The New Orleans Saints inched closer to a No. 1 seed with a 12-9 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Drew Brees threw for 203 yards in the low-scoring Monday night victory as the Saints moved to an NFL-best 12-2 on the season. They also finish the year 7-1 away from home after six straight years without a winning road record.
The Panthers saw their odds of reaching the playoffs shrink even more with their sixth straight loss, falling to 6-8 after a promising 6-2 start. Christian McCaffrey had 120 yards from scrimmage plus a passing touchdown but it wasn't enough to end the recent slide.