CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have to find a way to win on the road if they plan to take over first place in the NFC South.
That’s something they haven’t been able to do this season.
The Saints are 3-0 at home but 0-4 away from the Superdome entering Thursday night’s critical division game at Carolina (3-4-1).
It’s not that the Saints haven’t been close. Three of their four road losses have been by three points or less. Their only lopsided effort was a 21-point loss at Dallas.
“If it was something where we could say that is the reason and cause, it would be easy to turn around and fix,” Saints right tackle Zach Strief said. “There are a lot of things that are going to go into it. … If it was as simple as the beds are different or the food is different, we would just change those things. But it’s not that simple.”
Drew Brees said the Saints have felt good about their game plan on the road, but simply aren’t executing as well as when they play at home. That is a continuing trend for the Saints, 6-14 on the road the past three seasons.
The Saints and Panthers split last year’s season series in two completely different December games.
Brees threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns in the Saints’ 31-13 win over the Panthers at the Louisiana Superdome. Two weeks later, the Panthers intercepted Brees twice and limited him to 281 yards passing on a wet outdoor field in Charlotte and won 17-13.
Linebacker Luke Kuechly had 24 tackles in Carolina’s win.
“I haven’t quite figured it out,” Kuechly said of the Saints’ struggles on the road. “But the one thing you know is they show how good they can be at home. I don’t know what the deal is on the road, but anytime you have Drew Brees you can be dangerous.”
Other things to look for Thursday night:
WILLIAMS ON THE RUN: The Panthers are thrilled to have DeAngelo Williams back to pair with Jonathan Stewart in the backfield. The franchise’s all-time leading rusher has missed the last four games with an ankle injury and six games overall this season. “It’ll be a nice boost,” coach Ron Rivera said. “When he and Jonathan get rolling and doing the things they do, that’s a huge thing for us. That could be a nice shot in the arm.”
BIG SHOULDERS: Saints tight end Jimmy Graham is showing significant progress from his Week 5 shoulder injury. In his first game back at Detroit, Brees threw to him only twice and he did not have a catch. “I guess I was more of a decoy,” Graham said. A week later against Green Bay, Graham played 62 percent of New Orleans’ offensive snaps and caught five passes for 59 yards, including a 22-yard TD. “I just want to be there for the guys,” said Graham.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
