree with them. But when reviewing the New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Carolina Panthers, only one player consistently stood out from start to finish with a strong case as their best player in the game: Blake Gillikin. The second-year pro joined the Saints with plenty of talent, and a year spent studying behind Thomas Morstead has served him well.
His first punt of the afternoon came from midfield, sending the ball 44 yards from New Orleans’ 49 yard line to be downed by Tony Jones Jr. at the Carolina 7 yard line. That shows both accuracy and hang time to allow his teammates to get downfield. The Panthers were in a tight spot on 2nd-and-7 from their own 10 when Turner drew a personal foul and bailed them out. That kept the drive alive until Carolina chose to punt on 4th-and-2 after crossing into New Orleans territory.
Next, backed up at his own 16-yard line, Gillikin punted a full 60 yards. Panthers return specialist Alex Erickson didn’t anticipate that — he was lined up at their 45, and had to backpedal for 15 yards to catch the ball. He was able to make up for it with a 10-yard return but that still saw Sam Darnold take over at his own 34-yard line. This drive ended 15 plays later in a short field goal.
Later, punting from the New Orleans 44, Gillikin booted the football 42 yards to drop it inside Carolina’s 20-yard line but Erickson returned it 14 yards for a modest gain. More penalties on Turner and his fellow rookie Paulson Adebo helped the drive along and the Panthers capped it with a touchdown before the two-minute warning.
Gillikin’s number wasn’t called again until after halftime. He trotted out at the end of a disappointing series to open the second half, sending the ball 52 yards from his own 25-yard line — effectively flipping the field, with Erickson losing a couple yards to a Ty Montgomery tackle. The Panthers took over at their own 23 and had a long field goal try blocked by Carl Granderson in another good special teams play.
He wasn’t done yet, though. Gillikin punted once more in the third quarter from the New Orleans 16, flipping the field again on a 59-yard effort. If you’re keeping track, that’s an average of 51.4 yards per punt so far, all landing deep in Carolina territory. Not too shabby.
But it wasn’t a perfect day in the office. Gillikin’s final punt was his worst, glancing off of his foot to fall out of bounds after just a 37-yard flight. That doomed attempt started at the Saints’ 16 yard line and set up the Panthers for another scoring drive from their own 47, needing just eight plays to hit the end zone.
That kind of speaks to the Saints’ all-around performance on Sunday. Nobody’s perfect, and while some players may have turned in a better game than others, everyone who hit the field left with something they can improve on. They’ve got a week to right the ship before traveling to face the New England Patriots; let’s see what progress Gillikin makes and whether he can settle the position for the next decade like his mentor was able to.
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