From Week 1 Frustrations to Redemption Road: Juwan Johnson Swears He’ll Win Back Every Saints Fan
Posted September 9, 2025
Juwan Johnson's day will be remembered for failing to come down with a touchdown in the closing seconds against the Arizona Cardinals. That's an unfortunate truth for the New Orleans Saints leading receiver on the day, who actually did some good things leading up to that play.
Johnson signed a three-year, $30.75 million contract extension this offseason. With some saying he was overpaid, his performance on Sunday certainly showed that he can be worth the money the Saints are spending on him (He had the third most receiving yards by a TE over the weekend). However, this one performance didn't seal the deal. Johnson will have to keep it up if he wants to show he's worth the new contract.
Fortunately, Johnson's on his way to doing so. He was an afterthought at the beginning of last season, but he's started much faster this year. If Johnson keeps up his performance from Sunday, he is set to have over 1,000 receiving yards in 2025. That would be the most of his career by far, and he would be the first player to do so in the black and gold since wide receiver Chris Olave in 2023.
Saints TE Juwan Johnson wants to be Spencer Rattler's ol' reliable
Heading into Sunday's matchup against the Cardinals, Saints tight end Juwan Johnson had emphasized how he wanted to be reliable for his starting quarterback, Spencer Rattler. "I just want to be reliable and kind of that safe haven for him to know that look, if any trouble happens, I want to be the guy you can look to be like, 'All right, he's got me there.'"
However, with seconds left in the game, Johnson dropped what would've been either a game-tying or game-winning touchdown. Even so, he still has the confidence of Rattler, with the QB saying he'd throw the ball to him 100 times out of 100. "It's a game of inches. I think that guy (All-Pro Safety Budda Baker) made a good play on that ball to Juwan."
Johnson is also aware of just how crucial that dropped touchdown was. "Me not making the play at the end kind of erases what I did in the beginning. End of the day, I just didn't make the play," Johnson said in the locker room. "It's like, no matter what happened, any play throughout the course of the game could've been like, 'oh, that couldve been the play.' But we always worry about the last play. We just have to move forward."
While it was a good play by the Cardinals defenders, coming down with those plays will have to go the Saints way, for the team to win and for Johnson to solidify himself as Mr. Reliable. Rattler clearly has trust in Johnson. Outside of targeting Johnson in that critical moment, Rattler also leaned on Johnson to start the drive. The same can be said when the Saints first went down by 10. The biggest moment, unfortunately, didn't go Johnson's way.
Bryce Young Addresses Helmet-Slamming Incident Following Panthers’ Week 1 Loss
The Carolina Panthers entered the 2025 season hoping to build on the offensive progress they showed late last year. Instead, their regular season opener looked like a harsh reset.
In a 26-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it wasn’t just one problem that sank Carolina, it was a mix of self-inflicted mistakes, sloppy execution, and missed opportunities on both sides of the ball.
And at the center of it all was quarterback Bryce Young, visibly losing his composure in a rare moment of public frustration.
Young’s struggles began early. He threw a costly first half interception and later fumbled, mistakes that directly led to 10 Jaguars points. Those giveaways erased any chance of rhythm and immediately put the defense in difficult spots.
Carolina nearly caught a break in the fourth quarter when a pick six was wiped out by a Jaguars penalty, only for Young to throw another interception on the very next series. That miscue sealed the Panthers fate and underscored how thin their margin for error really was.
Turnovers weren’t the only problem. When the Panthers finally built momentum to open the second half, their best chance to close the gap fell apart in the red zone. Facing fourth and 1, Young had no receiver open and had to throw the ball away.
As he came to the sideline afterward, the usually composed quarterback spiked his helmet on the bench, brushing off encouragement from head coach Dave Canales. That moment summed up Carolina’s afternoon – close calls with nothing to show for them.
The offense unraveled in other ways too. Dropped passes killed drives. Penalties erased first downs, including an ineligible man downfield call on center Austin Corbett. Even basic snaps looked shaky, arriving before Young was ready.
A Teamwide Collapse
GettyCarolina Panthers Qb Bryce Young and RB Chubba Hubbard
Defensively, the Panthers didn’t do much to cover for the offense’s miscues. Missed tackles and communication breakdowns gave Jacksonville easy yards, while Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne kept the game comfortably out of reach.
For most of the afternoon, Carolina’s only points came from rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald’s 48 yard field goal. Young finally connected with Chuba Hubbard for a late touchdown in garbage time.
Young finished just 9 of 19 for 62 yards with no touchdowns before garbage time, and a passer rating of 33.2. While he shoulders part of the blame, it was far from a one man collapse. Carolina looked unprepared across the board, from sideline adjustments to execution on the field.
It’s only Week 1, and the NFC South remains wide open. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons all come with their own question marks, which gives the Panthers a legitimate chance to stay in the division race if they can rebound quickly.
Still, the loss raises difficult questions about whether they’re truly ready to take a step forward under Canales, or if the frustrations of 2024 are destined to repeat themselves.
