Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

Sunday, December 28, 2008

*Late field goal gives Panthers NFC South title*

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- The Carolina Panthers withstood a gutsy comeback attempt by Drew Brees to put away their first division title in three years.

John Kasay kicked a 42-yard field goal with one second remaining Sunday as the Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints, 33-31, to clinch the NFC South crown.

Carolina (12-4), the only team to go 8-0 at home this season, secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye.

The dramatic victory came after Brees threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to rally in the Saints (8-8) from a 30-10 deficit.

New Orleans took a 31-30 lead on Brees' 13-yard TD pass to Lance Moore with 3:16 remaining.

Brees threw for 386 yards, falling just 16 yards shy of Dan Marino's NFL single-season record of 5,084 yards set in 1984.

Carolina's DeAngelo Williams rushed for 178 yards on 25 carries to set two franchise marks as the Panthers rebounded from last week's 34-28 overtime loss to the New York Giants. That defeat cost Carolina home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Williams finished the year with 1,515 yards, breaking Stephen Davis' previous team mark of 1,444 set in 2003. He also established another team record with his eighth 100-yard game of the season.

The Panthers dominated from the start, putting together drives of 12, 9 and 9 plays on their first three possessions.

But after settling for field goals each time, Carolina appeared to take control by scoring two touchdowns in a six-second span late in the second quarter.

An interception by safety Chris Harris set up Jake Delhomme's 8-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad with 3:03 remaining in the first quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, linebacker Landon Johnson knocked the ball loose from Skyler Green. Cornerback Dante Wesley scooped up the fumble and returned it 12 yards for his first career TD, giving the Panthers a 23-3 cushion.

Brees answered with a 26-yard TD strike to Marques Colston to pull the Saints within 23-10 at the half.

However, the Panthers forced a punt on the Saints' first possession of the second half and regained their three-TD advantage on rookie Jonathan Stewart's 2-yard TD run with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

With the score, Carolina became the fifth team in NFL history to have two players with 10 or more rushing touchdowns in one season. Williams paced the NFL with 18 rushing TDs.