Carolina Panthers pinned by Saints, 28-10
28. 15. 10. 87. Final
The Carolina Panthers played the football game they needed to play for much of the first half. They were holding the game in a low score, but that all fell apart late in the second quarter. Quarterback Cam Newton fumbled the ball near the Panthers end zone, allowing the New Orleans offense to score quickly for 7-0 lead.
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The Panthers’ next possession went nowhere and the team punted to the Saints. The Saints had a little over a minute to play with, but they threw a deep pass to the end zone that resulted in a pass interference penalty. For a moment I wished I was watching college football, because the ball was moved all the way down to the one yard line. The Saints then scored to go up 14-0. That margin ended up being in surmountable as the Panthers defense could not generate enough stops in the second half.
The Saints defense also came alive in the second half with lots of pressure against the Panthers’ weakened offensive line. Several critical drives were stalled by sacks of Newton, and the Panthers only managed ten points in the second half period. Junior Galette of the Saints had two sacks. Cameron Jordan and Akiem Hicks had one each.
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The Panthers did cause some turnovers, but none of those turnovers led to points. That was an advantage that you cannot give an offense like the Saints. Brees threw for 297 yards and then jumped for a touchdown. Mark Ingram continued his good play with a hundred yard game. The Panthers could not seem to cover everyone, so there were a multitude of Saints players who had a least one catch.
The Panthers lost their lead in the NFC South division for now. Since their record is not likely to be wild card worthy, they must try to outduel the Saints on the schedule until they play again in New Orleans. The Panthers remaining schedule is ranked fairly weak, despite the trip to Philadelphia next week. The Panthers will need every game; they are now playing from behind.