Saints vs. Panthers 2016: Time, TV schedule for ‘Thursday Night Football’

The Carolina Panthers had their two-game winning streak snapped in Week 10. If they can’t get back on track in a Thursday Night Football showdown with the New Orleans Saints, it may squash any hope of defending their NFC title.

Carolina stumbled out of the gate to a 1-5 record, but two straight wins had Cam Newton and his team hopeful they could follow Kansas City’s 2015 lead and rally all the way to the playoffs. Those hopes took a blow — coincidentally against a red-hot Chiefs team — in a 20-17 collapse at home last week. The Panthers led 17-0 late in the second quarter, then fell apart in a hectic second half that featured double throws, horrible punts, and stolen footballs.

The loss continued a difficult 2016 for Newton. The 2015 NFL MVP hasn’t played up to his lofty standards this fall, thanks in part to some brutal hits referees keep somehow missing. Newton missed time this season with a concussion, but hasn’t been the same on the field. His passer rating is a career-low 82.0 thanks in part to a TD:INT ratio that has fallen from 35:10 to 10:7.

Newton isn’t the only broken piece of a once-dominant Panthers team. Carolina allowed the league’s fourth-lowest yards per game average in 2015. It’s fallen to 15th this season. The drop in scoring defense has been even steeper: from sixth to 23rd by allowing more than 25 points per game in 2016.

The combination has Carolina mired at 3-6 and watching its playoff window close quickly. The Panthers are 14th in a 16-team conference and 2.5 games out of a wild card spot. While there’s still room to rally, the team’s margin for error is razor thin — if it exists at all.

In New Orleans, 2016 continues a recent trend of explosive offense and disappointing results. Drew Brees has shown zero signs of slowing down in his 16th NFL season, but his Saints are just 4-5 thanks to a defense that struggles to stop both the run and pass.

Brees has a legitimate opportunity to break the league’s single-season passing yardage record after throwing for 2,992 yards in just nine games this fall. Over his last five games, his passer rating has dipped no lower than 107. No team in the league throws for more yards than the Saints.

But no team in the league gives up more passing yards, either. Few give up more yards (400.6 per game) and yards per play (6.1) than the Saints as well. An embattled secondary has allowed opposing passers to record a 95.5 passer rating this fall, and opponents have scored 25 or more points in six of New Orleans’ nine games.

The Saints will be fired up after having victory snatched from their hands in bizarre fashion last week. New Orleans was set to notch a key upset of the Broncos when Brandin Cooks tied the game with a 32-yard touchdown reception with 1:22 left to play. Wil Lutz lined up to kick the go-ahead extra point, but his attempt was blocked and returned to New Orleans’ end zone for a defensive PAT conversion.

The resulting two points gave Denver its margin of victory, but not without controversy. Will Parks screamed up the left sideline on the return, but appeared to step out of bounds in the process. The replay was inconclusive, and the Broncos escaped the Superdome with a win.

The loss put a big dent in the Saints’ playoff hopes, but they’ve got more postseason life in them than the Panthers right now. Even so, neither one of these teams is taking a step towards the wild card without a win on Thursday.

Time: 8:25 p.m. ET

Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.

TV: NFL Network, NBC

Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Heather Cox

Online Streaming: NBC Sports, Twitter