New Orleans Saints Win with 87-Yard Touchdown

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 465 yards and four scores, including an 87-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The Saints offense started strong, scoring 21 unanswered points, but the Carolina Panthers fought back with five scoring drives of 50-plus yards each. Cam Newton threw an interception to Sterling Moore in the New Orleans end zone, but the Panthers still managed to close the gap. And with just 11 seconds left in regulation, Wil Lutz kicked a 52-yard field goal to break the 38-38 tie and put the game away. But the Saints' defense, led by defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, still had a lot of work to do. The team needed every deep shot from Brees to Cooks they could connect, with Cooks accounting for 173 of those yards. So the Saints' win was a testament to their offense, which was able to outscore the Panthers despite a frenzied pace. The game was a typical example of the Saints' mid-2010s style, with Brees throwing for big yards and the defense struggling to keep up. With the score tied at 38-38, the Saints' offense came through in the end, thanks to Lutz's field goal. The Saints' defense would eventually settle down and become a strength, but in this game, they were still finding their footing.