Five things to watch at New Orleans: Ending on a positive note

CHARLOTTE – The Panthers have one last game on deck for the season, wrapping it up with a divisional matchup on the road.

Carolina (6-10) travels to New Orleans (7-9) to play Sunday at 1 p.m. in Caesars Superdome, looking to end on a better note than last week’s sour road loss at Tampa Bay.

The Saints enter their last matchup of the season on a three-game winning streak, claiming victory over Atlanta, Cleveland, and Philadelphia following their Week 14 bye.

The Panthers won their first matchup against New Orleans, 22-14, in Week 3 with a different head coach, starting quarterback, and lead running back. They’ll also be facing a different quarterback in New Orleans, as Andy Dalton has taken over the Saints’ offense since Week 4 in place of Jameis Winston.

Here are five things to watch in Week 18:

The Panthers’ injury report wasn’t a particularly long one this week, but some important pieces on defense and offense were added late and will be questionable for the Saints game.

Defensive end Brian Burns (ankle) didn’t participate in Friday’s practice after he landed on Thursday’s injury report, and running back D’Onta Foreman (knee) was limited Friday. Interim coach Steve Wilks said both Burns and Foreman’s statuses will be “game-time decisions.”

“When you ask those guys, in regards to wanting to play, they would tell you that they want to play,” Wilks said. “And we’re going to make sure that if they’re healthy, they can and they will. And if they’re not, we want to make sure that we’re smart enough not to put them in harm’s way. So we’ll wait and see exactly what happens on game day.”

Burns characterized his ankle injury as “one of those nicks and bruises” he has dealt with throughout the season, tweaked during the week before New Orleans. He gave

“(I’m) hopeful,” Burns said when asked if he’ll be available Sunday. “But right now, I’m just in the training room trying to get it right, do everything I can for Sunday.”

If Burns isn’t healthy in time, Wilks said to expect more opportunities for late-game force Marquis Haynes Sr. and rookie Amaré Barno in his place. Haynes returned a fumble for a 44-yard touchdown in the first quarter of the last Saints’ game.

Without Foreman, the Panthers would get more carries to their improving second-year running back Chuba Hubbard and rookie Raheem Blackshear.

Even if the Panthers have to go without Foreman, they’ll want to establish their characteristic run-first offense against the Saints’ 21st-ranked rushing defense, allowing 127.9 yards on the ground per game.

Carolina’s running back tandem put up a franchise-best 320 yards rushing against Detroit but were halted in their last game against the Buccaneers. They put up just 74 yards on 22 attempts in Tampa Bay, with Foreman held to 35 yards on 13 attempts and Hubbard neutralized on the ground, taking three carries for just 12 yards. The Panthers are averaging the NFL’s 12th-best rushing offense, running for 127.4 yards per game.

The Panthers successfully ran the ball against the Saints last time and put up 145 yards on the ground. But that was before the Christian McCaffrey trade.

McCaffrey accounted for 108 of those yards, while Foreman received no carries. Hubbard tallied 25 yards on three attempts in Week 3 against the Saints.

PREPARING FOR TAYSOM HILL

The Panthers know the challenge that awaits with New Orleans’ versatile offensive weapon Taysom Hill, who took a season-high 14 rushing attempts for 46 yards and a touchdown against Philadelphia last week.

Hill, a tight end/utility man for the Saints, has put up 551 yards rushing this year with seven touchdowns and added another 76 yards on eight catches with two receiving touchdowns. The former quarterback has also completed 13-of-19 pass attempts for 240 yards and two passing touchdowns this season.

“He creates a different element in the things that they do offensively with him,” Wilks said. “So you’ve got to make sure you have that zone-read quarterback option, where everybody is really doing their assignment, locked in and focused, eyes in the right spot. So it creates a different element for you. But it’s something that we definitely have to work on to the details.”

Hill was limited in practice throughout the week with a back injury and has been ruled questionable for the Saints’ season finale against the Panthers.

Against the Buccaneers, Sam Darnold was sacked twice, including a late strip-sack deep in Carolina territory last week. And the Panthers’ offensive line will be rechallenged in New Orleans against one of the NFL’s top-performing pass-rushing units.

The Saints have come down with 46 total sacks this season, ranked fifth in the league, and boast the third-best passing defense, allowing 193.9 pass yards per game.

Carolina will want to look out for defensive end Cameron Jordan, who became New Orleans’ all-time sack leader last week after getting to Philadelphia quarterback Gardner Minshew three times in Week 17. He leads the Saints with 8.5 sacks this season, followed by linebacker Kaden Elliss with 7.0 and linebacker Demario Davis with 6.5.

The Lions didn’t touch Darnold in Week 16, and the Panthers’ offensive line (which has remained consistently intact except Bradley Bozeman‘s move to starting center for an injured Pat Elflein) will look to establish a dominant presence in their last game together this season.

LAST CHANCE FOR STATISTICAL MILESTONES

Wide receiver DJ Moore is 122 receiving yards away from totaling his fourth-straight 1,000-yard season. Moore put up his third 100-yard game of the season last week at Tampa Bay, hauling in six catches for 117 yards, his second-highest mark this season, against the Buccaneers.

Linebacker Shaq Thompson needs two more tackles to reach 130 this season, which would make him the fourth player in franchise history to record a season with at least 130 tackles. Thompson recorded 12 tackles in Tampa Bay, his fifth game in double digits this season.

If Burns can play in New Orleans, he’ll have a chance to tie the franchise single-season sack record with 2.5 sacks against the Saints. Burns is at a career-best 12.5 sacks this season, and if he gets to 15.0, he’ll tie Kevin Greene (1998) and Greg Hardy (2013) in the Panthers’ record books.

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Carolina Panther Luke Kuechly (59) keeps his eyes on New Orleans Saint quarterback Drew Brees at Bank of American Stadium on Sunday, September 24, 2017 in Charlotte, NC.

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Carolina Panthers’ Rod Smart (32) runs past cheering teammates for a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown during the second quarter against the New Orleans Saints in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday Oct. 5, 2003. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, September 27, 2015 at Bank of America Stadium.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 22, 2013.

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Carolina Panthers 2015

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 22, 2013.

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Carolina Panther Christian McCaffrey (22) makes a reception in the red zone against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of American Stadium on Sunday, September 24, 2017 in Charlotte, NC.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at the Mercedes Benz Super Dome in New Orleans, LA.

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The Carolina Panthers play against the Miami Dolphins during week ten of the regular season on Monday, November 13, 2017, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

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The Carolina Panthers play against the Miami Dolphins during week ten of the regular season on Monday, November 13, 2017, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

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The Carolina Panthers play against the Miami Dolphins during week ten of the regular season on Monday, November 13, 2017, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 22, 2013.

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The Carolina Panthers play against the Miami Dolphins during week ten of the regular season on Monday, November 13, 2017, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at the Mercedes Benz Super Dome in New Orleans, LA.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints in Bank of America Stadium on Thursday, October 30, 2014 in Charlotte, NC.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 22, 2013.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 22, 2013.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 6, 2015.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, September 27, 2015 at Bank of America Stadium.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, September 27, 2015 at Bank of America Stadium.

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Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams in action during an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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Carolina Panther Curtis Samuel (10) evades New Orleans Saints Marcus Williams at Bank of American Stadium on Sunday, September 24, 2017 in Charlotte, NC.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at the Mercedes Benz Super Dome in New Orleans, LA.

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New Orleans Saints defenders Roman Harper (41) and Jason David (42) try to defend Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (89) in the second half of their NFL football game in the Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008. Smith caught the long pass to keep the Panthers’ game-winning drive alive as they defeated the Saints 33-31. (AP Photo/Chris Martinez)

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints in Bank of America Stadium on Thursday, October 30, 2014 in Charlotte, NC.

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New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees (9) looks to pass as Carolina Panthers’ Julius Peppers (90) defends during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Chuck Burton

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The Carolina Panthers play against the Miami Dolphins during week ten of the regular season on Monday, November 13, 2017, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

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Carolina Panthers against the New Orleans Saints during the wild card round of the NFL playoffs at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, January 7, 2018 in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez)

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Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme (17) scrambles as New Orleans Saints’ Charles Grant (94) pursues during the second half of the Panthers’ 30-7 win in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)

Rick Havner

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The Carolina Panthers play against the Miami Dolphins during week ten of the regular season on Monday, November 13, 2017, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 6, 2015.

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is sacked by Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Thomas Davis in the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman)

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints in Bank of America Stadium on Thursday, October 30, 2014 in Charlotte, NC.

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Carolina Panthers play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 6, 2015.

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New Orleans Saints kicker Olindo Mare right, tries to grab the ball as Steve Weatherford (7) scrambles with Carolina Panthers Richard Marshall after the kick was blocked in the second half of their football game in the Superdome in New Orleans Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007. The Panthers won 16-13.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith (89) gets by New Orleans Saints cornerback Fred Thomas on his way to a 15-yard, third-quarter touchdown during an NFL football game in Baton Rouge, La., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005. The Panthers won 27-10. (AP Photo/Paul Rutherford)

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, bottom, lies on the field after being sacked by Carolina Panthers defender Richard Marshall (31) in the second half of their NFL football game in the Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Carolina Panthers linebacker Mark Fields (58) celebrates sacking New Orleans Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks (2), center, on ground (partially obscured), at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2002. The Panthers defeated the Saints, 10-6. On ground at right is Saints’ Spencer Folau.(AP Photo/Doug Keese)

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Carolina Panthers’ Ken Lucas, left, intercepts a pass intended for New Orleans Saints’ Marques Colston, right, during the third quarter of the Panthers’ 30-7 win in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)

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Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore (3) scrambles during an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)

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Carolina Panthers kicker John Kasay, center, is surrounded by his teammates after his field goal as time expired in an NFL football game in the Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007. The Panthers won 16-13. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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The celebration begins as Carolina Panthers’ Todd Sauerbrun (10) John Kasay (4) and Kris Mangum (86) enjoy their 23-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2003, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Kasay kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime. Leave the field for the Saints is Jay Bellamy (20). Holding for Kasay was punter Todd Souerbrun (10). (AP Photo/Andrew Cohoon)

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New Orleans Saints defenders Johnathan Sullivan, left, and Brian Young (66) pursue Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme (17) during the first half of an NFL football game at LSU’s Tiger Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005, in Baton Rouge, La. The Panthers won 27-10. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)