The New Orleans Saints pulled off their fourth win of the season, taking down the Carolina Panthers in the Superdome. One defining moment for the team was their 11-minute drive at the end of the first half.
Up to that point, the Saints were never able to get a drive going and were down 7-0 to the Panthers. However, the team eventually got their head in the game, marching 95-yards down the field in 17 plays on their last drive of the second quarter. Running back Devin Neal capped the drive off with a four-yard rushing touchdown, his second rushing TD of the season.
The 17 play, 95-yard drive at the end of the second quarter also featured seven penalties for the Saints, which is something that has been ailing the team since week one of this season. Despite them, New Orleans managed to tie up the game. From there, the Panthers were never quite able to run away from the Saints.
The Saints carried the momentum of that final drive in Q2 into the second half
It's safe to say that the New Orleans Saints were able to ride the wave of momentum into the second half because on nearly every drive following, they were able to put points on the board. Good thing they did too, because up until the fourth quarter the Panthers' offense was rolling.
New Orleans' defense also stepped up big time in the second half, holding Carolina to just one score, a touchdown,for the rest of the game. When the fourth quarter began, the Saints' defense improved even more, forcing the Panthers to turn the ball over on all but one of their drives, and on the one drive where they did not turn it over, they were forced to punt.
Following the W, Kellen Moore said that the defense has been incredible. "It's confidence building; a lot of times when you get to a four-on-one, those are challenging situations, and our team has so much of it that we're making these stops each and every opportunity that we have," He said to the media. "It's been a huge impact on a number of these wins for us."