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Kasay's field goal gives Panthers NFC South title

Dec 28, 2008 - 11:04 PM NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- The Carolina Panthers withstood a gutsy comeback attempt by Drew Brees to put away their first division title in three years.

John Kasay kicked a 42-yard field goal with one second remaining Sunday as the Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints, 33-31, to clinch the NFC South crown.

Carolina (12-4), the only team to go 8-0 at home this season, secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye.

"I just knew this game would come down to a field goal," Kasay said. "It happened that way here in '03 and '05, and now today."

The dramatic victory came after Brees threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to rally in the Saints (8-8) from a 30-10 deficit.

"I hope it didn't look like we were coasting too much," Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme said. "When you have a quarterback like that (Brees), you know he can chuck it. I never thought once they were out of it."

Brees threw two of his TD passes in the fourth quarter to Lance Moore, including a 13-yard strike that put the Saints ahead, 31-30, with 3:16 remaining. New Orleans took advantage of a 21-yard punt that was downed at the Panthers' 45-yard line.

Brees threw for 386 yards, falling just 16 yards shy of Dan Marino's NFL single-season record of 5,084 yards set in 1984. He become only the second quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a single season.

"We had our opportunities and I am proud at how we fought back," New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. "In the end, we couldn't come up with enough plays to stop them."

Delhomme ignited the Panthers' winning drive with a 39-yard completion to Steve Smith after Carolina started its final possession at its 18.

"Now we have a week off and will rest and get ready for the playoffs," Smith said. "The good news is that we have a bye and a home playoff game coming up."

Carolina's DeAngelo Williams rushed for 178 yards on 25 carries to set two franchise marks as the Panthers rebounded from last week's 34-28 overtime loss to the New York Giants. That defeat cost Carolina home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Williams finished the year with 1,515 yards, breaking Stephen Davis' previous team mark of 1,444 set in 2003. He also established another team record with his eighth 100-yard game of the season.

"I told them (his players) congratulations," Carolina coach Jon Fox said. "When you win the division and get the second seed in the NFC, I think congratulations are in order."

The Panthers dominated from the start, putting together drives of 12, 9 and 9 plays on their first three possessions.

After settling for field goals each time, Carolina appeared to take control by scoring two touchdowns in a six-second span late in the second quarter.

An interception by safety Chris Harris set up Jake Delhomme's 8-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad with 3:03 remaining in the first quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, linebacker Landon Johnson knocked the ball loose from Skyler Green. Cornerback Dante Wesley scooped up the fumble and returned it 12 yards for his first career TD, giving the Panthers a 23-3 cushion.

Brees answered with a 26-yard TD strike to Marques Colston to pull the Saints within 23-10 at the half.

However, the Panthers forced a punt on the Saints' first possession of the second half and regained their three-TD advantage on rookie Jonathan Stewart's 2-yard TD run with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

With the score, Carolina became the fifth team in NFL history to have two players with 10 or more rushing touchdowns in one season. Williams paced the NFL with 18 rushing TDs.

"This is my 20th NFL season," Fox added. "I've seen too much to ever feel comfortable."

In the fourth quarter, Brees took aim at Marino's record and made the Panthers sweat. He started the comeback with a 7-yard TD strike to Robert Meachem, then tossed a 9-yard scoring pass to Moore to make it 30-24.