Panthers get touchy-feely to handle Saints' offense

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's all in the hands. That's how you slow down the New Orleans Saints' passing game.

Grab. Hold. Clutch. Get away with it, and don't let the Saints receivers get free releases off the line. Oh, and get some pressure and get the defensive linemen's hands up.

Panthers DT Damione Lewis says, 'We tried to keep him as uncomfortable as possible,' about Saints QB Drew Brees. (Getty Images)

In some cities, the kind of mugging the Carolina Panthers defense put on the New Orleans offense Sunday -- especially a secondary that seemed stuck to the receivers like a bad rep to Pacman Jones -- would land you five to 10 in the state pen.

It landed the Panthers a dominant 30-7 victory against the Saints in a key NFC South game at Bank of America Stadium. That victory will once again ignite the talk that good defense will always beat good offense.

"I'm a naturally aggressive guy," Panthers corner Ken Lucas said. "I like to press a lot. They gave us the freedom to press if we wanted to. I think that worked a lot to throw their timing off. We wanted to be aggressive and throw their timing off."

The Saints came in all glitz and glamour, ready to preen for all to see. That easy-on-the-eyes offense rolled in leading the NFL in passing yards and making Drew Brees a legitimate MVP candidate. Plus, Brees was getting back two injured starters in receiver Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey.

Instead of helping the offense, it appeared their return hurt it. The down-the-field aggression was gone, helped in part by the outstanding play of the Carolina defense, but also a play-calling display from Sean Payton that seemed off. That is rare for Payton, who is one of the best.

The result was the Saints leaving battered and beaten, dropping to 3-4 for the season and well behind the 5-2 Panthers. It also opens up the speculation that their finesse team can't deal with the beatings that physical teams give to them.

As much as I love New Orleans' offense and think Payton is a master at attacking defenses, neither could counter the brute strength of the Carolina defense, which turned the Saints' big-play offense into one that seemed to have trouble just completing passes.

"We didn't operate efficiently enough," Payton said in the no-kidding comment of the day.

Brees came into the game averaging 332.2 yards passing, tops in the league. His passer rating was 105.0 and he had 12 touchdown passes in his first six games. He had 27 completions of 20 yards or more in those first seven games.

He had three against the Panthers, two coming in the fourth quarter when the game was long decided. Brees entered the fourth quarter with his team trailing 27-7 and 104 yards passing. He finished with 231, no touchdowns and one interception. His passer rating was 61.0, by far his lowest of the season.

"We tried to keep him as uncomfortable as possible," Panthers defensive tackle Damione Lewis said.