A matchup with the sputtering Carolina Panthers looks like an ideal send-off for the New Orleans Saints before their bye week, but nothing has come easily for the defending champs against opponents with losing records.
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The Saints, coming off a solid win over a division leader, again try to shake their struggles against sub-.500 teams when they visit the Panthers on Sunday. After opening the season with back-to-back victories, New Orleans (5-3) has alternated wins and losses in its last six games. The results in the last four have been troubling, with the Saints beating 5-2 teams Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh by a combined score of 51-16 but losing to Arizona (3-4) by 10 points and Cleveland (2-5) by 13.
New Orleans’ last victory over a team with a losing record came Oct. 3, when it defeated Carolina 16-14 at the Superdome, but that was far from easy. The Saints, who haven’t swept the season series from the Panthers since 2001, managed one touchdown, relying on three field goals by John Carney — including a 25-yarder with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter.
Carolina (1-6) still had a chance to retake the lead, but Usama Young tackled DeAngelo Williams for a 4-yard loss and Malcolm Jenkins sacked Jimmy Clausen on consecutive plays to push the Panthers out of field goal range.
The Saints’ defense, however, has been one constant — ranking third in total defense at 287.3 yards — and it could be primed for a big game against Carolina’s punchless offense.
The Panthers, last in the NFL in total offense at 271.0 yards and averaging 12.1 points, mustered just 201 yards in last Sunday’s 20-10 loss to St. Louis. Matt Moore threw three more interceptions, bringing his total to 10 in five games, and Jonathan Stewart was held to 30 yards on 14 carries.
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