Saints at Panthers: Full highlights, final score and more

The Saints-Panthers showdown used to be one of the better NFC South matchups you could ask for, but that has taken a dip over the years as the quality on either side of the field has wildly varied. But we saw a return to form in the rivalry on Sunday, as both the Saints and Panthers came out balling hard in Week 3.

It was a contest notable for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that the Saints were rolling without Drew Brees under center. It was Luke McCown time and he lived up to the occasion by managing the game a lot better than some might have expected.

Highlights

Three Stars of the Game

1. Luke McCown

Everyone’s favorite backup quarterback got his chance to live the dream from his now infamous Verizon commercials. The Saints got a pretty solid performance out of McCown too, as he didn’t make too many mistakes and successfully made it through the game without committing a turnover. It’s unclear how long Brees will be out, but if the Saints have to roll with McCown they might be alright.

2. Cam  Newton

It was another solid week for Cam Newton, who scored a pair of touchdowns and was able to overcome a harsh start to the game and rebound to get his team the win. It wasn’t an amazing performance by Cam, but he has once again shown the ability to go out and make decisions that don’t hurt his team — something that he’s been known to do even if it’s not a frequent occurrence.

3. Greg Olsen

We’ve been waiting for Olsen to really go off and that’s starting to happen in Carolina. He went hammer Cam Newton on Sunday going over 150 yards receiving and reeling in both of Newton’s touchdown throws. Olsen isn’t on a Gronk level and probably won’t ever be, but he’s a receiving threat for the Panthers, which is way more than they have outside of him.

Odds

The line was even, so as long as you picked the Panthers you are in the money .

Next Week

The Panthers will head to Tampa Bay to face Jameis Winston and the 1-2 Buccaneers while the Saints will head home to host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.