Saints 31, Panthers 6: The Plight of Panthers Ticket Holders Continues

I was certain the Saints were going to win this one in the second quarter, even though the score was just 10-3. At that point, Olindo Mare had just sent a 46-yard field goal through the uprights. Earlier in the game, Jason David successfully defensed a pass in the end zone. That's like Haley's Comet flying over Wrigley during a Cubs' World Series championship. When both rarities occur in the same game, hey, it's gotta be your day.

That is to say: It was fun to watch my Saints end their two-game losing streak by beating the Panthers today. I don't, however, take any pride in it. I am not impressed.

Maybe I think more highly of the Saints than I should given that, you know, they recently lost back-to-back games to St. Louis and Houston. Maybe I shouldn't take any team, even one led by David Carr (at left, showing jazz hands), for granted. But let's be honest: the Saints just won a game they should have. Beating the Panthers, especially after struggling for the first half, is not a sign that they are ready to make noise in the NFC (yet). It's just a sign that they haven't completely buried themselves, as much as they've tried.

Maybe we're all just sufficiently conditioned to expect these kinds of performances (read: bad ones) from Carr, who was spared a full-game's worth of punishment as the Panthers mercifully brought in Matt Moore. So I take the Panthers' passing numbers -- 152 yards, three interceptions -- with a grain of salt, not as an indication of solid play from the Saints secondary.

What was more surprising was Carolina's inability to get anything going on the ground. The Panthers' leading rusher was Steve Smith (22 yards on a reverse). Three Carolina backs totaled 16 yards. And, on a crucial play in the game, Brad Hoover was stuffed on a fourth-and-one on the Saints' 33-yard line with the Panthers looking to expand on a 3-0 lead. This year's Saints buckle under pressure, succumbing to early deficits, making that first down huge. Instead, they got the ball and drove for their first points of the game, a Lance Moore touchdown.

But the Saints did not really look sharp until the second half. After a David Patten drop killed a potential scoring drive at the end of the 10-6 first half, the Saints took the ball to start the third and immediately turned it on. The Saints scored touchdowns on their first three drives, forcing a Carolina punt and fumble in between, and that was it. Neither Carr nor Moore could handle the comeback pressure.

This win makes next week's game against the Bucs still important for the Saints, but it doesn't make me believe any more in them.