At 1:00 p.m. ET the New Orleans Saints (10-4) will try to prove they can beat tough teams on the road when they stare down the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers (10-4) at Bank of America Stadium, where they are an astounding 6-1. Watch the game on Fox or live stream it here. Saints fans can listen to the action on WWL 105.3, while Panthers fans can tune in to WBT 1100.
If the Saints leave Carolina with a win, they can secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, earning a bye and a home game in the second round of the postseason.
"We know what we're playing for -- we're playing for the divisional championship and the two seed so it doesn't get any bigger or better than that," quarterback Drew Brees said. "It is going to be a challenge for us. Obviously we understand our deficiencies on the road here the last couple of trips. It is great motivation for us to really hammer down this week, find ways to improve and get better."
For the Panthers, a win clinches a playoff berth, while a loss could land them in a tie with the Arizona Cardinals for a berth; Arizona has a head-to-head win over Carolina and would beat them in the event of a tie.
The playoff scenarios are so precarious that Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said he was sometimes distracted last week while checking the opposing scores.
"A few too many times, to be honest with you," Rivera said. "I did get distracted a couple of times. ... I did hear the crowd cheer and when I looked up they showed the (Saints') score, so that caught my attention."
Saints Injury Report:
| Rafael Bush | S | Ankle | Did Not Participate In Practice | Doubtful |
| Keyunta Dawson | LB | Calf | Limited Participation in Practice | Questionable |
| Josh Hill | TE | Hamstring | Limited Participation in Practice | Questionable |
| Travaris Cadet | RB | Not Injury Related | Did Not Participate In Practice | Probable |
| Roman Harper | S | -- | Full Participation in Practice | -- |
Panthers Injury Report:
| Steve Smith | WR | Finger | Limited Participation in Practice | Probable |
| Jordan Gross | T | Not Injury Related | Full Participation in Practice | Probable |
| Greg Olsen | TE | Foot | Full Participation in Practice | Probable |
| Jonathan Stewart | RB | Knee | Out (Definitely Will Not Play) | Out |
| Brandon Williams | TE | Hip | Full Participation in Practice | Probable |
| Travelle Wharton | G | Not Injury Related | Full Participation in Practice | Probable |
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