NEW ORLEANS — Not much could have gone worse for the Saints Sunday.
They extended Carolina drives with penalties, cut short their own drives with the same and had a key interception. However, key kicking misses by the Panthers’ Joey Slye and a last second field goal by Wil Lutz allowed the Saints to survive with a 34-31.
A missed chip shot field goal try by Slye, who had earlier missed two extra points, gave the Saints the ball on their own 20-yard line with just under two minutes to go.
From there Brees went to work, hitting on key passes for 14 yards to Michael Thomas, for a first down on 3rd-and-2 to Alvin Kamara and a big 24-yard pass on 3rd-and-6 to Thomas. Another pass to Kamara for 9 yards set up Lutz’s game-winner from 33 yards.
“It wasn’t our best game by far and it wasn’t their best game,” said head coach Sean Payton after the game. “There are a lot of things that we have to clean up, but I was glad how we hung in there.”
Things didn’t look good as the Saints watched a 31-18 lead evaporate on a 71-yard drive that cut it to 31-24 as Slye missed his second extra point.
After a Brees interception, Carolina then drove 50 yards for a tying score.
The Saints had the ball near midfield on the following drive and came up short when Kamara was stuffed on 4th-and-1, giving Carolina the continued momentum and the ball.
The Panthers benefited, ironically, from the pass interference challenge rule that became was established after the Saints lobbied hard for it during the offseason after being robbed by a no-call on an obvious pass interference on the Rams on a play that would have likely sent them to the Super Bowl.
The challenge gave the Panthers a first down on the Saints 3-yard line. McCaffery lost a yard, then Kyle Allen threw an incompletion and was sacked, forcing the wayward field goal try by Slye.
The Saints overcame 12 penalties for 123 yards, including several that continued drives for the Panthers and a few that ended drives for the Saints.
“Really proud of our team,” Brees said. “Felt like things didn’t go as we planned a lot because of mistakes we made.”
Brees finished 30-of-39 passing for 311 yards and three touchdowns.
Alvin Kamara had 11 carries for 54 yards and caught nine passes for 48 yards. Michael Thomas finished with 10 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.
The Saints are now 9-2 and moved one step closer to the NFC South title, while staying strong in the push for a bye.