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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The New Orleans Saints notched a 20-17 win over division rival Carolina Panthers in Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season, securing a second victory over Carolina in the campaign and delivering one of the more dramatic finishes of the NFC South slate.
The game ended with kicker Charlie Smyth drilling a 47-yard field goal with just two seconds remaining at the Caesars Superdome, capping a late comeback behind rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who finished 24-of-32 for 272 yards and a touchdown.
New Orleans trailed 17-10 entering the fourth quarter before tying the game on a Shough-to-Chris Olave score and setting up the game-winner with under a minute to play.
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The Saints’ run-game got into the end zone as well, with running back Devin Neal powering in a 4-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter.
In addition to the on-field excitement, the NFL on Saturday released its Week 15 fines list, and the Saints led the league with three players fined for on-field conduct.
Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks was fined $11,593 for taunting during a third-quarter sequence, linebacker Danny Stutsman was fined $6,095 for helmet use deemed unnecessary roughness, and Neal received a $5,015 fine for a "violent gesture."
No other team had more than two players fined in Week 15.
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With all three players being rookies, they each carry similar base salaries for 2025, with Banks and Stutsman set to earn roughly $840,000 and Neal $781,672.
On a per-game basis, Banks and Stutsman earn approximately $49,411, while Neal earns $45,980. As a result, Stutsman and Neal each forfeited roughly 10–12% of their game check due to their fines, while Banks lost closer to 23.4% — a significant hit for a rookie on a league-minimum deal.
While the fines are modest in raw dollar terms compared to veteran contracts around the league, they represent a meaningful loss for three first-year players operating on far tighter salary margins.
Ultimately, defeating a division rival on a last-second kick demonstrated a level of resilience not often associated with a 4–10 team.
At the same time, leading the league in fines for the week, driven entirely by young, emerging players, underscores a roster still learning discipline at critical moments.
Looking ahead, New Orleans will host the Jets in Week 16 before closing the season with back-to-back road games at Tennessee and Atlanta.
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