After a week off, the Carolina Panthers return to action Sunday to begin the final four-game stretch of the regular season. They’ll travel to New Orleans to face the Saints — the same team that beat them in Charlotte a month ago.
Carolina enters Sunday with a slim lead in a tight division race. This weekend’s matchup carries playoff implications. The Panthers took sole possession of first place in the NFC South on Thursday night after the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Head coach Dave Canales said it’s clear what went wrong the last time the two teams met.
“We couldn't run the ball on them. They ran the ball on us eventually, and they played — they beat us at our own game,” he said. “We want to play a physical style of football and they did a great job, and that's the challenge in front of us.”