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Carolina brought the fight to New Orleans inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, a first-quarter scrum beyond the back of the end zone after a short touchdown run serving as a capsulation of its feistiness.

It led to the Panthers dealing the Saints a knockout blow Sunday.

Seven days after New Orleans posted a dominant road victory in Pittsburgh, the Saints themselves were dominated at home in a 41-10 loss, their fourth consecutive home loss this season, the first time that has happened since the 1999 season.

In logistical terms, New Orleans (5-8) remains in the thick of the race for the NFC South Division title. Carolina (4-8-1) trails and Atlanta (5-7) plays on the road against Green Bay at Lambeau Field on Monday night.

Winning out – the remaining schedule has the Saints at Chicago next Monday night, against Atlanta in the Superdome and on the road against Tampa Bay for the finale – will give the Saints the division title.

But with Sunday’s performance likely ranking as the worst that the Saints have on this season’s resume, the glaring concern for New Orleans was how to correct the errors that have plagued and crippled the team all season, and how to absorb and rebound from a loss that generated the harshest self-analyses the Saints have offered this year.


“Obviously, that’s embarrassing, how we played, how we coached,” Coach Sean Payton said. “You pick an area or you pick a phase, and it was awful. You’re not going to have a chance to win if you turn it over that frequently in the first quarter, if you don’t tackle, if you give up almost 300 yards rushing. You name it, check it off.

“Here’s the thing I told them. Let’s make sure we’re crystal clear. There’s no question as to why. It’s right out there, we just saw it. We’ve got to look closely at everything – preparation, who we’re asking to do it, starting with me. But it isn’t a giant mystery. To win in this league, we did all the things that keep you from winning.”


Read more: John DeShazier: No positives for Saints in blowout loss to Panthers

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Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

All little common sense goes a long way.