New Orleans Saints: Breaking down the home stretch and predicting the final four
Carolina
The Saints returned home to play a Panthers team that had been an enigma. They opened the season with two losses, but then reeled off four straight wins to get to a place where they thought they might contend.
They went to San Francisco and got throttled, which may have set them back mentally for the rest of the season. After picking up one more win against Tennessee, they have since been winless in four games and had their coach fired.
The Saints were one of those losses along the way. To Carolina’s credit, three of those five losses in the last six games were to playoff teams. To Carolina’s discredit, the other two losses were a no TD performance against the Falcons, and their most recent loss to the coach-less Redskins.
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But again, it’s a division game, they had their coach when we played them, and we are basically .500 against the Panthers in the Sean Payton era. Luke Kuechly is one of the best linebackers of this decade. Christian McCaffery is maybe the most talented and versatile back not named Alvin Kamara in the league. We respect the Panthers.
And as expected, the game was a slugfest. The Saints jumped out early but Carolina came back and tightened the game at the half. The Saints came out after halftime and pulled away again, but the Panthers returned volley and tied the game up.
With 6:47 seconds to go in the game, the Saints went for a fourth and one and failed, turning the ball over to the Panthers in our own territory. Carolina ran clock but couldn’t score a TD. They lined up to kick a field goal at the two-minute warning and missed.
You can’t give Drew Brees the ball with two minutes to play in a tie game and expect to win. Brees masterfully led the Saints down the field in the two-minute drill and Wil Lutz iced the cake with a game-winning FG.
Saints win 34-31.