Here’s everything you need to know about the first half of the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers matchup. This Week 18 game hosted in the Caesar’s Superdome is a chance for the Saints to finish up the year on a four-game win streak and moving themselves to, at worst, second place in the NFC South. With a win, New Orleans would also finish 5-2 over the final 7 games of the season.
The last time these two teams met was the Week 3 matchup in Carolina. The team look s a lot different now without Andy Dalton now at quarterback and with wide receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry on injured reserve. But New Orleans has found numerous ways to win as of late even with the big changes. Here’s how things are going so far today.
Score: Saints 7, Panthers 0
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
| Carolina | 0 | 0 | – | – | 7 |
| New Orleans | 7 | 0 | – | – | 0 |
Rookie wideout Chris Olave logged the sole touchdown of the first half. In doing so, he also cross the 1,000 receiving yard mark for the season. He is now the third rookie receiver in Saints history to hit that total. Kicker Wil Lutz missed a 44-yard field goal that would have extended their total to 10 points. The Panthers will open the second half with possession.
Injury Outlook
While the Saints did not sustain any injuries in the first half, the Panthers had a couple of players go down.
- Panthers tackle Brady Christensen suffered an ankle injury. He is questionable to return.
- Panthers defensive lineman Marquis Haynes suffered an apparent ankle injury. He returned to the field.
- Panthers offensive lineman Austin Corbett was walked off the field with an undisclosed injury following Mathieu’s interception return.
Saints Top Performers
- Passing: QB Andy Dalton completed 9 of 14 passes for 125 yards and 1 touchdown pass.
- Rushing: RB Alvin Kamara has 14 carries for 74 yards, with his longest attempt gaining 22 yards … TE Taysom Hill has gained 25 yards on 3 carries, picking up 10 on his longest run
- Receiving: WR Chris Olave has 3 catches on his 6 targets to gain 46 yards and scored 1 receiving touchdown. He also has a fumble … WR Rashid Shaheed has caught all 3 of his targets to gain 34 yards
- Defense: LB Demario Davis leads the team with 4 total tackles each (1 solo, 0 tackles for loss) and was credited with 1 sack to end the half … S Tyrann Mathieu logged his third interception of the season.
Team Stats
- Third and fourth downs, offense: 3-of-6 (50%), 0-of-1 on fourth down
- Third downs and fourth, defense: 4-of-7 (57.0%)
- Total yards, offense: 220 yards gained on 33 plays (6.7 yards per play)
- Total yards, defense: 60 yards allowed on 26 plays (2.3 yards per play)
- Penalties against the Saints: 1 fouls for 5 yards, 0 first down
- Penalties benefiting the Saints: 1 fouls for 15 yards, 1 first down
- Time of possession: 16:53 for New Orleans, 13:07 for Carolina
