Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints Box Score on Dec 06, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Dec 6, 2015

NEW ORLEANS -- Cam Newton threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jerricho Cotchery with 1:05 left -- his fifth touchdown pass of the game -- to lift the unbeaten Carolina Panthers to a 41-38 comeback victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Newton, who completed 28-of-41 passes for 331 yards, drove the Panthers 75 yards in 11 plays for the game-winning score. The Panthers (12-0) converted a fourth-and-4 when Newton scrambled to his left and tossed a short lob to tight end Greg Olsen, who snagged the ball before it hit the turf.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw three touchdown passes and Mark Ingram ran 9 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 5:21 left, but that just set up Newton's late-game heroics.

Carolina scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the second half to push its lead to 27-16, with Newton completing a pair of 13-yard scoring passes to wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Devin Funchess. On both completions, cornerback Brandon Browner, the NFL's most penalized player, was victimized.

The Saints offense had done nothing since the first quarter, but Brees hit receiver Brandin Cooks for a 54-yard touchdown pass to cut the Carolina lead to 27-22. Ingram converted the two-point try to make it 27-24 late in the third quarter.

The Saints (4-8) regained the lead 31-27 on Brees' 24-yard strike to receiver Brandon Coleman with 14:02 left. But Newton needed just four plays to go 80 yards, giving the Panthers the lead again 34-31 on a 45-yard pass to Ginn, who somehow was lost in coverage behind linebacker Stephone Anthony.

Brees got the Saints the go-ahead touchdown again by marching New Orleans 88 yards in eight plays, with Ingram making it 38-34 on a 9-yard run with 5:21 left.

The Panthers entered the game leading the NFL in turnover-takeaway margin, but they turned it over three times in the first half and trailed 16-13 at intermission.

The Saints cashed in on only one of the turnovers, when linebacker Stephone Anthony wrestled the ball from the grasp of running back Jonathan Stewart and ran 31 yards untouched for a touchdown that put the Saints up 14-0 late in the first quarter.

The Panthers argued that Stewart was down by contact, but the play stood as called after being reviewed.

The Saints failed to take advantage of two other Carolina miscues -- an interception by cornerback Delvin Breaux that was returned to the Carolina 20 (Kai Forbath missed a 38-yard field goal to the right) and a fumble by tight end Greg Olsen at the Saints' 23.

The only Saints' drive of any substance came early in the first quarter when Brees connected with tight end Benjamin Watson for a 12-yard score, culminating a 51-yard, five play drive.

The Panthers moved within 14-7 on Newton's 12-yard flip to fullback Mike Tolbert, and they made it 14-13 when Newton ran the option and flipped a pitch to Stewart, who scored from 5 yards out.

But kicker Graham Gano's potential game-tying PAT was blocked by Kevin Williams, and Anthony rumbled 82 yards for two points for the Saints - the first time in NFL history that a PAT had been blocked and returned for a score.

That gave the Saints a 16-13 lead at the half.

NOTES: The Saints announced that former LB Jonathan Vilma, one of the keys to their victory in Super Bowl XLIV, had officially retired. Vilma played six seasons with the Saints and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2009 and 2010. ... CB Cam Newton took two hard hits in the first half but bounced up from both. The first came on a sack by Cam Jordan when his knees were twisted on the tackle, and the other was when LB Michael Mauti nailed him with a diving tackle at the Saints' 1-yard line. ... The Panthers have rushed for more than 100 yards in 23 consecutive games