Scoring Plays:
1Q - NO - Drew Brees to Jared Cook 4 yd TD pass (PAT Good) | CAR 0, NO 7
1Q - CAR - Joey Slye 43 yd FG GOOD | CAR 3, NO 7
End of Quarter Score - Carolina Panthers 3, New Orleans Saints 7
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2Q - NO - Drew Brees 1 yd TD rush (PAT Good) | CAR 3, NO 14
2Q - CAR - Teddy Bridgewater to DJ Moore 74 yd TD pass (PAT Good) | CAR 10, NO 14
2Q - CAR - Teddy Bridgewater to DJ Moore 7 yd TD pass (PAT Good) | CAR 17, NO 14
2Q - NO - Drew Brees to Deonte Harris 4 yd TD pass (PAT Good) | CAR 17, NO 21
End of Quarter Score - Carolina Panthers 17, New Orleans Saints 21
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3Q - NO - Wil Lutz 41 yd FG GOOD | CAR 17, NO 24
3Q - CAR - Curtis Samuel 5 yd TD rush (PAT Good) | CAR 24, NO 24
End of Quarter Score - Carolina Panthers 24, New Orleans Saints 24
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4Q - NO - Wil Lutz 43 yd FG GOOD | CAR 24, NO 27
Final Score - Carolina Panthers 24, New Orleans Saints 27
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Hello Who Dats & Who Datettes and welcome to the Week 7, Game 6 Thread of the 2020 season.

Are we all feeling nice and refreshed following the bye week? Well, unfortunately, our favorite team isn't.

Now don't get me wrong, on defense (where the help is really needed) we're now as healthy as we've been with some key pieces returning today, including CB Janoris Jenkins.

But on offense, just as things seemed to be getting into gear and the top star finally coming back, WR1 Michael Thomas pulls up with a hamstring injury in practice this week and then WR2 Emmanuel Sanders pops positive for COVID-19 and is now on the CV19 IR, so the Saints will be without their top 2 wide receivers for at least today's game which is the start of a very important 4 game stretch. The wide receivers that will have to carry the load today will be Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, Tre'Quan Smith, Austin Carr, & Juwan Johnson (the latter 2 were just added to the main roster on Saturday afternoon from the practice squad... as was OL Will Clapp). Obviously, expect a mouthful of Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, Latavius Murray.

The now mostly healthy defense (which gives up 355 yards and 30 points per game) will have to do its part and hold down former Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater and the Panthers offense enough to allow the offense with its rag tag group of WRs to get enough points.

For their part, the Carolina Panthers saw their three-game win streak come to an end last week at home against the surprising Chicago Bears (who the Saints play next week). For this Panther team so far, which is battling its own loss by not having their all-world running back Christian McCaffery, it's been just steady as you go. The numbers say they aren't really great at anything, but not terrible either, just meh, which has been good enough so far this season and helped them get wins over the Chargers, Cardinals, & Falcons, but losses to the aforementioned Bears as well as the Buccaneers.

The key for the Saints will be getting pressure on their former teammate. Bridgewater has already been sacked 12 times this season, while Brees has only been taken down 7. The Panthers D has gotten to the opposing QB just 5 times this season so far, while the Saints D has 13 sacks on the year in just 5 games with Marcus Davenport, a key part of the DL, having just come back in the team's last game. Teddy has also thrown 5 INTs on the year so far, so if the line can get pressure, maybe this is a game for Marshon & Janoris to remind everyone why they're so highly regarded. Also, maybe our much maligned safeties can make a play or 2 to help us think just a bit better of them. Good defensive line play does make everything easier on the back end.

The last time these 2 teams played, things were very, very different. Week 17, December 29, 2019 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, the Saints were playoff bound and doing their part to keep their slim hopes of homefield advantage alive while the Panthers had fired their head coach and knew wholesale changes were coming, and it showed. The Saints jumped out to a 35-3 halftime lead and coasted to a 42-10 win, closing out a 13-3 regular season for the Saints which tied for the best single season record in franchise history for the 4th time (all under Sean Payton - 2009, 2011, & 2018) and 2nd season in a row.

LET'S DECLAW THE KITTIES AND MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW!!!!!!!!

Injury Report: (Players only currently on the 53-man roster who have a game designation from the Friday injury report listed here)
CAR-
Eli Apple (Hamstring) QUESTIONABLE
Donte Jackson (Toe) QUESTIONABLE
John Miller (Ankle) QUESTIONABLE
Curtis Samuel (Knee) QUESTIONABLE

NO- (remember... Emmanuel Sanders & Ken Crawley are on COVID-19 IR... so they won't be listed here)
Michael Thomas (Ankle/Hamstring) OUT
Nick Easton (Concussion) OUT
JT Gray (Hamstring) QUESTIONABLE

Weather: The Superdome will be high & dry, and the screaming of Saints fans returns in limited form as there will be 3,000 fans allowed into the Dome for today's game.

Uniforms: Another home game where the all-blacks will be on full display

Current Standings:
NFC South:
Buccaneers 4-2
Saints 3-2
Panthers 3-3
Falcons 1-5

Betting Line: Saints (-6.5) O/U 51.5

Want to listen to Zach Strief, Deuce McAllister, & Steve Geller instead of Kevin Kugler & Chris Spielman?
Find your local Saints Radio Network affiliate at this link

Today's Officials: (all officiating crews are subject to change)
Referee: #4 Craig Wrolstad

Umpire: #71 Ruben Fowler
Down Judge: #91 Jerry Bergman
Line Judge: #87 Tom Eaton
Field Judge: #107 Dave Hawkshaw
Side Judge: #50 Aaron Santi
Back Judge: #61 Keith Ferguson
Replay Official: TBA
Replay Assistant: TBA
**Due to COVID "regionalizations" of crews, Wrolstad is working with a completely new crew this season, including rookie NFL official Tom Eaton. Pretty sure Ruben Fowler was on the officiating crew for our playoff game last season.**

Inactive Lists:
CAR-
QB Will Grier
CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
RG John Miller
OL Mike Horton
WR Marken Michel

NO-
WR Michael Thomas
OL Nick Easton
DT Malcolm Roach
OL Derrick Kelly II
DB D.J. Swearinger

This post was edited on 10/25/20 at 2:49 pm