The New Orleans Saints move to an impressive 4-1 record on the season after squeaking past their division foe Carolina Panthers by a score of 30-27.
After being down through the first three quarters of play, the Panthers took a late-game four point lead in the final quarter after a Greg Olsen touchdown catch. But Drew Brees and the Saints offense did what they do best, marching down field on a clock-eating, 89-yard drive to score the game winning touchdown capped by a 6-yard Pierre Thomas catch and run.
Give credit to the Panthers, who just wouldn't go away and kept the game close the entire way. This game was hard fought, as most divisional matchups tend to be, despite any discrepancy in talent. The Panthers could possibly be the best 1-4 team in the NFL right now. The next meeting between these two teams will certainly be one to watch.
We can blame the referees and play the 'what-if' game all afternoon but a win is a win and none of that matters anymore.
Jimmy Graham stood out once again as Drew's favorite target with 8 catches for 129 yards while Darren Sproles unsurprisingly tallied 91 yards rushing and receiving. On defense, Patrick Robinson notched an interception on the first play and a blocked PAT while Aubrayo Franklin is credited with a sack.
Make the jump for full stats from today's game. Use this thread for post-game chatter.
Team Stats
| NO | CAR | ||
| First Downs | 27 | 20 | |
| Total Yards | 444 | 381 | |
| Passing Yards | 343 | 219 | |
| Rushing Yards | 101 | 162 | |
| Penalties (Yds) | 9(82) | 7(65) | |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 | |
| Punts (AVG) | 2(31) | 3(44) | |
| Time of Pos. | 34:40 | 25:15 |
Top Performers
| NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | ||||
| Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
| D. Brees | 32/45 | 359 | 2 | 1 |
| Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
| D. Sproles | 11 | 51 | 0 | 23 |
| M. Ingram | 9 | 32 | 1 | 8 |
| Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
| J. Graham | 8 | 129 | 0 | 30 |
| M. Colston | 5 | 69 | 0 | 22 |
| D. Sproles | 5 | 40 | 0 | 12 |
| CAROLINA PANTHERS | ||||
| Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
| C. Newton | 16/31 | 224 | 2 | 1 |
| Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
| D. Williams | 9 | 115 | 1 | 69T |
| C. Newton | 7 | 27 | 1 | 13 |
| Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
| L. Naanee | 4 | 63 | 0 | 28 |
| S. Smith | 3 | 79 | 1 | 54T |
| J. Shockey | 3 | 21 | 0 | 9 |