Charlotte - The Carolina Panthers turned two New Orleans Saints turnovers and two special teams mistake into a 20-3 halftime lead Thursday at Bank of America Stadium.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees was sacked and lost a fumble on the team's first possession. Carolina converted that into a 32-yard Graham Gano field goal. Later in the half Carolina safety Kurt Coleman intercepted a pass intended for tight end Coby Fleener. The Panthers converted that with a 1-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Stewart.
The special teams unit put the Saints offense in a bad spot when returner Marcus Murphy took a Carolina kickoff and stepped out of bounds at the 1.