LINDY'S POSTGAME REPORT

Saints Defeat Panthers 12-9 in a Defensive Battle

Dick Cox

December 18, 2018 at 9:50 am.

Dec 17, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) looks to pass while under pressure by Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers (90) in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 17, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) looks to pass while under pressure by Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers (90) in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The Monday Night Football game in Charlotte, N.C. was a huge in the NFC South Division as the Carolina Panthers desperately needed a win to stay alive in the playoff hunt and the New Orleans Saints needed a win in their quest to have home field advantage throughout the playoff. When the dust settled, the Saints went home with a hard earned 12-9 win.

New Orleans entered the game ranked second in the NFL with 34.4 points per game, while the Panthers defense had given up 30.2 points per game over the past five games. The Panthers scored first on a fourth down trick play when Christian McCaffery threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Manhertz to give Carolina a 7-0 lead. New Orleans kicked field goals on their next two possessions to make the score 7-6. The Panthers blew two opportunities to take a two possession lead when Cam Newton threw an interception in the end zone just before halftime, and rookie DJ Moore fumbled in the red zone late in the third quarter. The Saints took their first lead of the game with 12:12 remaining in the fourth quarter when Alvin Kamara raced 16 yards for a touchdown. New Orleans elected to go for two, but Drew Brees’ pass was intercepted by Panthers rookie Donte Jackson and returned 100 yards for two points for Carolina.

After a New Orleans fumble that went out of the Panthers end zone, Carolina had one last chance with 1:44 remaining in the game to either tie or win, but were unable to put together a drive and turned the ball over on downs to end the game.

Panthers Head coach Ron Rivera felt like it was the most complete effort from the defense all season. “We had some pluses and some opportunities,” Rivera said, “and unfortunately we missed out.”

After the game, Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis said “There are no moral victories in this game, but I’m pleased with the way this team went out and competed. We fought hard going against a dynamic offense. Those guys have been putting up big numbers week in and week out, and I feel like we did a good job of limiting them to 12.”

”So proud of the defense,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. ”I thought they were outstanding. It’s tough to win a division game on the road and we were able to do that.”

McCaffrey broke DeAngelo Williams’ Carolina Panthers single-season franchise record of 1,636 yards from scrimmage with a rush in the first quarter. He finished with 110 yards rushing and receiving.

The loss extended the Panthers’ streak of never having posted back-to-back winning seasons since joining the NFL in 1995. Carolina fell to 6-8 with the loss with two games remaining.

Watch the postgame video here

ALL  |  NFL  |  College Football  |  MLB  |  NBA