CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The season appeared to be crumbling before the eyes of the Carolina Panthers with less than three minutes left in Thursday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly was in the locker room being checked for a concussion. Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil was out with a shoulder injury, and backup center Gino Gradkowski wasn’t active because of a knee injury.
The Panthers faced third-and-10 from their own 15, clinging to a three-point lead.
They needed something big to happen.
In stepped Cam Newton.
The reigning NFL MVP threw a bullet to wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin over the middle for an 18-yard gain that salvaged the game.
And perhaps the season.
It allowed the Panthers to run all but 14 seconds off the clock and hold on for a 23-20 victory that moved them within two games of Atlanta in the NFC South with six games remaining.
“It was almost like a breath of fresh air," safety Kurt Coleman said. "It really felt good. It felt like we finally did what we were supposed to do."
The Panthers (4-6) have struggled to win close games this season. Four of their six losses have come by a field goal or less.
They blew a 17-3, fourth-quarter lead Sunday in a 20-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. If not for that they would be on a four-game winning streak.
"We still have our sights set on everything that we want," said Newton, whose big play came on a night during which he completed 42.4 percent of his passes, his worst percentage in a victory since entering the league in 2011. "It's still right in front of our eyes."
A third consecutive division title and return to the playoffs still might be a long shot for the Panthers. They likely need to win out.
But there might have been no shot had it not been for that completion to Benjamin, which helped Carolina keep possession long enough that Saints quarterback Drew Brees didn't have enough time to work his magic at game's end.
"The wheels fell off the offense a little bit," tight end Greg Olsen said. "Kelvin saved the day. That catch on third down ... that extra set of downs was just enough to bleed the clock.’’
But the injuries to Kuechly and Kalil, as well as to defensive end Mario Addison (foot), took much of the joy out of this win. There was no loud music or celebrating in the locker room afterward.
The talk was of the tears in Kuechly's face as he was carted off, of Kuechly telling players to "keep fighting."
"It knocks the wind out of your sails," Olsen said. "It’s not your typical winning locker room. Guys are struggling a little bit."
Kuechly’s injury aside, this was a big step for the defense.
A unit that gave up 523 yards (465 passing) in a 41-38 loss to New Orleans last month played arguably its best game of the season, considering the opponent and what was on the line.
The Saints were leading the NFL in total offense and ranked third in points scored, entering Thursday at 29.4 per game.
For three quarters, the Panthers dominated defensively in a way they hadn’t all season. They kept Brees, who came into the game tied for the NFL lead with 24 touchdown passes, out of the end zone. They sacked him three times, more than he has gone down in a game all season. They intercepted him once to set up a touchdown and forced him to fumble to set up a field goal.
They kept him to a lot of short stuff. Twenty-two of his 28 attempts through three quarters were within five yards of the line of scrimmage.
It wasn't until the injuries started to mount, hurting what the Panthers could do on both sides of the ball, that the Saints (4-6) mounted a comeback.
The Panthers had only 223 yards of total offense, 83 in the second half without Kalil.
Before the throw to Benjamin, Newton didn’t make many big plays outside of a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. late in the first half.
And that had to be reviewed and overturned.
But in the end, Newton made one when it was needed the most.
“It was a weird deal," Olsen said. "It was a weird night. The only positive out of this entire thing is we won, which is a huge positive."