Panthers @ Saints: Game Preview

by Dave Cariello on Dec 30, 2011 6:00 AM CST

CAROLINA PANTHERS (6-9) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-3)

SERIES

	PANTHERS	SAINTS
SERIES LEADER	17-16
STREAKS		4 of past 5
COACHES VS. OPP.	Rivera: 0-1	Payton: 5-6
LAST WEEK	W 48-16 vs. Buccaneers	W 45-16 vs. Falcons
LAST GAME	10/9/11: Saints 30 at Panthers 27. New Orleans RB Pierre Thomas catches game-winning 6-yard TD pass from QB Drew Brees with 50 seconds remaining in road victory.
LAST GAME AT SITE	10/3/10: Saints 16, Panthers 14. New Orleans K John Carney converts 3 FGs, including game-winning 25-yarder with just under 4 minutes remaining.
BROADCAST	FOX (12:00 PM CT): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 138 (Car.), 125 (NO). XM: 229 (NO).

STATS

PASSING	Newton (R): 295-492-3,893-20-16-85.0	Brees: 440-622-5,087 (1L)-41 (2L)-13-108.4 (2L)
RUSHING	D. Williams: 148-783-5.3-7	Sproles: 81-563-7.0-2
RECEIVING	S. Smith: 73-1,308 (3C)-17.9-6	Graham (TE): 91 (3L)-1,213-13.3-10 (3C)
OFFENSE	395.7 (3C)	457.1 (1L)
TAKE/GIVE	+2	-4
DEFENSE	361.7	372.9
SACKS	Johnson: 9	Harper: 7.5
INTs	Gamble, Martin: 3	P. Robinson: 3
PUNTING	Baker: 42.5	Morstead: 48.0 (2C)
KICKING	Mare: 105 (42/43 PAT; 21/27 FG)	Kasay: 138 (2L) (57/57 PAT; 27/33 FG)

NOTES

PANTHERS: QB CAM NEWTON has 34 total TDs (20 pass, 14 rush), most by rookie in NFL history. His 14 rush TDs most ever in season by QB. Has 3,893 pass yards, most by rookie. In last meeting, had 2 pass TDs & rush TD. Has pass TD & rush TD in 8 games, tied for most in season in NFL history...In past 4 meetings, RB DE ANGELO WILLIAMS has rushed for 528 yards (132 per game) & 4 TDs. Is averaging 45.3 yards per rush TD in those 4. Has 4 rush TDs in past 3. RB JONATHAN STEWART had 55-yard rec. TD in last game at NO, longest career catch. Has career-high 45 catches & 406 yards...WR STEVE SMITH is 3rd in NFC with 1,308 rec. yards & needs 92 to reach 1,400 for 3rd time. Leads NFL with 27 catches of 20+ yards. Had 54-yard TD in last meeting. WR BRANDON LA FELL had career-long 91-yard TD catch last week & 103 yards, 1st career 100-yard game. TE GREG OLSEN had TD catch in last game vs. NO...DE CHARLES JOHNSON has 17 sacks in past 22. Needs 1 sack to reach 10 for 2nd season in row...

SAINTS: Have won 7 in row. Have team-record 6,857 total net yards...QB DREW BREES has NFL-record 5,087 pass yards & passed HOFer DAN MARINO (5,084). Has 12 300-yard pass games, most in season, incl. 6 in row, tied for most all-time. Has 20+ comp. in NFL-record 35 games in row. Has TD pass in 42 consecutive games, 2nd-longest streak in NFL history...RB-PR-KR DARREN SPROLES is 1st player in NFL history with 1,200+ scrimmage yards (1,244) & 1,200+ KR-PR yards (1,284). RB PIERRE THOMAS aims for 3rd in row vs. Car. with TD...TE JIMMY GRAHAM leads NFL TEs with 91 receptions & is 2nd with 1,213 yards. Can become 1st TE in NFL history with 95+ catches, 1,200+ yards & 10+ TDs in season. Graham (91) & Sproles (81) are 1st TE-RB duo in NFL history with 80+ catches each. WR LANCE MOORE has 5 TDs in past 5. WR MARQUES COLSTON has 998 yards & needs 2 to reach 1,000 for team-record 5th season...Since entering NFL in 2006, S ROMAN HARPER has 17 sacks, most by DB. Has 7.5 sacks & needs 1 for most by DB in season.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (6-9) at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-3) (Sunday, FOX, 1:00 PM ET)

The Saints claimed the NFC South title with a 45-16 win over Atlanta on Monday night. New Orleans secures a first-round bye with a win over Carolina and a San Francisco loss at St. Louis.

"It feels great to be division champs," says Saints quarterback DREW BREES, who has passed for 5,087 yards, the most in a season in NFL history. "Our hopes and aspirations were winning the division and the next step is getting the No. 2 seed."

COOL BREES: Last week, New Orleans Saints quarterback DREW BREES passed for 307 yards to total 5,087 through Week 16, surpassing Pro Football Hall of FamerDAN MARINO (5,084 in 1984) for the most passing yards in a season in league history. The Saints gained a first down on 17 of Brees' completions against Atlanta to give him 257 first-down completions this year, topping PEYTON MANNING's mark of 253 such completions set in 2010.

Brees leads the league in completions (440) and completion percentage (70.74) and can set NFL single-season records in both categories this weekend when the Saints host the Carolina Panthers.

All-time single-season passing records entering 2011 and Brees' totals through Week 16:

NFL RECORDS ENTERING 2011					BREES' 2011 TOTALS
CATEGORY	PLAYER	TEAM	YEAR	TOTAL	BREES' 2011 TOTALS
Passing yards	Dan Marino	Miami	1984	5,084	5,087*
Completions	Peyton Manning	Indianapolis	2010	450	*440*
Completion percentage	Drew Brees	New Orleans	2009	70.62	*70.74*
First-down completions	Peyton Manning	Indianapolis	2010	253	257*
*NFL record

CAM CAN: Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback CAM NEWTON has set NFL-rookie records this season for the most passing yards in a season (3,893) and a single game (432, Week 2), while his 14 rushing touchdowns are a single-season record among all quarterbacks.

With at least one rushing touchdown at New Orleans on Sunday, Newton will become the fifth player ever to register 15 or more rushing touchdowns in his rookie season.

The rookies with the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history:

PLAYER	TEAM	YEAR	RUSHING TDs
Eric Dickerson	LA Rams	1983	18
Clinton Portis	Denver	2002	15
Mike Anderson	Denver	2000	15
Ickey Woods	Cincinnati	1988	15

*Cam Newton*	*Carolina*	*2011*	14*

Tweet Comment 23 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

I want the Saints to continue to role into the playoffs by blowing out the Panthers

Nothing would make me happier then to read a bunch of post about we ran up the score on the panthers and that our team is classless this week

by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 30, 2011 6:12 AM CST reply actions 1 recs

role=roll

by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 30, 2011 7:41 AM CST up reply actions

Aaaaaaaaaaaand REC!

Friends don't let friends Tweet.

by Just 'Nother Day on Dec 30, 2011 6:06 PM CST up reply actions

Nothing could be finer

Than to crap on Carolina in the New Year.

Isn’t that how the song goes?

And maybe Marlon Brando will be there by the fire,
We'll sit and talk of Hollywood, and the good things there for hire...

by Doc Boudin on Dec 31, 2011 6:52 PM CST up reply actions

Oh boy

Buck and Aikman again

"It's about time that something good like this happened." - Drew Brees

by SaintsFanMD on Dec 30, 2011 6:28 AM CST reply actions

Black or white jerseys in the dome?

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You wiped the floor with victory, then puked until you fell asleep - Flogging Molly

by cockynessIsWHODAT on Dec 30, 2011 6:44 AM CST via mobile reply actions

I hope it's Black on Black or Black on Gold

I spent 8 years trying to reach him...and then another 7 trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply...Evil.

Dr. Sam Loomis Aka (Donald Pleasence)

by Jricky70 on Dec 30, 2011 9:45 AM CST up reply actions

Mee too

This will be my first game in the Dome in years & I’m completely excited. I have a bllack Jenkins jersey, a White Brees SB jersey & I’m not sure which one to wear. Thoughts?

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You wiped the floor with victory, then puked until you fell asleep - Flogging Molly

by cockynessIsWHODAT on Dec 30, 2011 10:15 AM CST via mobile up reply actions

Wear Brees Jersey since he just broke the record.

I spent 8 years trying to reach him...and then another 7 trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply...Evil.

Dr. Sam Loomis Aka (Donald Pleasence)

by Jricky70 on Dec 30, 2011 10:27 AM CST up reply actions

that’s exactly what I was thinking. BUTTT I’ve found out over the course of the season that when I wear opposite jerseys from the team, we don’t win. I want to have all the good gris gris I can. Plus my Sean Payton beads :)

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You wiped the floor with victory, then puked until you fell asleep - Flogging Molly

by cockynessIsWHODAT on Dec 30, 2011 12:18 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Bring a bunch of Juicy Fruit and hand it out to the crowd!

Friends don't let friends Tweet.

by Just 'Nother Day on Dec 30, 2011 6:07 PM CST up reply actions

Good for you getting to go to the dome!

Heck, you could wear them both, I suppose. Brees over Jenkins and change halfway?

Whodat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by nofear on Dec 30, 2011 11:03 AM CST up reply actions

Thanks!!

and not a bad idea…

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You wiped the floor with victory, then puked until you fell asleep - Flogging Molly

by cockynessIsWHODAT on Dec 30, 2011 12:19 PM CST up reply actions

That's a pretty cool whodat, by the way.

Sorry, it took me awhile…

Whodat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by nofear on Dec 30, 2011 11:04 AM CST up reply actions

merci!

\//\// ||-|| (()) ||)) //-\ =||=

You wiped the floor with victory, then puked until you fell asleep - Flogging Molly

by cockynessIsWHODAT on Dec 30, 2011 12:29 PM CST up reply actions

wow my wife just pointed your who dat out to me! HA!

Fee-fi-fo-fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman,
Be he alive, or be he dead
I'll grind his bones to make my bread

by jonrockets on Dec 30, 2011 1:09 PM CST up reply actions

I am worried about this game.

Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features, it doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak gasoline fight accident.

by Fat Punk Kicker on Dec 30, 2011 12:34 PM CST reply actions

what about it worries you?

and remember we are in the cone of silence…

I just had a rap with Santa and we took us a little stroll
And all I want for Christmas is the Saints in the Super Bowl

by Hans Petersen on Dec 30, 2011 1:33 PM CST up reply actions

Beacuse A) I am looking at a little let down after last week's big win

B) the pants have been pretty hot lately
C) everyone is all worried about records and stuff

Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features, it doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak gasoline fight accident.

by Fat Punk Kicker on Dec 30, 2011 2:11 PM CST up reply actions

those are all good points

but just take one DREW BREEEEEEEEES!!!!! And call me in the morning.

But seriously, FPK, it is crucial that they come out strong, stay healthy, and keep the momentum going (to see if the Saints can be “for real” in the playoffs) – last year in this Week 17 game, they came out flat, got hurt, and lost. I don’t want anything close to that happening again.

I just had a rap with Santa and we took us a little stroll
And all I want for Christmas is the Saints in the Super Bowl

by Hans Petersen on Dec 30, 2011 5:22 PM CST up reply actions