The New Orleans Saints have rolled to the top of the NFC with a high-powered offense, led by soon to be Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees, but they had to find another way to win on Monday night. They were held to just 12 points on the road, but came away with a 12-9 victory over the struggling Carolina Panthers. Alvin Kamara was the lone bright spot for the offense with 103 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown, as the Saints earned their first win when scoring no more than 12 points since 1998. At 12-2, they take a one-game lead on the Los Angeles Rams for the top seed in the NFC, as the Rams fell to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. The Saints also hold the tiebreaker after beating the Rams earlier in the season.
The Saints' defense held the Panthers to just 247 total yards and forced two turnovers, as Carolina's lone touchdown was a passing score......from running back Christian McCaffrey. The star tailback had just 53 yards on the ground, as the Panthers fell to 6-8 on the season, putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy, but not knocking them down for good just yet. Carolina was also held to just 13 first downs, as Cam Newton struggled throwing the ball with a sore right shoulder. The quarterback was held to 131 yards through the air in their second home loss.
The Panthers have now dropped six straight games after a 6-2 start, and now sit 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card race with just two games left in the season. The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins are both between those two teams in the standings.
Brees had 203 passing yards, but the Saints have won seven of their eight road games this season. They will finish their season with two home games, including against the same Panthers team in the regular season finale. The game did come down to the wire on Monday, as Tommylee Lewis fumbled the ball at the four, but it luckily went out the back of the end zone for a touchback. The Panthers would then turn the ball over on downs, sealing the Saints' victory.
New Orleans will return home next week to host the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Panthers will look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Saints' defense held the Panthers to just 247 total yards and forced two turnovers, as Carolina's lone touchdown was a passing score......from running back Christian McCaffrey. The star tailback had just 53 yards on the ground, as the Panthers fell to 6-8 on the season, putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy, but not knocking them down for good just yet. Carolina was also held to just 13 first downs, as Cam Newton struggled throwing the ball with a sore right shoulder. The quarterback was held to 131 yards through the air in their second home loss.
The Panthers have now dropped six straight games after a 6-2 start, and now sit 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card race with just two games left in the season. The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins are both between those two teams in the standings.
Brees had 203 passing yards, but the Saints have won seven of their eight road games this season. They will finish their season with two home games, including against the same Panthers team in the regular season finale. The game did come down to the wire on Monday, as Tommylee Lewis fumbled the ball at the four, but it luckily went out the back of the end zone for a touchback. The Panthers would then turn the ball over on downs, sealing the Saints' victory.
New Orleans will return home next week to host the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Panthers will look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive against the Atlanta Falcons.
