It was over when …

The Panthers bypassed an opportunity to kick a 48-yard field goal with 1:16 to play and instead chose to go for a touchdown. A converted field goal would have cut New Orleans’ lead to seven and given Carolina a chance at an onside kick. Ultimately, the Panthers turned the ball over on downs with 22 seconds left.

Game ball

Robert Meachem sparked the Saints with his 54-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. He jumped into the air to snatch the ball and then bounced off a hit from Panthers DB Chris Gamble before sprinting into the end zone. He finished with five catches for 98 yards.

Key Stat

Carolina lost three crucial fumbles. Those miscues were too much for the conservative Panthers, who employed a cautious game plan, to overcome.

Noteworthy

Panthers LB Thomas Davis left the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. … After throwing at least one interception in his first six starts, Jake Delhomme did not throw a pick for the second straight week. … New Orleans is now 8-0. … The Saints defeated Panthers coach John Fox at the Superdome for the first time.

On NFL Replay
NFL Replay will re-air the New Orleans Saints’ 30-20 win over the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 6:23 pm and is filed under National News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.