New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers: Three to watch Sunday

Three things to watch in Sunday’s Carolina Panthers game against New Orleans:

Will it be a breeze for Panthers with no Brees?

Carolina will have a chance to start 3-0 without having faced a top-tier quarterback. The Panthers caught a huge break when Drew Brees was ruled out with a bruised rotator cuff. It’s the first game Brees has missed because of injury in nine-plus seasons with the Saints. Taking Brees’ spot is journeyman Luke McCown, who has nine career starts (with a 2-7 record) in 12 seasons. McCown’s last start came in 2011 when he was with Jacksonville. McCown, 34, has completed 58 percent of his passes in his career, with nine touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Advantage: Panthers.

Gear up for the run

Expect the Saints to try to establish a running game to take the pressure off McCown. Mark Ingram rushed for nearly 1,000 yards last season, but the former Heisman Trophy winner has only 77 rushing yards in two games this year, with a 3.1-yard average. Sean Payton will try to get new acquisition C.J. Spiller more involved than he was vs. Tampa Bay. Spiller was limited to seven snaps in his Saints debut following knee surgery early in training camp. With Luke Kuechly out a second consecutive game, middle linebacker A.J. Klein has to hold up vs. the run. And look for the Panthers to bring a safety in the box to force McCown’s hand.

Look for Olsen early and often

After Greg Olsen caught only one pass in a Week 1 win at Jacksonville, Cam Newton targeted his tight end 14 times last week against Houston. Olsen caught six passes for 70 yards against the Texans, with his longest reception covering 27 yards. With wideout Jerricho Cotchery out with a high ankle sprain, Olsen should again factor heavily in Mike Shula’s game plan. Olsen caught a career-high 10 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown last December in New Orleans, the start of a two-game stretch in which Olsen pulled down 20 receptions.

This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 9:46 PM with the headline "New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers: Three to watch Sunday."