Brian Allee-Walsh: Saints appear to be overmatched against Panthers

A year ago, almost to the day, the 3-8-1 Carolina Panthers waltzed into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and embarrassed the 5-7 New Orleans Saints in their own backyard.

17-0 after one quarter.

24-3 at halftime.

38-3 after three quarters.

41-10 final.

The most gifted defense attorney would have been hard pressed to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Black and Gold hadn't quit. Oh, they didn't tap out or cry "uncle,'' but the will to win wasn't visible to the naked eye in the second half.

That demolition spawned a season-ending four-game winning streak and catapulted the 7-8-1 Panthers to their second consecutive NFC South championship.

The story doesn't end there.

On Sunday, beginning at 3:25 p.m. inside the Superdome, the 11-0 Panthers will be seeking their 16th consecutive regular-season victory and their third straight division title, and the only thing standing in their way is the 4-7 Saints.

I wouldn't bet against Carolina. Here's why: The Panthers play defense the way it's supposed to be played and the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees suddenly need a GPS to find the end zone. As in "Uh-O'' and "O-No!'' And last time I looked the NFL prohibits the in-game usage of a global position system.

Consider the Saints' recent offensive struggles:

* They have not scored a touchdown in six consecutive quarters dating to a 47-14 loss at Washington in Week 10.

* They have scored just three touchdowns (all through the air) and 27 points total in their last 10 quarters dating to a 34-28 loss in overtime to Tennessee in Week 9.

* Just last week, the Houston Texans snapped two impressive offensive streaks by New Orleans. The Saints failed to score a touchdown for the first time since Coach Sean Payton and Brees joined forces in 2005, ending a streak of 155 consecutive games that ranked second in NFL history. And Brees' streak of 45 consecutive games with a TD pass also came to a halt dating to Week 13 of the 2012 season.

On the flip side, the Panthers rank No. 2 in total defense (312.5 ypg), No. 5 against the pass (223.8 ypg), No. 3 in first downs (18.1 pg) and No. 3 in points allowed per game (18.6), No. 1 in takeaway differential (+16), No. 1 in takeaways (28), No. 1 in interceptions (18) and No. 3 in sacks (33).

They also are tied for second against the run (88.7 ypg), having yielded just 45 yards rushing in its last two games, the fourth stingiest mark of any NFL team over a two-game stretch during the past 10 years.

Ideally, the Saints would like to have a balanced offense but the Panthers and their elite defensive unit may make it impossible for running back Mark Ingram or any other player to run the ball efficiently, largely because of the outstanding play of linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis.

On paper, it sounds like a long afternoon for the Saints.

But not all is lost. Brees has thrown at least one touchdown pass at home in 51 consecutive games, the longest streak in NFL history.

So what I'm saying is there is a chance.

Brian Allee-Walsh, a long-time Saints reporter based in New Orleans, can be reached at sports@sunherald.com.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Brian Allee-Walsh: Saints appear to be overmatched against Panthers ."