Panthers pull out 20-17 win in New Orleans, take lead in NFC South

Published November 15, 2026 04:27 PM NFC South football has earned a negative reputation over the last few years and Sunday’s game between the Panthers and Saints didn’t do much to change that, but it did push one of the teams into first place in the race to represent the division in the playoffs. After the Saints rallied to tie the game on a Charlie Smyth field goal with 41 seconds left to play, the Panthers took over on their own 34-yard-line. Bryce Young threw an incompletion and then uncorked a deep shot to wide receiver Jalen Coker. Saints corner Kool-Aid McKinstry was flagged for pass interference and that set up a 54-yard field goal as time expired. Ryan Fitzgerald had missed from 48 yards in the first half, but he nailed this kick and the Panthers are in first place after a 20-17 win. There’s some irony in the fact that a penalty helped put the Panthers in position to win the game. Carolina committed 17 penalties during the contest, including a facemask call on linebacker Tyrel Dodson that helped set up Smyth’s game-tying kick. The Saints did their best to match that sloppiness with a pair of turnovers in the first half and they focused on the running game well beyond the point when it became clear that they weren’t going to generate the kind of production needed on that front. Travis Etienne, Audric Estime, and Alvin Kamara combined to pick up 24 yards on 17 carries on Sunday. Their offense picked up a bit once they leaned on throwing the ball and rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson wound up with 11 catches in his second game of the year, but the overall approach was still lacking against a Panthers team that has not been very stout defensively this season. New Orleans will be in Chicago next Sunday and they’ll need a win there to try to keep themselves in stalking distance of the Panthers heading into the stretch run. Carolina improved to 4-5 with the win and they will host the Ravens in Week 11. They’d be wise to continue leaning on Chuba Hubbard in that contest. Hubbard had 27 carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns along with five catches for 80 yards. That accounted for 172 of the Panthers’ 283 total yards, so Carolina’s best chance of winning games appears to be relying on their workhorse running back.