CAROLINA PANTHERS (6-9) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-3)
SERIES
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PANTHERS |
SAINTS |
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SERIES LEADER |
17-16 |
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STREAKS |
4 of past 5 |
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COACHES VS. OPP. |
Rivera: 0-1 |
Payton: 5-6 |
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LAST WEEK |
W 48-16 vs. Buccaneers |
W 45-16 vs. Falcons |
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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. |
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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. |
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BROADCAST |
FOX (12:00 PM CT): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 138 (Car.), 125 (NO). XM: 229 (NO). |
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STATS
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PASSING |
Newton (R): 295-492-3,893-20-16-85.0 |
Brees: 440-622-5,087 (1L)-41 (2L)-13-108.4 (2L) |
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RUSHING |
D. Williams: 148-783-5.3-7 |
Sproles: 81-563-7.0-2 |
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RECEIVING |
S. Smith: 73-1,308 (3C)-17.9-6 |
Graham (TE): 91 (3L)-1,213-13.3-10 (3C) |
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OFFENSE |
395.7 (3C) |
457.1 (1L) |
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TAKE/GIVE |
+2 |
-4 |
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DEFENSE |
361.7 |
372.9 |
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SACKS |
Johnson: 9 |
Harper: 7.5 |
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INTs |
Gamble, Martin: 3 |
P. Robinson: 3 |
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PUNTING |
Baker: 42.5 |
Morstead: 48.0 (2C) |
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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:
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NFL RECORDS ENTERING 2011 |
BREES' 2011 TOTALS |
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CATEGORY |
PLAYER |
TEAM |
YEAR |
TOTAL |
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Passing yards |
Dan Marino |
Miami |
1984 |
5,084 |
5,087* |
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Completions |
Peyton Manning |
Indianapolis |
2010 |
450 |
440 |
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Completion percentage |
Drew Brees |
New Orleans |
2009 |
70.62 |
70.74 |
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First-down completions |
Peyton Manning |
Indianapolis |
2010 |
253 |
257* |
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*NFL record |
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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:
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PLAYER |
TEAM |
YEAR |
RUSHING TDs |
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Eric Dickerson |
LA Rams |
1983 |
18 |
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Clinton Portis |
Denver |
2002 |
15 |
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Mike Anderson |
Denver |
2000 |
15 |
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Ickey Woods |
Cincinnati |
1988 |
15 |
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Cam Newton |
Carolina |
2011 |
14* |