‘Thursday Night Football’ 2014 live stream: How to watch Saints vs. Panthers online

Carolina and New Orleans battle for the top spot in the NFC South under the lights in Charlotte.

by Matt Verderame

Oct 30, 2014, 10:00 PM UTC

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sport

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‘Thursday Night Football,’ schedule and results: Saints beat Panthers on the road, 28-10

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The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers have had disappointing starts to their seasons, but find themselves playing for the NFC South lead on Thursday night. Carolina is in a massive funk at 3-4-1, losing four of its last six games. Over that stretch, Carolina has allowed 37 or more points four times. New Orleans righted the ship on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers, but still sits 3-4 and winless on the road.

After winning the NFC South with a 12-4 mark last season, the Panthers have struggled to find the same formula. The defense ranked second in 2013 but looks lost thus far in 2014, checking in at No. 21 in the league. The unit did make strides in last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, allowing only 13 points and forcing two turnovers. The offense hasn't been much help over the past two games, scoring a total of 26 points. Cam Newton has been mediocre, throwing eight touchdowns against four interceptions with a 60.1 completion percentage.

The Saints are feeling good after pounding the Packers 44-23 in front of a charged crowd at the Superdome. The problem for New Orleans is when it plays games outside the dome. The Saints are 0-4 on the road this season, losing to the Falcons, Browns, Cowboys and Lions. The pass defense has been a problem everywhere, ranking No. 31 in the NFL by allowing 289.3 yards per game. Predictably, the strength of the Saints is once again Drew Brees and the passing attack. Brees has already thrown for 2,227 yards and 14 touchdowns, albeit with seven picks.