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Despite a pretty even game on the stat sheet, the New Orleans Saints find themselves down by 8 points to the Carolina Panthers.
The good news is that the team definitely looks better than they did last week. The offense is more balanced and the defense has stepped up their game a bit.
Jimmy Graham has the Saints lone touchdown. Garrett Hartley hit both of his field goal attempts for the remaining six points. Meanwhile, Darren Sproles has been putting on a pass catching clinic.
Make the jump for complete first half stats. Click the picture for more from the game.
Team Stats
| NO | CAR | ||
| First Downs | 11 | 13 | |
| Total Yards | 214 | 254 | |
| Passing Yards | 143 | 119 | |
| Rushing Yards | 71 | 135 | |
| Penalties (Yds) | 0(0) | 3(29) | |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 | |
| Punts (AVG) | 1(34) | 1(37) | |
| Time of Pos. | 15:55 | 14:05 |
Top Performers
| NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | ||||
| Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
| D. Brees | 15/22 | 143 | 1 | 1 |
| Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
| M. Ingram | 9 | 41 | 0 | 12 |
| P. Thomas | 4 | 31 | 0 | 23 |
| Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
| D. Sproles | 7 | 69 | 0 | 25 |
| J. Graham | 4 | 39 | 1 | 14 |
| P. Thomas | 2 | 13 | 0 | 9 |
| CAROLINA PANTHERS | ||||
| Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
| C. Newton | 9/12 | 128 | 1 | 0 |
| Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
| C. Newton | 8 | 66 | 0 | 40 |
| D. Williams | 4 | 25 | 0 | 10 |
| Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
| B. LaFell | 5 | 70 | 0 | 27 |
| S. Smith | 2 | 38 | 0 | 35 |
| J. Stewart | 1 | 17 | 1 | 17T |