CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) – Carolina quarterback Cam Newton has a gift he’s keeping at his locker that serves as a motivation heading into Monday’s divisional matchup with New Orleans.
The Saints beat the Panthers, 31-26, in a wild card game last season to complete a three-game season sweep. New Orleans defensive end Cam Jordan, who sacked Newton twice in those games, sent a broom and a bottle of wine to Newton.
“I didn’t take the pack off, so I’m gonna resend to the sender if everything is taken care of,” Newton said. “That’s all in good fun.”
The business Newton and the Panthers have to take care of is beating the Saints twice, along with Atlanta, to have a chance to reach the postseason. While not mathematically eliminated, Carolina’s playoff hopes have dwindled thanks to a five-game losing streak.
“We’ve been on this skid for a couple of weeks, and we’re going against a divisional opponent,” Newton said. “Even going back to Week 1, we kind of figured it was going to come down to a scenario like this in one way shape or form. Of course, for it to be coming down like this, for us, is not ideal.”
As far as this final push goes, the Panthers have yet to play the Saints this year. They lost a one-possession game, 31-24, at Atlanta in Week 2. The good news is that two of these final three games are at Bank of America Stadium where Carolina is 5-1 this year.
Monday’s kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. from Charlotte.