After the Carolina Panthers fell 7-17 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 10, controversy erupted across the NFL when quarterback Bryce Young made a statement that quickly went viral. During his postgame press conference, Young said:
“They didn’t win because they were better. The referees gave them a few soft calls, and with a little bit of luck, the game slipped away from us.”
The quote spread rapidly on social media, drawing widespread criticism from Saints fans. But the first person to respond publicly was Alvin Kamara, the veteran running back and emotional leader of the Saints.
When asked about Bryce Young’s claim, Kamara didn’t hold back. Speaking with visible frustration, he said:
“If he really thinks we won because of the refs, then he probably didn’t rewatch the game. We played disciplined, focused football. They made mistakes, we didn’t. And luck? Luck doesn’t carry the ball 83 yards or take 22 touches without quitting.”
Kamara also delivered a strong message to the young quarterback about accountability:
“I get it, losing hurts. We’ve all been there. But if you want to be a real leader, you’ve got to own it. Don’t blame refs, don’t blame luck. Look in the mirror before you talk about someone else.”
As Kamara’s comments made waves online, Bryce Young declined to issue any follow-up statement. Meanwhile, Panthers fans became divided, some agreed that officiating was questionable, while others argued that Young showed immaturity and poor leadership by making such remarks during a tough 5-5 season.
NFL analysts also weighed in, calling the comments “ill-advised” and “a bad look” for a young quarterback trying to earn respect in the league.
“When you’re the QB1, every word you say represents your entire team. Blaming others instead of taking responsibility isn’t the mindset of a leader,” said Marcus Spears on ESPN.
The win over the Panthers may not have been flashy, but for Alvin Kamara and the Saints, it carried symbolic weight. Despite injuries and offensive struggles, the Saints wanted to remind everyone that they still fight for every yard, every snap, every victory, no excuses needed.
“We don’t need the refs to win. We just need belief, effort, and each other,” Kamara said, ending the interview with a cold, confident stare.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are not only losing games, they are losing players at a rapid rate as they prepare to host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
The Maple Leafs finished their 5-3 road loss to Boston Bruins on Tuesday without captain Auston Matthews (lower-body injury) and No. 1 goaltender Anthony Stolarz (upper-body).
Matthews left the game in the second period after taking a hit in the back from Boston defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
“I think it’s a penalty, personally, but I’m not the referee,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “I don’t like the hit. He’s in a vulnerable position.”
Matthews returned a hit on Zadorov before finishing his shift.
No matter who is available, the Maple Leafs appear to have a difficult task against the Kings, who are coming off a 5-1 road win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday and have won two in a row, as well as three of their past four.
As for Matthews, he was to be assessed on Wednesday, a day off for the team.
After the game, Berube was uncertain about the severity of the injury.
“I don’t know exactly,” he said. “I can’t give you a timeline or how serious it is right now. I’m not sure when he hurt it to be honest with you.”
Stolarz was replaced by Dennis Hildeby after the first period but Berube did not seem concerned.
“I don’t believe that’s serious,” Berube said. “I think he’ll be fine.”
Goaltender Joseph Woll, who missed the early weeks of the season for a personal issue, is with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League and is close to returning to the Maple Leafs.
Toronto already is without top defenseman Chris Tanev and forward Scott Laughton, who both have upper-body injuries.
The Maple Leafs have lost three straight after winning three in a row. They have struggled at times despite playing 12 of their first 16 games at home.
“It’s adversity, for sure,” said forward Max Domi, who had an assist for Toronto in Boston. “Every guy in here is champing at the bit. Everyone wants an opportunity and here’s our opportunity. Everyone’s got to step up. Next-man-up mentality.”
The Kings are playing well on the road, having won the first two matchups of their current six-game trip.
They are 7-1-2 away from home and will be pursuing a fifth consecutive road victory on Thursday.
“It’s weird — like, two years ago, same thing,” said Quinton Byfield, who had a goal and an assist on Tuesday. “We were hot on the road, last year we were hot at home, now we’re hot on the road, I guess, again. I can’t say anything about that, it’s kind of how it goes sometimes, so obviously you want to make it both home and away and get some wins at home, but we’ve got to finish the road trip strong.”
The Kings trailed after the first period at Montreal, then erupted for three goals in a span of 4:05 early in the second.
“We felt pretty good about the period, so to come out one down was disappointing,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “But I thought we did a good job not to overreact and just understand that the way we’re playing, just come out and do it again.”