The Carolina Panthers kick off NFC South divisional play on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium against the New Orleans Saints.
By Jon Stout
Charlotte, N. C. — The Carolina Panthers kick off NFC South divisional play on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium at 1 p.m. against the New Orleans Saints.
Carolina will look to extend their winning streak to three games after wins against San Francisco and Buffalo before heading to New England in Week 4 to face the reigning Super Bowl Champion Patriots.
New Orleans will host the Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Week 13.
Here’s a look at the significant numbers between the Panthers and Saints leading up to Sunday’s Week 3 matchup.
The Panthers moved to 2-0 after defeating Buffalo in Week 2, the seventh time in franchise history and third instance in the past four years.
One player and two coaches on the Saints roster have ties to Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the Triangle: offensive lineman Landon Turner, defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen and assistant wide receiver coach Ronald Curry.
New Orleans signed Turner as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2016 after he spent four years starting for the UNC-Chapel Hill.
Curry, also a Tar Heel alumnus, played on both the basketball and football team in Chapel Hill with Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers.
Nielsen joined the Saints this offseason after serving as the defensive line/recruiting coordinator/run game coordinator at NC State from 2013 to 2016.
Panthers veteran kicker Graham Gano has been perfect through two weeks of the regular season. Carolina drafted former Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker in the seventh round of this year’s draft, but Gano beat out the rookie for the starting job.
He is 6-of-6 on field goals — three in each game — and has blasted all nine of his kickoffs for touchbacks.
In 2016, Gano had his worst season in six seasons with the Panthers, converting on only 78.9 percent of his field goals.
Carolina and New Orleans will meet for the 45th time since the Panthers’ inaugural season in 1995. The Panthers and Saints were NFC West division foes from 1995 to 2001 before both joined the NFC South in 2002, along with the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Panthers hold a 24-20 all-time advantage in the series. Carolina split two games with New Orleans last season, claiming its lone win at Bank of America Stadium.
The Panthers lead the NFL with an average time of possession per game of 36:37, ahead of Green Bay (35:18) and Denver (34:01).
Carolina dominated time of possession in Week 2 against Buffalo, 38:53 to 21:07.
The Panthers have used two fourth quarter drives that lasted more than eight minutes for the first time in franchise history.
Carolina’s final drive of 8:48 against San Francisco in Week 1 was the longest drive in Panthers’ history; the Panthers also used a drive lasting 8:34 in Week 2 against Buffalo.
Panthers Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil will miss his second-straight game with a neck injury. Kalil was a late scratch prior to Week 2.
Backup center Tyler Larsen, who played in place of Kalil in Week 2, will get the start again this week against New Orleans. Greg Van Roten will be Larsen’s backup on Sunday, according to head coach Ron Rivera.
After being one of two teams not to allow a sack in Week 1, the Panthers gave up six sacks against Buffalo with Kalil on the sideline.
Former Duke standout Jeremy Cash will also miss his second consecutive game with a calf injury.
Greg Olsen’s streak of 160 consecutive games played will come to and end on Sunday after he was placed on injured reserve this week.
Olsen made his debut for the Chicago Bears on Sept. 23,2007, and hadn’t missed a game since. He ranks second in consecutive games played among active tight ends, behind only Dallas’ Jason Witten, who has played in 221 straight games.
The All-Pro tight end suffered a broken right foot in the second quarter of Carolina’s Week 2 win against Buffalo.
Olsen holds the franchise record for most catches in a game against New Orleans. Three times he has registered a franchise-high 10 catches, the most recent coming on Dec. 7,2014.
Carolina ranks first in the National Football League in total yards per game allowed, holding opponents to only 196.5 yards of total offense — 60 yards on the ground and 136.5 yards through the air.
The Panthers have not allowed a touchdown through two weeks, which ranks them first in the league with three points surrendered per contest.
The Saints may be 0-2, but the New Orleans offense continues to roll as usual.
Led by veteran quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints rank No. 3 in the league with 386.5 yards of total offense, and the Saints’ 316 net passing yards per contest rank No. 2 in the NFL.
Brees ranks third in the NFL with 647 passing yards after two weeks against the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots. The All-Pro quarterback has tossed three touchdowns passes with no interceptions and has posted a 102 quarterback rating.
New Orleans’ defense has been a polar opposite of the Panthers’ squad. The Saints are ranked dead last in the league with 512.5 yards of total offense allowed per contest.
The Saints rank last with 388.5 passing yards per contest and 25th with 124 yards rushing per game. New Orleans’ third down conversion rate on defense (57.7 percent) also ranks last in the NFL.
For the latest Carolina Panthers news, follow WRALSportsFan’s Panthers Blitz blog and the Panthers Blitz Podcast .
