The Sports Xchange

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cornerback Josh Norman makes key plays in the Carolina Panthers’ secondary on a regular basis, though sometimes going underappreciated.

Not any more after a game-saving interception Sunday afternoon.

Norman intercepted a pass in the end zone with 1:09 remaining to help preserve a 27-22 victory over the winless New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium.

“I saw the ball (so) I get the ball,” Norman said. “I came down with it and made sure I secured it. I came down so hard on it. I don’t know how high up there I was in the air.”

Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes to tight end Greg Olsen and ran for a score as the Panthers remained unbeaten.

The Saints (0-3) threatened to pull off a late-game comeback until Norman intervened.

New Orleans drove to the Carolina 23-yard line before quarterback Luke McCown, starting in place of injured Drew Brees, appeared to have receiver Brandin Cooks open in the end zone. Norman’s leaping snag resulted in the second turnover of the half for New Orleans.

“I saw it and my eyes got big,” Norman said. “God gave me wings to fly.”

The Panthers (3-0) had touchdown drives of 89, 83 and 88 yards.

Brees missed the game with a right rotator cuff injury and the Saints struggled on offense in the second half until midway through the fourth quarter.

McCown was largely accurate, completing 27 of his first 30 throws and finishing 31 of 38 for 310 yards passing.

What we learned about the Panthers

1. The Panthers need all their components along the defensive front to be effective. With DE Charles Johnson missing the fourth quarter against New Orleans, the Saints had more time in their passing attack to look downfield on several plays. Carolina was credited with one sack in the game and that was a play that resulted in 0 yards lost. The good thing for the Panthers is that DT Star Lotulelei was back for his first game of the season.

2. The Panthers were looking for TE Greg Olsen as a major part of the game plan against New Orleans. It was surprising to hear players talk about that after the game only because it seems like most weeks the nine-year veteran is in some ways a focal part of the offense. His ability to get loose down field make him more than a possession target and he rolled up 134 receiving yards to go with his two touchdown receptions against the Saints.

3. The Panthers are thrilled to be 3-0, but their message was that it’s only the beginning. “We can’t get complacent,” WR Ted Ginn Jr. said. “We have to go back and look at things we did wrong.” That tended to be the outlook throughout the locker room after Carolina’s first matchup with an NFC South rival had a successful result with the 27-22 victory against New Orleans.

Etc.

–LB Thomas Davis is a sturdy player in the middle of the Carolina defense and his presence tends to be huge. He made a clutch third-down tackle in the New Orleans game and ended up sharing the team lead with 10 tackles. With LB Luke Kuechly missing time with a concussion, Davis has helped limit the fallout from the revised depth chart.

–DE Charles Johnson departed the game with New Orleans on the second-to-last play of the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Given the way it was gingerly exiting the field, it’s possible that he could miss more time than simply the end of that game. He was credited with only one tackle in the game, but his impact often looms much larger.

–LB A.J. Klein has filled in admirably for LB Luke Kuechly, but he has had some rough stretches as well. On one of New Orleans’ scoring drives, Klein failed to make a tackle in pass coverage and later was flagged for holding. Still, he ended up with 10 tackles and put in a solid day of work.