Saints will be ready for good or bad Newton
NEW ORLEANS — Good Cam or bad Cam: Which one will the Saints face Sunday?
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, the NFL’s most valuable player two years ago, has been all over the map with his performances this season.
For instance, in a Week 3 loss to the Saints, he had three interceptions and a putrid passer rating of 43.8. In the two weeks that followed, he threw a combined six touchdowns and one interception in consecutive road victories over the Patriots and Lions.
Last month — two weeks after a four-touchdown performance in a victory over the Packers — Newton finished the season with a stinker: a career-low passer rating of 31.5 in a 22-10 road loss to the Falcons.
Newton has 10 touchdowns — eight passing, two rushing — and is 3-3 in six career playoff games. He led NFL QBs this season with a career-high 754 rushing yards and had six rushing scores.
A big plus for Newton on Sunday: He’ll have his favorite target, Greg Olsen, back after the seasoned tight end missed both losses to the Saints this season — by a combined 31 points.
Olsen is typically a headache for the Saints, with 37 catches for 462 yards and five touchdowns against them in the last five games. Getting defensive: The Saints defense is a refreshing change of pace for an organization that has put some historically bad units on the field.
The Saints have intercepted 20 passes, more than the last two seasons combined (18). Rookie Marshon Lattimore has had five of those.
Continuity: Seeking stability amid an uncertain future with the team going on sale, the Panthers signed coach Ron Rivera to a two-year contract extension Saturday. The new deal would keep him with the team through 2020. The Associated Press reported the extension is worth $15.5 million over two seasons.
Passing fancy: Saints quarterback Drew Brees extended his NFL-record streak to 12 seasons with at least 4,000 yards passing. He threw for 4,334 this season.
Farmer’s pick: This is not a good matchup for the Panthers. If they sell out to stop the run, Brees will go to work. Too much Sean Payton and Brees. Saints 28, Panthers 23