Nephi Sewell, the linebacker for the Saints, smothered Johnny Hekker’s punt attempt in the second quarter. After what was officially called a fumble was picked up by D’Marco Jackson, he returned it 8 yards for a touchdown, giving New Orleans a 14-3 lead.
When New Orleans’ offense stagnated inside the 10 and Blake Gruppe missed a 29-yard field goal attempt, irate fans in the Superdome didn’t hesitate to jeer the Saints, who were winning for the first time since November 5.
They did so once more when defensive end Derrick Brown intercepted a pass intended for quarterback Carr late in the first half. Brown batted the pass over the middle, deflecting it off the helmet of guard Cesar Ruiz, and recovered it close to midfield.
Playing through three and a half quarters, Carr had only 37 yards passing, one week after leaving a game due to a concussion along with rib and shoulder injuries. He completed with 119 yards on 18 of 26.
In the fourth quarter, Carr initiated a pivotal series with a 43-yard pass to rookie A.T. Perry, who made a diving catch at the Carolina 20. It was Carr’s first pass of 10 yards or more. On third-and-9, Carr connected with Jimmy Graham for 12 yards, which allowed him to set up Olave for a 7-yard scoring pass. Olave had not practiced this week due to an illness.
Late in the game, after the Panthers had turned the ball over on downs in their own territory, Carr added a 4-yard pass to Graham, marking the seasoned tight end’s third touchdown of the year.
In the second half, the Panthers stalled twice inside the Saints 20 and converted just one of their two field goals during those possessions, which did little to help their own cause. On fourth down, they also completed 1 of 7.
Bryce Young, a rookie, continued to struggle during the season. The first overall pick in the draft went 13 of 36 for 137 yards, but in the first half, he fumbled. He had four job terminations.