Why To Watch
By Darin Gantt & Mike Triplett
For Sporting News
The Saints have emerged as the team to beat in the NFC with a perfect 7-0 start. But the Panthers loom as a dangerous opponent heading into the Superdome on Sunday.
Carolina (3-4) is on a roll, winning three of its past four, including an impressive 34-21 victory at Arizona. And the Panthers have long had the Saints' number, winning six of the last seven in the divisional series. Carolina's defensive-minded coach John Fox knows Saints coach Sean Payton's tendencies well, and the physical Panthers have always had a knack for shutting down New Orleans' high-powered passing attack, both on defense and by controlling the clock with their rushing attack.
Plus, New Orleans will have a short week to prepare after a draining 35-27 Monday night win over Atlanta.
The Saints are a big play waiting to happen, whether on offense or defense. Quarterback Drew Brees is playing the position as well as anybody in the league, and he has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, with healthy receiver Marques Colston and healthy tight end Jeremy Shockey looking like Pro Bowlers, in addition to a half-dozen other options.
When the Saints' offense needs bailing out, the defense is quick to provide the spark. The Saints have scored six defensive touchdowns this season, including five interception returns. And they are tied for the NFL lead with 21 takeaways.
The Panthers still have time to salvage their season, and a victory in the Superdome would be a huge boost. Carolina looked awful in losing its first three games. But since then, quarterback Jake Delhomme has started to settle down, tailbacks DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have become a dynamic duo again, the defense is getting healthy, and end Julius Peppers is coming off one of his best career performances.
Panthers Keys For Success
1. Run well, run often. This is always a key for the Panthers, but especially this week, when they want to keep the ball out of Drew Brees' hands as much as possible. They also need to continue to protect QB Jake Delhomme, and to take advantage of a beat-up Saints D-line (no Sedrick Ellis). Their run game always starts inside-out, so hitting the middle hard is imperative.
2. Keep mixing it up. The Panthers debuted some new defensive looks last week in Arizona, which will get more and more play Sunday. At times, they had seven defensive backs on the field at once, with cornerback Dante Wesley in a quasi-linebacker role. They're going to need all hands against the Saints' passing attack.
3. No big blunders. The Panthers can't afford any mistakes if they want to have a chance against the Saints, so they have to keep their special teams clean. They went to the extent of bringing in left-footed punters to work out last week, but there's not a dome in Charlotte to work in to get ready for that condition.
Saints Keys For Success
1. Stop the turnovers. The Saints have been living on the edge the last two weeks at Miami and vs. Atlanta, turning the ball over four times in each game. They coughed up two fumbles late in the Atlanta game while trying to run out the clock — and though both fumbles were great defensive plays, those would be unforgivable mistakes if the Saints blew the game. Brees has fumbled twice when being drilled by an unblocked pass rusher. That needs to get cleaned up, or the Saints will finally open the door wide enough for one of these teams to beat them.
2. Take an early lead. The Saints are threatening the NFL scoring record with an average of 39 points per game. And they score a lot of those points early in games. They have scored on their opening drive in six of seven games this year, including five touchdowns. And they put a lot of pressure on opponents when they get off to an early lead. The Saints would much rather force Delhomme to throw the ball than let Carolina run its ground-control offense — especially considering the struggles Delhomme has been having with sacks and turnovers this year.
3. Protect Brees. Usually, Brees is one of the NFL's best at avoiding pressure. Last year, he was sacked just 13 times while throwing for more than 5,000 yards. But teams have been getting to him lately, particularly on blitzes and stunts. And it's led to a pair of sack-fumbles, among other big plays for the Dolphins and Falcons. The Saints' third-year left tackle Jermon Bushrod has been an adequate replacement for injured Pro Bowler Jammal Brown, but he's shown some inconsistency. He'll have his hands full against Peppers in the Superdome. Peppers had two huge plays at Arizona, returning an interception for a touchdown and stripping quarterback Kurt Warner on a sack-fumble.
Injuries at a glance
Panthers injuries
Saints injuries
The Bottom Line
The Panthers have won seven straight games in Louisiana (including a game at LSU after Hurricane Katrina in 2005), so there's no intimidation factor here. And despite their early struggles, the Panthers are looking a lot more like a perennial playoff contender in recent weeks. So if the Saints are going to drop a game at some point, Carolina's as good a candidate as any. But then again, the Saints are overdue for one of those blowout victories that were becoming so common last month. And New Orleans proved it can win "ugly" the past two weeks, surviving mistake-filled performances and sluggish starts to run away with big victories. So even if they're not at their best again Sunday, chances are they still have enough ammo to beat the Panthers.
Pick: Saints 24, Panthers 23
More on the Panthers-Saints game:
»
Matchup overview
| Panthers have the ball
| Saints have the ball
| Key matchups and scouting reports
| Injury report
| Panthers-vs.-Saints stats
| SN expert picks
