John DeShazier: Saints top performers vs. Panthers

Tim Hightower had impressive game

OFFENSE: Give Tim Hightower this – the running back always is prepared to carry a heavy workload. And he carried one against the Panthers on a night when the offense was slow to find a groove, and his running mate (Mark Ingram) was forced to leave the game due to the concussion protocol about midway through the third quarter. Hightower ran for 69 yards on 12 carries and caught eight passes for 57 yards, and almost all of it came in the second half after Ingram’s exit. In the final quarter-and-a-half, he ran nine times for 59 yards and caught six passes for 45 yards, accounting for 15 touches on the Saints’ 38 second-half plays. The Saints scored 17…