Panthers vs. Saints: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The Carolina Panthers survive yet again.

Cam Newton threw five touchdown passes, including the game-winning 15-yard strike to Jerricho Cotchery with 1:05 remaining, as the Panthers improved to 12-0 and clinched the NFC South with a 41-38 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

The Panthers tweeted this after the dramatic triumph:

Newton threw for 331 yards, his second 300-yard performance of the year, which also came against the Saints and is the second time in three games the MVP candidate has thrown for five touchdowns.

NFL analyst Aaron Nagler is sure ready to hand Newton the trophy after another stellar performance:

It was back-and-forth all game long. Four lead changes occurred in the fourth quarter alone, including the Saints taking a 38-34 lead with 5:21 remaining on a nine-yard Mark Ingram touchdown run.

But Newton engineered an 11-play, 75-yard drive in the next four-plus minutes, with Cotchery catching two of his three passes on the final drive, including the game-winning score. Greg Olsen hauled in nine catches for 129 yards.

In the early stages, the Saints played like they were the ones who came into Sunday's game undefeated. After the Panthers went three-and-out on their first possession, New Orleans responded with a five-play, 51-yard drive that culminated in a 14-yard Ben Watson touchdown catch after beating the Cover 2 look.

Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune detailed how easy of a touchdown it was for Brees, coming off the play-action fake:

It went from bad to worse for Carolina. Newton threw an interception on the ensuing possession, as Delvin Breaux ripped the ball out of Ted Ginn's hands. It was the first New Orleans interception at home in the last 11 games, per Ed Werder of ESPN.

ESPN Saints writer Mike Triplett noted how huge the pick was for a Saints defense that has given up the most passing touchdowns this year:

The Saints, however, didn't take advantage. Kai Forbath missed a 38-yard field goal to keep the score at 7-0. That would not last long, however. Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart fumbled two plays later, and Saints rookie linebacker Stephone Anthony returned the loose ball 31 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 4:04 remaining in the first quarter.

It's been three full calendars since the last time the Saints scored a touchdown on defense, per Trey Wingo of ESPN:

Finally, five seconds into the second quarter, Carolina got on the board thanks to a 12-yard touchdown reception by Mike Tolbert to make it a 14-7 game. But the Carolina turnovers persisted on the next Panthers possession. Newton, one play after being sacked by Cameron Jordan and looking hurt, completed a pass to Greg Olsen, but he fumbled and the Saints recovered.

That was the Panthers' third turnover of the first half.

But the story from the Saints' perspective was not how fast they started, jumping out to that two-touchdown lead; instead, it was how they failed to take advantage of Carolina's miscues. Coupled with the missed field goal from Forbath, as well as not capitalizing on the Olsen fumble, the Saints missed some chances that would haunt them later, as Terrell noted:

The same could be said for the Panthers in the first half. Newton missed two potential big-time throws that could've put Carolina deep into New Orleans territory. One was a bomb down the left side to Ginn, but he overthrew him. Another came on a pass to Olsen, who was wide open on the right side, but Newton led him too far out of bounds.

Newton also underthrew Olsen on the Panthers' first possession for what would have been an easy first down. David Newton of ESPN noted how frustrating it was for Newton at the start:

Stewart scored on a five-yard touchdown run with 1:55 remaining in the first half, making it a 14-13 game, but the game would not be tied. The Saints became the first defense in NFL history to return a blocked extra point for two points when Anthony brought the Kevin Williams blocked kick the other way to give New Orleans a 16-13 lead heading into the break.

Jeff Darlington of NFL Network joked about the historic moment:

Chris Clark of WCNC NBC in Charlotte provided a clip of the block, scoop and score:

The Panthers came out firing to begin the second half, capping a nine-play, 79-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cam Newton to Ginn that gave Carolina its first lead of the game.

After forcing another three-and-out, the Panthers responded with an eight-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Devin Funchess and gave Carolina a 27-16 lead with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.

David Newton saw the tide turning in Carolina's favor:

But the Saints did not go away. A 54-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Brandin Cooks, plus the two-point conversion, made it a 27-24 game with 2:51 remaining in the third.

The narrative quickly reverted to the first half, with the Panthers offense doing more harm than good. Ginn dropped a for-sure touchdown pass, much like the one he dropped against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football earlier this year. Then, Newton overthrew Corey Brown on a potential touchdown pass over the middle.

And this time, it would be the Saints taking advantage of Carolina's mistakes. Brees found a wide-open Brandon Coleman down the right sideline for a 24-yard touchdown to reclaim the lead, 31-27, with 14:02 remaining.

Neither side could seem to gain any traction, according to Triplett:

The biggest play of the game, though, came from the man who had to redeem himself after dropping a long touchdown earlier. Ginn reeled in a 45-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give Carolina a 34-31 lead. If Ginn had dropped that, Carolina might not have been in position to win the game, no matter how spectacular Newton was down the stretch.

The Panthers have now won 16 straight regular-season games, a feat that no NFC team has ever accomplished. They clinched a playoff berth with the Atlanta Falcons' loss on Sunday and will face those same Falcons a week from now with a chance to go 13-0.

With the way Newton is playing, as he surges to the forefront of the MVP race, there's a good chance that happens.

Postgame Reaction

This would either be considered ironic or divine intervention.

With the win on Sunday, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera entered the history books, per Werder:

That 1985 Chicago Bears team won the Super Bowl. It was known for "The Super Bowl Shuffle." That Bears team also lost the following week after starting 12-0, exactly where the Panthers sit right now.

The Panthers return home on Sunday to take on the struggling Atlanta Falcons, who have now lost five in a row and six of their last seven. History is on the Panthers' side, should they choose to accept it.

“Things don’t usually happen at all, let alone to us ... it was that day,” tight end Greg Olsen said, per Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. “But when you can win on your bad days, that says a lot about your team.”

It started as bad as it could for Carolina, which fell behind 14-0 and turned the ball over three times in the first half. But that changed thanks to the play of Newton, who bumped his touchdown pass total to 25 with the five he threw Sunday (four in the second half).

Rich Eisen of NFL Network also believes Newton solidified his MVP case with his performance on Sunday:

But the Saints may have reason to feel like this win was not fully earned. Saints head coach Sean Payton was critical of the officiating after the loss on Sunday, noting that he felt the refs missed two different occasions when the Panthers had 12 men on defense, as well as a no-call on Josh Norman for pass interference, per Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune:

The Saints' struggles continue, as it appears they'll miss the playoffs for the third time in four years. The Panthers, meanwhile, are one win away from clinching, at least, a first-round bye in the NFC. A win and one more Arizona Cardinals loss means Carolina clinches home-field advantage.

It's unclear if they'll finish the regular season undefeated, but there's no denying the best team in the NFL resides in Charlotte.