NEW ORLEANS — Wil Lutz missed two field goals, Chris Olave fumbled inside the Carolina 30 and the New Orleans Saints missed a fourth and one try on the Carolina 20 eventually losing a contest they seemingly dominated 10-7 in a lackluster finale to a lackluster season.
The Saints scored on their first possession with a 25-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton to Chris Olave just over four minutes into the game. That ended the scoring for the team on the day.
The Saints finished the day with 304 total yards and limited the Panthers to 203 and led in turnovers 2-1, but it wasn't enough.
"That's what happens when you don't take advantage of your opportunities," said head coach Dennis Allen. “We didn’t win as many games as we would have liked to. There’s a handful of games, that I feel like, if we had made some critical plays, could have turned out different.”
The Saints made three other trips inside the Carolina 30 in the first half – but a Lutz miss, a stuffed fourth and 1 try on the Carolina 20 and an Olave fumble on the Carolina 24, ended those threats.
The season ends with the Saints finishing 7-10, in a three-way tie with Carolina and Atlanta for 2nd, or last in the NFC South, behind division-winning Tampa, who finished 8-9.
The Saints head into the offseason with a bevy of questions at almost every position and on the coaching staff.