Mike TriplettDavid Newton 9y

Saints vs. Panthers preview

When: 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans. TV: Fox.

The New Orleans Saints (5-7) have had some extreme highs and lows this season. But they've got nothin' on the Carolina Panthers (3-8-1), who haven't won a game in two months.

The last time these NFC South rivals met in Carolina in Week 9, the Saints ran away with a 28-10 victory. New Orleans can't take anything for granted, however, as it lost three straight home games in Weeks 10-12 before bouncing back with an impressive win at Pittsburgh on Sunday.

It's a shame this rivalry turned out to be such a dud after they were two of the NFC's best teams in 2013. But then again, because of the sorry state of the NFC South this year, they're still both in the title hunt again.

ESPN Saints reporter Mike Triplett and ESPN Panthers reporter David Newton discuss Sunday's matchup:

Triplett: The Panthers haven't won since Week 5. Any reason to believe they can turn it around this week?

Newton: Has it been that long? Seems like only yesterday they beat the Chicago Bears on Oct. 5. Kidding, of course. As for your question, there are reasons the Saints shouldn't overlook the Panthers. The first game was 0-0 until late in the first quarter, when quarterback Cam Newton fumbled at his own 4. Then there was a 32-yard pass interference penalty late in the first half by cornerback Antoine Cason, who was cut on Tuesday, that led to a 14-0 Saints lead. If the Panthers can stop shooting themselves in the foot, they have a chance.

They held Minnesota to 210 yards on Sunday, but two first-half blocked punts returned for touchdowns never gave them a chance. The running game produced 178 yards against Minnesota. New Orleans still seems susceptible to the run. Do I believe the Panthers can put together a complete game and beat New Orleans? No. Particularly on the road. I also didn't see the Saints losing their last three home games, though.

Mike, it appears when Drew Brees isn't throwing to the other team, the Saints are a dangerous team, as we saw with his five-touchdown performance against Pittsburgh. Why has he been so inconsistent and how big a key is he to the Saints' success?

Triplett: You nailed his biggest issue -- and really his only major drawback this year. Brees is still on pace for nearly 5,000 yards, 36 touchdowns and a NFL-best 70.3 completion percentage. And you saw last week what he's still capable of. But he's had way too many turnovers (11 interceptions, two lost fumbles), and most of them have come in big moments in close games. Brees even was booed at home last month after an ugly interception before halftime.

I think the issue is that he's pressing too much. In so many weeks he has had to do it all by himself because the Saints' defense has been one of the worst in the NFL (along with the rest of the NFC South). We saw how much better he looked last Sunday because New Orleans' defense kept the game close early and gave Brees the ball back twice with two huge turnovers.

David, are we seeing a similar issue with Newton? From afar, it seems like he has really regressed this season.

Newton: It goes beyond Newton pressing because the defense has struggled. Much of it has to do with injuries to the offensive line and running backs, particularly the line. That group was inexperienced to start with, then injuries forced young players onto the field before they were ready. The Panthers will have the same five starting for the second straight week, which I don't believe has happened since early in the season.

But back to Newton, it appears he has gotten back into old habits of throwing off his back foot and running before going through his progressions. He has lost that swagger and confidence, and it seems to impact his decision-making and accuracy. He's still a threat because of his ability to run. He rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown against the Saints in the first meeting. But for Carolina to have a chance on Sunday he's going to have to find that swagger.

I saw where Jimmy Graham went without a catch against Pittsburgh. He has been a thorn in Carolina's side, catching seven passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting. What did the Steelers do so well against him?

Triplett: Depends on your definition of "do well." The Steelers actually paid too much attention to Graham, shadowing him with an extra safety for most of the game, usually Troy Polamalu. It worked in the sense that Graham wasn't even targeted once for the first time since 2012. But it opened things up for everyone else with receiver Kenny Stills gaining 162 yards, running back Mark Ingram rushing for 122 yards and five different players catching TD passes.

Obviously the Saints want more from Graham, but it's pick your poison. Defenses have been more successful this year when they sit back in coverage and let Graham catch a lot of underneath stuff. The Saints have put up great offensive statistics all season (first in the NFL in completion percentage and third-down percentage, second in yards). But they've struggled with turnovers and red-zone stalls when they're forced to go on 12- and 15-play drives.

What do you expect from Carolina's defensive approach in this game? And what's their best bet against Graham?

Newton: It'll be interesting. There could be two rookie starters, cornerback Bene' Benwikere and free safety Tre Boston -- Benwikere for sure after the Panthers released Cason. But the key will be pressure. The Panthers sacked Brees four times in the first game and held him to one touchdown. They didn't do a great job against Graham. To bring pressure meant using linebacker Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly on some blitzes because the front four hasn't been able to do it alone, as was the case last season. Those two typically would be around Graham a lot more. But if Brees isn't under pressure, it won't matter how good the coverage is. It begins and ends there.

What did you learn from the Oct. 30 game between these teams that you expect to make an impact on this one?

Triplett: My lasting image from that game was how woefully off-target Newton was with his passing (10-of-28). He was airmailing guys left and right, which obviously gave the Saints plenty of time to get rolling. At the same time, Newton was able to hurt the Saints when he took off running (five runs of 8 yards or more, including a touchdown).

So to me, the obvious key for New Orleans is to keep Newton in the pocket and make him throw. The Saints' four-man pass rush has been spotty this season (just as you described with Carolina). But they were vastly improved last week at Pittsburgh, with bookends Cameron Jordan and Junior Galette leading the way. Those two have combined for a whopping 10 sacks in their last three meetings with Carolina. They need to keep it up.

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