NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- The Carolina Panthers continue to have magical things happen in overtime.
After a fumble by Deuce McAllister helped set the stage, John Kasay kicked a 31-yard field goal 4:36 into overtime, lifting the Panthers to a 23-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Speedster Michael Lewis gave the Saints excellent field position to start overtime, returning the kickoff 53 yards to the Panthers 47.
But the Panthers' defense was able to stiffen before coming up with a huge play. On 4th-and-1 from the 37, the Saints elected to go for the first down, but defensive end Julius Peppers undercut McAllister in the backfield and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins recovered the fumble.
"The options were kick the field goal, run a naked (bootleg) with Aaron, and I made the call to give the ball to Deuce," Saints coach Jim Haslett said.
"We anticipated it would be some kind of run up the middle," Panthers coach John Fox said. "We played a short yardage defense and executed it very well."
Peppers also commented about the play.
"You just have to try and make it happen," Peppers said. "It was just my play to disrupt the whole play to get back there and create some havoc."
The Panthers were able to convert the turnover, needing six plays to move 50 yards for the winning score.
Stephen Davis, who had a huge game, carried three times on the drive, including a 34-yard jaunt to the New Orleans 11. Davis carried 31 times for a team-record 178 yards and two touchdowns.
"We call the play "power rapid". I saw an extra guy and I just followed him all the way down the field," Davis said. "It just shows you how much will and character we have on this team."
"He is a great running back and had a few long runs today," Haslett said. "They do a great job in the running game and that is the number one thing you have to stop. I thought we did a pretty good job on the pass. But those long runs hurt, especially at the end."
Two plays later, Kasay split the uprights, helping the Panthers (6-1) improve to 3-0 in overtime this season.
Aaron Brooks passed for two touchdowns and McAllister rushed for 101 yards for the Saints (3-5), who were swept in the season series by the Panthers.
Davis, who rushed for 159 yard in the Panthers' 19-13 win over the Saints three weeks ago, capped a six-play, 58-yard drive with a one-yard TD run with 3:46 left in the fourth quarter, giving Carolina a 20-17 lead.
But Brooks was able to lead the Saints into field goal range in the waning moments. He kept the drive alive with a 16-yard completion to Jerome Pathon on a 4th-and-10 play to the New Orleans 47.
Brooks also connected with McAllister for 16 yards down to the Saints 34. The drive stalled at the 25 and Kasay kicked a 42-yard field goal with 36 seconds left, tying the game at 20-20.
After a slow start, Brooks recovered to complete 20-of-33 passes for 187 yards with an interception.
It was a bigger struggle for former Saint Jake Delhomme, who went 12-of-27 for 148 yards. His favorite receiver was Steve Smith, who had nine catches for 100 yards.
Kasay provided the only points of the first quarter with a 24-yard field goal 9:45 into the contest. Davis helped set up the score with a 40-yard run to the Carolina 7.
With under a minute left in the first quarter, Brooks lost a fumble that was recovered by Panthers linebacker Dan Morgan at the New Orleans 25.
Delhomme found tight end Kris Mangum for 22 yards to the Saints 1. Two plays later, Davis plowed over from one yard to make it 10-0 with 13 1/2 minutes left in the half.
After managing just 19 yards in the opening quarter, the Saints went 72 yards in 11 plays on their initial possession of the second quarter.
Brooks ran for one yard on 4th-and-1 to the Saints 38, and he also had completions of 11 yards to running back Ki-Jana Carter and rookie Talman Gardner to the Panthers 15.
Brooks capped the march by finding Horn, who made a leaping catch in the end zone, for a 14-yard touchdown. Horn appeared to have injured his knee on the play before getting to his feet and jogging to the sidelines.
The Saints took the lead with under two minutes left in the half, going 64 yards in seven plays. Brooks had a 14-yard pass to Horn and McAllister ran 13 yards to the Carolina 23.
On 3rd-and-10, Horn beat cornerback Reggie Howard on an out-and-up pattern down the left sideline for a 23-yard touchdown, giving the Saints a 14-10 lead with 1:17 left in the half.
Horn had six catches for 74 yards.
After the Panthers picked up one first down, the Saints received a big play from their special teams when Steve Gleason blocked Todd Sauerbrun's punt and Deveron Harper recovered at the Carolina 29 with four seconds left in the half.
Carney came on and kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Saints a 17-10 lead.
Kasay kicked a 29-yard field goal for the only points of the third quarter, pulling the Panthers within 17-13.
