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 Running back Mark Ingram claimed two touchdowns and 100 yards in
the win for New Orleans while quarterback Drew Brees added 297 yards
passing and a touchdown. He also ran for a score.
With both sides failing to fire offensively for the opening 26
minutes, two Saints touchdowns in the last three minutes of the
first half produced the gap needed to secure the win over their
divisional opponents.
New Orleans improved to 4-4 on the season, snapping a seven-game
road losing streak, to push ahead of the 3-5-1 Panthers.
After the Panthers had failed to get points out of two forced
turnovers and the Saints had also squandered a chance after a Cam
Newton interception the stalemate was broken after Junior Galette
sacked Newton near his own endzone that allowed the Saints to set up
Ingram for a three-yard touchdown run.
With time running out in the first half Brees marched the Saints 85
yards, capped off by a Jimmy Graham one-yard reception touchdown
with three seconds left in the first half for a 14-0 lead.
"The biggest thing was early adversity and just overcoming that and
knowing we had to battle back and find a way to get points," Brees
told reporters.
"The defense came up with a big turnover for us to get the first
seven in and the two-minute drive at the end of the half was huge
from a momentum standpoint and then we just preached finish.
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"We had to come out and feel like we won the second half and I feel
like we did that. Defensively when they needed to step up they did
and offensively when we needed to respond we did so it was a great
team effort."
The home side had sparked hope of a comeback by getting an early
Newton rushing touchdown in the third quarter but Brees jumped over
the pack from one-yard with four minutes to go in the period to
restore the 14-point lead.
A potential Carolina touchdown to Brandon Williams was overturned
early in the fourth quarter and while the Panthers slotted a field
goal they never truly threatened again and were put out of their
misery with Ingram's second touchdown with just over five minutes
left.
(Writing by Ben Everill in Los Angeles; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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