CHARLOTTE (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE)—The Panthers took to the field Sunday against a divisional rival New Orleans Saints team that had lost six straight games.
After a valiant effort, the Panthers secure their first win in five games: 23 to 22.
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The first quarter would end with the Saints up 6-0 thanks to a pair of field goals. The game came to a halt with a scary moment midway through the first quarter when Chris Olave suffered a concussion injury and had to be carted off the field following a hard hit by Panthers Safety Xavier Woods, who was called for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. Olave was taken to the hospital for X-rays.
Xavier Legette has been one of the lone bright spots for Carolina this since and made his presence felt as the Panthers started the second quarter in Saints territory. The rookie would give the Panthers a 7-6 lead on a 3-yard catch from Bryce Young with 9:50 left in the half. Young was 5-for-5 with 42 yards on the drive. New Orleans would regain the lead, 13-7, on a rushing TD from Taysom Hill, and that would be the score heading into halftime.
Carolina would come out of the locker room with momentum scoring a field goal and a TD on a Chuba Hubbard run and taking a 17-13 lead with 9:55 to play in the 3rd.
New Orleans would later close the gap with a successful field goal from Blake Grupe, but the Panthers remain ahead by one point as they head into the fourth quarter. It doesn’t take long before New Orleans seals another TD. The team attempts a two-point conversion, but it is incomplete. In the next drive, Young passes to Legette and gets intercepted by Shemar Jean-Charles with 9:14 left in the game.
Just when you think the game is lost for the Panthers, Hubbard goes for 16 yards for a TD with 2:18 left in the game. The Panthers are ahead by one point and worked to keep it there. After five losses following their solo victory against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Panthers secure a one-point win over the Saints.
UP NEXT: The Panthers are in Munich next week taking on the New York Giants (9:30 a.m., NFL Network).