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The Panthers (3-6) host the Saints (4-5) on "Thursday Night Football" in a rematch of Week 6, a game the Saints won 41-38. Now, with just five games left in the regular season, both Carolina and New Orleans are basically in must-win territory from here on out.

Based on history, 3-6 outfits have a 3 percent chance making the postseason, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. And in terms of the 2016 season, the Panthers are looking at slightly better odds; FiveThirtyEight.com pegs their postseason chances at 9 percent, based on the rest of the league, and there's even a 5 percent chance they can still win the NFC South.

The Saints, meanwhile, are looking at a 17 percent chance at January football and a 14 percent chance to do it at division champs.

If either of these teams need inspiration, they needn't look any further than 2015. A year ago, the Chiefs started 1-5, had virtually no chance of qualifying for the postseason and then proceeded to rip off 10 straight regular-season wins, then they demoralized the Texans, 30-0, in the wild-card game. And as recently as 2012, the Redskins limped to a 3-6 start only to have at-the-time franchise savior Robert Griffin III lead the team to seven straight victories and a division title. Before that, you have to go back two decades. The Jaguars were sitting at 3-6 in 1996, somehow finished 9-7, and not only that, won twice in the playoffs.

So what has to happen to keep hope alive?

For the Panthers, it means finding a way to keep Cam Newton upright, which has been a daunting task to date; the offensive line ranks 26th in pass protection, according to Football Outsiders' metrics. And these stats, courtesy of Pro Football Focus, are even more sobering: Newton's completion percentage drops from 64.6 to 43.5 when he's under pressure. His yards per attempt go from 7.7. to 6.1, his TD/INT ratio drops from 2/1 to 1/1.5, and his passer rating plummets from 93.1 to 57.1.

And for the Saints, that means continuing their upward trajectory of improving football.

New Orleans is 4-2 in its last six games. Unfortunately, their overall record means the Saints started the season with three straight losses. Silver lining: Those losses were, it turns out, to three pretty good teams: the Raiders, Giants and Falcons. And their two other losses came to two other pretty good teams -- the Chiefs and, most recently, the Broncos.

So there are reasons for optimism.

How to watch

  • What: New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers
  • When: Thursday, Nov. 17, 8:25 p.m. ET
  • Where: Bank of America Stadium
  • TV: NFL Network, NBC
    • Play-by-play: Al Michaels
    • Color analyst: Cris Collinsworth
    • Sideline reporter: Heather Cox
  • Streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile app
  • Online: NFL Game Pass (available to watch online after midnight)
  • Latest odds: The Panthers are currently 3.5-point favorites according to Bovada

It's Color Rush Thursday, y'all (again)!

Behold:

Prisco's pick

This is a survival game for these two, especially Carolina. Both are coming off losses, but the Saints are playing better. Even so, I think Cam Newton and company find a way here to pull this out.

Prisco's final score: Panthers 27, Saints 21


'TNF' on Twitter returns this week

Thursday's game returns to Twitter and you'll be able to stream it -- and four subsequent games here: tnf.twitter.com.

You can use your mobile device or tablet with the NFL Network app. Kickoff is at 8:25 p.m. ET.

In addition to live streaming, the NFL-Twitter partnership also includes in-game highlights from "Thursday Night Football" and pre-game Periscope broadcasts from players and teams.

Here's the remaining NFL-Twitter TNF schedule:

Be sure to CBSSports.com's Pro Football Rundown for all the latest NFL news and commentary.