The New Orleans Saints on Monday moved to the brink of clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs after squeezing past the Carolina Panthers 12-9.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees was held to 203 yards after a superb defensive effort from the Panthers, who needed to win to have any realistic chance of keeping their season alive.
However, despite the heroic effort of the Panthers defense, the home side were let down by a toothless offensive display that saw quarterback Cam Newton fail to deliver in key moments.
Photo: Bob Donnan, USA Today
Carolina’s defense engineered a lifeline in the final two minutes, forcing a turnover in the end zone as the Saints looked to seal the game.
However, with 1 minute, 44 seconds remaining to find a winning touchdown, Newton was unable to move the ball upfield, failing to hit tight end Ian Thomas on fourth and five.
The Saints, who improved to 12-2, need to win only one of their two remaining games at home against Pittsburgh or Carolina to be sure of top seeding in the playoffs.
The Panthers, who slumped to 6-8 following their sixth straight defeat, are not mathematically eliminated from post-season contention, but would require an improbable combination of results in the final two rounds of games to advance.
The Panthers had started promisingly, with running back Christian McCaffrey passing to tight end Chris Manhertz for a 50-yard touchdown in a superb trick play, but that was to be the highlight for the Panthers’ offense.
The Saints were limited to a pair of Will Lutz field goals and trailed by a point at 7-6 at the end of the third quarter.
Alvin Kamara then galloped over from 16 yards out to give the Saints a 12-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Brees’ attempt at a two-point conversion ended in disaster when Donte Jackson intercepted and sprinted 84 yards to give the Panthers a defensive two-point conversion to make it 12-9.
The Saints appeared poised to clinch the contest as the clock wound down in the fourth quarter, but Tommylee Lewis fumbled into the end zone to give Carolina one last shot.
However, Newton was unable to deliver, capping a miserable night for the Panthers, who earlier this season had looked firmly on course for the playoffs after a 6-2 start before things unraveled.
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